Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leeds Beckett University’s School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management are joined by Professor Andrew Smith who will talk about his recent research on contested music festivals in London. A short history of the role of parks as festival venues – and current issues facing public parks - is provided to contextualise the recent rise in the number and size of ticketed, commercial events.
Professor Smith’s presentation will outline current disputes over park festivals across London. Opposition is more than a typical reaction to negative event impacts, instead it represents meaningful resistance to the monetisation and commercial appropriation of public spaces.
Alongside outlining the ways, the pandemic has affected this issue, there is a dedicated attempt to consider how music festivals and everyday use of parks may be reconciled, and examples are provided of more progressive (free) festivals that make London’s parks more inclusive.
The seminar is taking place on Wednesday 26 January, 13.00 - 14.00. Join the online seminar here
Andrew Smith is Professor of Urban Experiences in the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster. He studied Geography at the University of Cambridge before completing a PhD which was jointly funded by both universities in Sheffield.
After lectureships at Sheffield Hallam University and The University of Kent, Professor Smith joined the University of Westminster in 2004. He works within and between the fields of urban studies and events studies, and his research has been published in prominent urban journals as well as in the key journals associated with tourism and events.
Professor Smith currently leads a cross-university research community dedicated to sustainable cities and the urban environment, and he is a principal investigator on the HERA funded Festspace project which aims to examine the way festivals and events affect public spaces.
