A case study for a transformational festival creation in Lourinhã, Portugal

Abstract This research aims to evaluate, select, and validate strategic alternatives for implementing a transformational festival proposal in the municipality of Lourinhã, Portugal. The methodological model investigates the historical context, the classical festival themes, and the transformational festival’s characterisation through literature review and an exploratory interview with a major British stakeholder; the market potential through randomised inquiries representative of the Portuguese population; the contextual strategic assessment through a focus group with local stakeholders; and verifying the possibility of validating the concept of a festival design based upon these premises, through an interview with a major national stakeholder and three short interviews. As a result, we characterised transformational festivals, confirmed consumer profile key indicators, and validated a concept design with a hybrid strategic approach, essential to developing a disruptive, attractive, and marketable concept. The originality of the research is related to the return to the origins that these festivals highlight, as opposed to digital trends. The discrepancy between the paradigmatic importance of transformational festivals and their acceptance was highlighted. The research was limited by the lack of stakeholders’ acceptance of participation in the qualitative research.