Abstract
e review study maps out the topics of festival research which are adopted in the eld of Cul- tural Studies, by means of an analysis of selected international English-language journals de- voted to Cultural Studies which have been published in the last ve years. Among the analysed journals are: International Journal of Cultural Studies, Space and Culture, Media, Culture & Society, and Continuum: Journal for Media & Cultural Studies. e most common topics of the Cultural Studies' perspective on festival research are identi ed, i.e. festival audiences, festivals as a space where cultural identity negotiation takes place, festivals as part of the subcultural network, and festivals as a spectacle.
A case study combining several qualitative research methods dominates the analysed examples. is review is based on the assumption that Cultural Studies can provide an adequate background for speci c topics of festival research and can expand its horizons beyond the cur- rently prevailing Tourism, Management and Marketing investigations of festivals. However, the analysis also shows how scant attention is devoted to festival research by some leading Cultural Studies journals (e.g.
Media, Culture & Society, International Journal of Cultural Studies). is is despite the fact that since the turn of the millennium, studies devoted to the cultural and social contexts of festival attendance and organisation have arisen across di erent elds of study.