Making festivals more inclusive

The FESTSPACE project is looking into the dynamics of festivals and events to see how public spaces might be made more accessible for all, and used in new ways that could improve relations between people from different cultural, ethnic or socio-economic backgrounds.

TU Dublin academics, Dr Bernadette Quinn and Dr Theresa Ryan, are collaborating on FESTSPACE with colleagues from the UK, Sweden and Spain.

“FESTSPACE will investigate how festivals and events affect the inclusivity of public spaces,” said Dr Quinn.

The Irish project will have a particular emphasis on commemorative events planned as part of the Decade of Centenaries programme. Festivals and events are an important part of Dublin city’s cultural landscape, and this research is interested in understanding how these events affect those who use public spaces and ultimately in learning about how public spaces can become more inclusive.

TU Dublin has been awarded funding for FESTSPACE by the Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA), a partnership between 26 Humanities Research Councils across Europe and the European Commission.

Professor Brian O’Neill, Director of Research, Innovation and Enterprise at TU Dublin, said TU Dublin is excited to play a part in the research.

FESTSPACE is just one of 20 transnational projects, which have recently received €20 million in funding under the HERA programme and it’s a fantastic opportunity for TU Dublin to build relationships with humanities researchers across Europe.