BUSINESSPEOPLE AND LOCAL FESTIVALS: ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LOCAL SOLIDARITY, PROFIT AND CELEBRATION

Abstract

Festivals, as part of the local culture, are subject to social use by the representatives of various socio
professional groups. Social actors take advantage of the goods and circumstances associated with festivals to realize their goals. The sociological view of local festivals is aimed at the social relations between individual social groups on the occasion of their organization and holding, and at the answer to the question “How are festivals used by different social groups?”, thus it is possible to assess what the social effect of their implementation. Local entrepreneurs are carriers of economic, financial, capital, etc. resources of local communities. But, in turn, by organizing, holding and/or sponsoring them, they can use local festivals as a resource for their own activity, development and prosperity. As a socio professional group, they handle this resource in their own specific, group
defined way. In this context, the following questions arise: To what extent does this resource of theirs become a resource of the local communities, to what extent does it help to preserve and develop the community? What is the relationship of local businesses with locality, what is their attachment to a particular place and how do they understand their responsibility to local people? When does one act in the name of a community interest, and when
in a private one? In some cases, these two interests may coincide, and in others they may diverge. During most festivals bazaars, sales, food, drinks, souvenirs and various other goods are offered. The merchants and artisans who participate in almost all local festivals and profit from it are also business people. These traders, artisans and producers may be local people or they may be from other places. What is the balance, what is the ratio between the profit for the business and the benefit for the community? The results of both a nationally representative quantitative empirical sociological study and in depth interviews carried out with qualitative methods within the project „Local festivals: a resource of local communities to deal with crises“ financed by the Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science (KP 06 H45/5 from 30.11.2020) are analyzed. It was concluded that the representatives of the local business are among the main organizers of the festivals of the settlement in which they live. They are actively involved in their preparation and implementation and are among their sponsors. The benefits of festivals for entrepreneurs are mostly material, such as business opportunities, job creation, tourism development, consumption stimulation. But at the same time, they also help to enrich the lifestyle of the local community, to bring it together, to strengthen community solidarity and to form local identity. Local business representatives as proactive social group actors, supporting, organizing and sponsoring local holidays not only promote and develop their business and livelihood, but also respond to the social need of local people and those working in their companies for holidays. This is also their socially responsible role, which in this case they successfully implement.