Paper short abstract:

Today one of the most striking features of the festival is that it takes place. This also makes the festival present as a sensual object. This paper examines ways of dwelling in three different festivals.

Paper long abstract:

Some places is always better suited to the festivals than others. This is also the case for the three different festivals: Bergen food festival, the Speckfest, and Somerset food festival. When the first took place in the City of Bergen in Norway, the next one is placed in the Alps in Sud Tyrol in Italy, when the third one is in Somerset, West of England.

It turned out that the current location of the three festivals in no way was random. The festival was located in very special places, and at selected places, even in global terms. When Bergen food festival was placed on Bryggen in the City of Bergen, included on the UNESCOs world heritage list. The Speckfest was placed directly underneath the Dolomites, the mountain range in the Alps declared a UNESCOs world heritage site in 2009. The third festival, however, had a more diffuse localisation.

In this paper I discuss empirically ways of dwelling in various festivals: one in the city, one in a small local community, and one in a small town. Some of the consideration will be in how the place of dwelling seems to be taken for granted by the festival, and the festival visitors. I will also discuss the finding by different theoretical approaches and concept of dwelling. Here the main focus will be on dwelling connected to the body, moving, and the materiality; and mainly the material as a 'sensual materiality'. This makes the festival in to a sensual place and also a sensual object of taste, smell, touch and emotions.