SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES OF MUSIC FESTIVALS: CASE STUDY SERBIAN FESTIVALS
Abstract
Environmental challenges linked to tourism and mass events have heightened the importance of sustainable festival management worldwide. Tourism accounts for approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions, underscoring the urgent need for environmentally responsible practices within the event industry. Music festivals provide significant economic and socio-cultural benefits but also exert considerable environmental pressures through waste generation, energy consumption, transport emissions, and excessive resource use. This paper examines the sustainable practice of music festivals in the Western Balkans, focusing on Serbia and its major regional festivals such as Exit, Lovefest, Beer Fest and Guča. Drawing on a review of scientific literature and analysis of current festival practices, the study identifies key environmental challenges and opportunities for sustainable transformation. The findings show that, although sustainability is increasingly prominent in festival discourse, the adoption of green practices remains limited and insufficiently institutionalised. The paper emphasises the importance of waste management, stakeholder cooperation, institutional support, and environmental awareness in advancing sustainable festival development in the Balkan region.
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