Cities of Culture: Staging International Festivals and the Urban Agenda, 1851û2000

The city is a natural setting for spectacle and entertainment. Since Antiquity, cities have staged events that have illuminated the life of their inhabitants and drawn in visitors. In recent years, however, their role as the setting for festivals and fairs has been dramatically enhanced as city managers have recognised the potential that the larger international festivals have for fostering economic, social and cultural development. Cities of Culture examines the growth of this role in Western cities over the last 150 years. Adopting a lively comparative perspective, it highlights the development of three different forms of staged cultural events - international expositions, the Summer Olympics and the European Cities of Culture programme. With its extensive use of case studies and illuminating examples, it provides insight into the material and symbolic significance of festivals in urban affairs.

John R. Gold is Professor of Urban Geography in the School of Social Science and Law at Oxford Brookes University.