Assessing a DIY Toolkit to Measure the Economic Impact of Festivals at the National Level: Evidence From 19 Jazz Festivals in Italy

This article critically assesses do-it-yourself (DIY) methodology for data collection to map the economic impacts of a homogeneous festival population at the national level. Researchers collected data directly from 19 Italian jazz festivals, investigating both the festivals’ inner structure and their audiences, having surveyed nearly 17,000 attendees throughout Italy. The results allow for a preliminary analysis of the Italian jazz festival panorama and suggest that DIY methodology can be considered a promising tool for impact assessment comparisons in festival populations at the national level for scholars, practitioners and policy-makers. The article provides a critical review of the process, offering a revised DIY toolkit that music festivals can adopt to assess their own impact.