Cultural capital of visitors, classical music festival satisfaction, and quality of life

Abstract

Given the economic, social, and cultural benefits that successful festivals generate, researchers have made substantial academic effort to understand the predictors and consequences of festival satisfaction. Although existing literature has focused on festival context to understand them, this study proposes that the cultural capital of visitors predicts the music festival satisfaction and the satisfied festival experience results in higher quality of life (QoL). The integrative framework suggests that music festival satisfaction mediates the relationship between visitors’ cultural capital and their QoL. Based on a survey at the Great Mountains Music Festival in Korea, this study confirmed data validity and tested hypotheses by adopting structural equation modeling. The research result shows that visitors’ cultural capital has a positive effect on music program satisfaction and the satisfactory festival experiences significantly enhance their QoL. Focusing on the influence of personal values and preferences on festival experiences and consequences, this study highlights the significance of cultural capital of visitors and presents implications for festival organizers. © 2017 People and Global Business Association.