Residents’ Perception of the Social and Cultural Impacts of a Public Music Festival in Catalonia

Many authors recognize that events, besides generating economic impacts, also contribute to social and cultural development, for example by creating and communicating social values and promoting social sharing, strengthening local identity and culture and/or promoting a sense of pride and belonging to a community. This study analyses the perception that residents of the city of Vic (a medium-sized city in the interior of the region of Catalonia, Spain) have developed about the Mercat de Musica Viva de Vic (MMVV); an international music festival organized annually by public institutions for the past 27 years. From the results of a factor analysis the paper demonstrates how this event is valued for the positive economic impacts generated, but in particular, for other impacts that have favored the social and cultural development of the region, while negative impacts are also recognized.