Edinburgh Napier University

  In the work discussed here, the researchers focus on the changing form and function of consumption at Beer Festivals (BFs). The increasing significance of food variety and food origin matches the changing format of Beer Festivals, their attendees profile and the experience sought. This is most particularly witnessed in the growth of the contemporary Craft Beer Festival (CBF).
This research adds to a body of knowledge that has grown with the Flaneur (Baudelaire, 1863), the social significance of beer festival activity, and the attributes of visioning futures to aid resilience of Beer Festival Tourism in volatile social-economic times.
A dual process of data collection and analysis is made. First, empirical evidence is drawn from beer festival attendee observation, interviews and social-media narrative. Second, a future scoping process, identifying drivers, signposts and signals (Robertson & Yeoman, 2014) is applied.