Festivals as a Vehicle for Place Promotion: A Case Study of the Complex Planning Challenges Inherent in the Staging of the Clipsal 500 Motor-Racing Festival in Adelaide, South Australia

Abstract

This paper examines the role of festivals in city marketing and place promotion, focusing on the planning complexities of the Clipsal 500 motor-racing festival in Adelaide, South Australia. While festivals are often celebrated as instruments of creativity, inclusion, and community renewal, they also generate disruptions and contestations over public space, identity, and urban governance. Drawing on policy analysis, marketing materials, participant observation, and interviews with key stakeholders, the study highlights the dual nature of festivals as both opportunities for place promotion and sources of conflict. It situates Adelaide’s identity as a “festival city” within broader debates on creative city strategies, illustrating the challenges faced by policymakers and planners in balancing economic, cultural, and community interests.