In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic triggered profound changes in social life across various domains of human existence. With the aim of swiftly and effectively containing the disease and its impacts, as well as maintaining public health, governments implemented various measures that limited human interactions. These measures encouraged minimal socializing, which consequently meant the temporary suspension of all organized forms of social gatherings. Anti-coronavirus measures also led to the interruption of any popular music festivals, where socializing and close (even physical) interpersonal contacts are inherent. However, these festivals play a significant societal role due to their contribution to individual identity construction (especially among the youth) and the reinforcement of interpersonal bonds in contemporary Western society.With the anti-coronavirus measures in place, this role was either disrupted or distorted. In 2022, most countries lifted anti-coronavirus measures and allowed for the first post-pandemic coronavirus outbreak execution of festivals. This master's thesis examines the potential consequences that the pandemic left on the festival experience, specifically on participants' perceptions of the festival. The theoretical foundation of the festival experience in this master's thesis is based on Durkheim's concept of collective effervescence, the phenomenology of ritualized bodies, proximity, interpersonal interactions, and anthropological research on crowds. Drawing from ethnography conducted at three popular music festivals – Gora Rocka, Metaldays, and Sziget – the study highlights findings that indicate a certain connection between the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (or anti-coronavirus measures) and the festival experience.
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