Exploring the sociocultural and educational value of children Festival: The case of Vegera Festival in Greece

Abstract

This study examines the experience and experienced value of participants of the children’s festival in Greece ‘Vegera Fest’. For the data collection, in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=17) were conducted among three participant groups: children, elderly and educators. Using phenomenology as research method, the analysis shows that participants’ experiences are positive and could be separated into shared experiences, such as Entertainment, Learning and Social interaction, and experiences specific to each group. The Experienced Value of the festival concerns Sociocultural aspects such as local heritage preservation and village animation, and Educational aspects, such as teaching customs and providing inspiration for educational design. The findings imply that municipalities that are interested in animating communities or preserving their local customs are encouraged to make use of festivals organized by and with the community members. Educators are also encouraged to participate in children’s festivals with their students in order to provide them with non-formal learning opportunities, but also for them to be inspired for their educational design.