The big performing arts festivals on the ‘old continent’ turned into mass culture over the years. Huge events in which the influence of city marketing is very present. These festivals as Festival d’Avignon, Holland Festival, Wiener Festwochen and Edinburgh International Festival were built to overcome differences in Post-Second World War Europe. With present-day Europe at crisis in many aspects, but most pre-dominantly in the moral sphere, these festivals no longer proclaim a critical, reflective and political stance. They have become market orientated, tourist-attracting and city brand polishing Ivory towers. Read the full blog by Jonathan Offereins on Festival Bytes.