Social Resilience and Cultural Change: Local Festivals as a Model of Community Adaptation

Abstract

Local festivals in small settlements in Bulgaria function as a mechanism of social resilience and community adaptation to demographic, economic, and cultural changes. In the context of migration and population ageing, they not only reproduce cultural heritage but also create new forms of cooperation among key local actors: local government, community cultural centers (chitalishta), businesses, non-governmental organizations, and residents. The analysis, based on a quantitative sociological survey and a series of indepth interviews, shows that festivals operate as a form of social infrastructure through which horizontal ties are strengthened, partnerships are built, and a sense of belonging and trust is fostered. Festivals become a field in which communities reorganize their roles and strategies, demonstrating their capacity to respond to a changing environment through adaptive and in-novative practices. This approach allows local festivals to be interpreted as laboratories of social resilience – spaces where cultural change and collective action intersect in support of sustainable local development.