Abstract

The article examines the relationship between youth culture and music festivals by analysing the organization, aesthetic and institutional assets of the electronic music festival Sónar in Barcelona, one of the most successful international events in this cultural sector. The article, grounded on an empirical research developed between 2008 and 2010 based on the use of qualitative research methods (interviews, ethnography, document analyses), starts from the analysis of the success of the Sónar Festival to evolve discussing the relationship between Italian music festivals and the condition of youths and youth cultural production in Italy. Thus, in its concluding part the essay focuses on difficulties and failures of some of the most important Italian electronic music festivals, offering a distinctive perspective to explore some of the structural problems youth generations have to face in the field of production and consumption of culture in Italy.