1. Morecambe's Pretty Vacant: resort revitalisation through punk rock festivals
Dr. Philip Long and Prof. Mike Robinson
Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change
Sheffield Hallam University

2. What does 'Punk' bring to mind?
Pogoing
Spitting
Safety pins and fishnet tights
Swastikas and violence
Heroin chic
Mohican hairstyles
Loud and discordant music
Anarchy and nihilism
"Actually we're not into music, we're into chaos"
Steve Jones, The Sex Pistols 1976

3. Folk Devils and Moral Panics

4. Media Events, Bans and Outrage

9. Punks as welcome guests
'once again we can be proud of an excellent summer season that saw thousands of visitors come to the area to enjoy the vast array of events. For the next summer we have even more to offer. We are particularly delighted to welcome the Punk Festival back to Morecambe'
Lancaster City Council, Leader's Review of 2002

10. Welcoming Youth Sub-Cultures to the Seaside in the 1960s ('Mods and Rockers')

11. The Case of the Morecambe Punk Rock Festival
Location and attractions:
- views across the Bay
- 'city, coast and countryside'
- a regenerating resort
- a well resourced and diverse festival programme

12. Morecambe's heyday: The 'Taj Mahal of the North'

13. Morecambe's heyday: a fine promenade

14. Morecambe's heyday: a mass tourist destination

15. Morecambe's heyday: a family resort

16. Morecambe's heyday: guided walks across the sands

17. Morecambe's decline: landmarks in crisis

18. Morecambe's decline: loss of accommodation

19. Morecambe's decline: loss of attractions

20. Morecambe's decline: the end of the illuminations

21. Morecambe's decline: The Curse of Mr. Blobby

22. Morecambe's decline: the 'third worst place to live in the UK'
'Poor old Morecambe. The seaside town they should never have opened. Where a silent and grey day comes as a blessed relief from the gales of black depression that generally batter its desolate promenade...The town would be almost entirely empty if it wasn't for the fact that the DHSS has put its Bed and Breakfasts to good use in housing the Northwest's homeless and hopelessly addicted' (Jordison, S. and Kieran, D. (2003) The Idler Book of Crap Towns: The 50 Worst Places to Live in the UK. London: Boxtree: 142)

23. Morecambe's revival: new festival venues

24. Morecambe's revival: continuing value for money

25. Morecambe's revival: landscaping and environmental improvements

26. Morecambe's revival: celebrating an icon

28. Morecambe's revival: a Punk Festival for the 21st Century

29. Punk Rock, So What? Research Questions on Sub-cultural Festivals
Venue selection – why Morecambe?
(International) audience characteristics and changes and how the audience communicates
Changes to festival formats over the years
How sub-cultural visitors are received by local residents; youth; politicians; business people; the police; the local media; the local tourism sector (pubs, cafes etc.)
How sub-cultural visitors perceive and experience the destination and the festival
Why the sub-cultural phenomenon persists and in what variations.