How can a town revive a dwindling harvest festival without losing its soul?

[AmeliaS]

I'm helping my hometown's cultural committee plan a revitalization of our annual harvest festival, which has dwindled in attendance over the years as it became more of a generic street fair, and we want to reconnect it to its original roots as a traditional festival with authentic crafts, folk music, and historical reenactments that tell the story of our region. The challenge is making it engaging for younger generations and new residents without turning it into a commercialized tourist trap that loses its soul. For other communities that have successfully modernized their traditional festivals, how did you strike that balance between preservation and innovation? What specific activities or participatory elements helped bridge the gap between older keepers of tradition and younger attendees, and how did you fund and promote the event to ensure its cultural significance was communicated as the main draw, not just an afterthought?

[Edward.L]

Great goal. Start by forming a 'Heritage Renewal Committee' with elders, artisans, and a few younger residents. Make preservation the baseline, then layer in active participation. Ideas: living history demos, hands-on craft stations, a storytelling circle, folk music jam with youths, and a ‘Heritage Lane’ featuring short performances from different eras. Keep it community-owned so it doesn’t turn into a tourist trap.