Event history reflects social history. On the basis of festivals and cultural events, Verena Teissl examines an event type whose characteristic features include its emergence in the context of aesthetic modernism and its versatility through profound socio-political changes during the 20th century. Complementing an analysis of the historical origins, theoretical reflection, and a proposal for a typology of events, Teissl provides a case study of the cultural event landscape of Tyrol. It becomes apparent that the concentration of attention by cultural festivals sets them apart from fixed cultural institutions« annual programs and strengthens the foundation of discourse in cultural production and reception.