“The nature of events in 21st century society: a critical discussion of events, gender and identity”Identity: being who or what, person or thing IS. The main goal of this article is to establish how the role of identity and our belonging affects what types of events we attend, where we attend and with whom? How has globalization affected the events industry socially, economically and culturally? The objectification of both men and women; How has this created an even greater impact on events in our ever-changing world? Has this increased our freedom in choosing which events to participate in or has it limited us? This essay focuses on Mikhail Bakhtin's works “Carnival and Carnivalesque” and his critique of cultural theory related to the events industry. This essay also examines the works of Pierre Bourdieu; his theories on “habitus and embodiment” and how we have internalized the external environment and how this ultimately affects our behaviors. Goulding and Saren's publication of: Performing identities: an analysis of gender expressions at the Whitby Goth festival equally provided a clear critique of the nature of gender identities within a specific subculture, a subculture firmly rooted in the objects of consumption and held together by a shared fascination with the vampire. Globalization is now recognized as a key factor in influencing young people. Many connections have been made between identities and life in a global society. Giddens (1991) suggests that globalization can be defined as “the intensification of worldwide social relations linking distant locations in such a way that local events are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa”. Social analyst B... in the center of the paper... val is important”. Carnival can bring together people from different backgrounds or communities. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1984) defines habitus as "a durable and transposable system of definitions" initially acquired by the child in the home as a result of his family's awareness and unconscious practices. This constitutes the “primary habitus”. This subsequently transforms into a secondary, tertiary or further habitus through the child's passage through different social institutions, mainly school. (Broker 1999) Habitus is neither the result of free will, nor determined by structures, but created by a kind of interaction between the two over time: dispositions that are both shaped by past events and structures, and that shape practices and current structures and also, importantly, which conditions our very perception of these (Bourdieu 1984)