Gwangju Dong-gu Holds 'Safe and Secure' Nostalgic Chungjang Festival Amid COVID-19 Daily Life

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] Dong-gu, Gwangju (Mayor Im Taek) announced on the 29th that it is making every effort to prepare for a safe festival that serves as a model in the era of COVID-19 daily life, about a month ahead of the opening of the “18th Memory of Chungjang Festival,” the largest urban street culture and arts festival in South Korea.

Amid the ongoing impact of COVID-19, Dong-gu decided to hold the festival after much deliberation, aiming to provide a breath of fresh air to small business owners struggling due to the prolonged pandemic, revitalize the depressed local commercial district, and offer an opportunity to pursue a happy daily life instead of abruptly canceling the event.

This year’s Chungjang Festival, under the theme “Healing YES Chungjang Festival,” will be held from November 3 to 7 at various locations throughout Dong-gu, including the 5·18 Democracy Square, National Asian Culture Complex (ACC) Asia Culture Square and its annexed parking lot, Shinseoseok-ro, Chungjang-ro, and Geumnam-ro underground shopping malls.

In the era of COVID-19 daily life, Dong-gu plans to operate 16 programs across 6 categories over 5 days, distinctly differentiating from previous festivals while ensuring safety. Face-to-face programs will be reduced to 30%, and non-face-to-face programs expanded to 70%, creating a model festival that can be enjoyed with peace of mind.

First, the “Opening Ceremony” will boldly depart from the traditional large stage that concentrates spectators. It will focus on vaccinated individuals, minimizing and controlling the audience at the 5·18 Democracy Square within the Culture Complex, and will also prepare an online stage to announce the start of the festival.

The “Chungjang Parade” will transform from the conventional participation and audience-concentrated structure into a dispersed mobility format. It will feature dazzling parade vehicles and 5 to 8-person performances including dance and music that evoke memories, performed on vehicles moving through the Geumnam-ro area.

One of the representative programs of the Chungjang Festival, the “Memory Theme Street,” will expand from 50m to 70m. It will implement hourly entry limits and adhere to quarantine times and entry/exit scheduling to ensure visitor safety. This will evoke nostalgic feelings for the analog generation and spark curiosity about unfamiliar culture for the digital generation.

“Again 1983 Tigers,” mainly conducted as an online talk show, will recall the stories and memories of legendary Tigers players who brought courage and joy to citizens with the Tigers’ first championship in gloomy Gwangju in 1983.

In response to COVID-19, the Chungjang Festival has ambitiously prepared five major programs that block face-to-face contact among visitors: ▲ “Chungjang Veranda Concert,” safely enjoyed from apartment verandas ▲ “Chungjang Tent Performing Arts Festival,” enjoyed by setting up tents for performances ▲ “Drive-in Memory Concert,” a healing concert enjoyed inside cars ▲ “Memory Soul Food,” where participants make nostalgic food at home online ▲ “Film Camera in Gwangju Travel,” exploring Mudeungsan and Gwangju city’s historical and cultural tourism courses.

The existing “University Song Festival Returns Competition” and “Retro Dance Competition” will be dualized during this festival, allowing spectators to enjoy them inside tents or limiting audience numbers for face-to-face performances, while also broadcasting live on YouTube.

The Chungjang Festival, which has established a thorough quarantine-focused operation system, will hold a citizen-participatory “Chungjang Festival Village Cultural Festival,” where local cultural and arts performance teams visit various neighborhoods to enjoy memories with residents through busking and other activities, which will also be broadcast on YouTube.

All news about the Chungjang Festival and various convenience and safety facilities for visitors will be delivered through “Chungjang News” on the festival website and the Chungjang TV YouTube channel. Social distancing and quarantine guidelines prioritizing the safety of residents and visitors will be continuously communicated throughout the festival period.

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, “In response to COVID-19, this year’s Chungjang Festival is preparing a completely new type of festival to give citizens hope and healing.” He added, “We will make every effort to prepare a festival that can set a new milestone for regional economic revitalization and South Korea’s cultural tourism festivals through experimental and challenging face-to-face and non-face-to-face programs.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.