Gokseong World Rose Festival, Cultural Performance Events Until the 29th

Published 25 May.2023 16:23(KST)

After the Weekend of May Roses, You Have to Wait a Year

Gokseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Lee Sang-cheol) captured the hearts of 130,000 people in just five days.

Since the 20th, the Gokseong World Rose Festival has been held at the Seomjingang Train Village, attracting a continuous stream of tourists.

[Photo by Gokseong-gun]

On the first day of the festival alone, the number of visitors surpassed 40,000, and on the following day, the 21st, more than 45,000 tourists visited the festival grounds.

Gokseong-gun, with a total population of only 27,000, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year thanks to its ‘differentiated cultural events’ and ‘sensory theme selection.’

On weekdays, a special program called ‘Gokseong Salon’ was organized, featuring performances by local artists and art groups. Performances were scheduled from 1 PM to 5 PM, the time when most tourists visit, allowing many visitors to enjoy local cultural performances.

The film festival-style opening ceremony also received favorable reviews from attendees. Guests, including Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeollanam-do, appeared in a parade to samba music, and all separate congratulatory speeches were omitted.

The opening declaration was conducted with a countdown performance alongside the audience, transforming what could have been a heavy official event into a performance-like experience.

On weekends, the festival theme ‘Rose Ball’ was realized through stylish performances.

In particular, the ‘Guerrilla Waltz Parade & Tango Live’ held at the Rose Park fountain caused an open-run phenomenon, with audiences waiting tens of minutes in advance to watch.

Listening to waltz music flowing through Rose Park and seeing every expression of the dancers vividly up close was widely praised as a unique performance not typically experienced at local festivals.

Guerrilla performances will be held twice daily on the 27th and 28th as well.

The ‘Find the Golden Rose’ event, now in its third year, is also a must-see. This on-site event takes place more than twice daily at the Seomjingang Train Village lawn plaza.

Participants who find a special single rose among tens of thousands of artificial roses receive an instant pure gold souvenir, and there are also generous prizes such as Baeksemi rice and gift certificates.

The remaining schedule is also packed with excellent performances. On the 27th, popular singers Ha Dong-jin and Lee Chan-won will perform, while on the 28th, Greg and Noeul will appear. On the final day, the 29th, Gokseong-gun’s ambassador Jin Simon will open the event, and the festival will conclude with performances by Hwanhee and the Kim Kyung-ho Band.

A county official said, “The roses are at their most beautiful right now. This year, we have prepared everything from food, sights, and shopping to entertainment, so we hope visitors will come during the festival period and take home fragrant memories.”