Gwangju Seo-gu to Host 'Seochang Eoksae Festival' from Next Month 6 to 10

Published 26 Sep.2023 13:34(KST)

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 26th that the “8th Gwangju Seochang Eulssae Festival” will be held for five days from the 6th to the 10th of next month along the Yeongsan Riverside (from Geungnakgyo to Seochanggyo Bridge).

Under the theme “The Autumn Promise Delivered by Silver Eulssae,” this year’s festival breaks away from the traditional stage-focused events by transforming the entire 4 km Eulssae path from Geungnakgyo to Seochanggyo Bridge into themed trails, creating a five-sense (五感) space where visitors can experience and feel love, taste, art, joy, and healing.

Poster of the 8th Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival. <br>Photo by Seogu

Poster of the 8th Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival.
Photo by Seogu

The Eulssae walking path along the Yeongsan Riverside is divided into themed trails, each with its own unique character: the ‘Wind Path’ where you walk with pinwheels, the ‘Eulssae Path’ known for the most beautiful sunset views, the ‘Stepping Stone Path’ where you cross each stone filled with love, the ‘Earthing Path’ where you feel nature barefoot, and the ‘Photo Art Path’ where simply raising your camera creates an instant masterpiece.

Eco-friendly transportation such as 14-seater electric cars and bicycle rickshaws are also provided. At night, a lighting show using moving lights will be staged throughout the festival area, and speakers installed along the walking paths will create a “musical Eulssae path.”

This festival introduces themed zones where visitors can experience new five-sense (五感) activities. The ‘Love’ zone features a signature photo zone and an Earth Love Walking Challenge corner, while the ‘Taste’ zone offers Eulssae taverns and Cheonwon noodles.

The ‘Art’ zone includes an Eulssae stage hosting small concerts, the ‘Joy’ zone offers activities such as the Environmental Golden Bell, Earth Love Children’s Selection Contest, and Environmental Love Silver Dictation.

The ‘Healing’ zone provides an emotionally rich camping photo zone in the Eulssae field and a fairy tale journey inside an Indian tent for families to enjoy together.

Seo-gu has also prepared the ‘Three Major Promise Programs’ linked to the festival theme and completed through tourist participation.

The ‘Promise of Love’ program involves 500 people?family, lovers, and friends?engraving love messages on unchanging tiles to create a large mural. The ‘Promise to Myself’ program invites 1,000 tourists to write their wishes and resolutions on pinwheels to complete the ‘Wind Path.’

To inherit the spirit of sharing from Park Horyeon, the last boatman of Seochang Ferry, Seo-gu has installed a model boat under Seochanggyo Bridge where anyone can freely toss coins to donate together in the ‘Promise of Sharing’ program.

Additionally, unique programs such as the ‘Spacing-Out Contest in the Eulssae Field,’ where doing nothing is the only condition; the ‘Eulssae Book Concert’ with Lee Youngsan, author of “The Last Barbarian on Earth”; a special YouTube live broadcast with festival guide Haeon; and the ‘Eulssae Running Man,’ where visitors complete missions at five designated booths within the festival site to receive gifts, will add fun to this year’s festival.

Moreover, on Hangul Day (October 9), tourists wearing Hangul-themed clothes and Hanbok will receive photo printing services, and on Pregnant Women’s Day (October 10), pregnant visitors to the festival will be given free ride tickets for bicycle rickshaws or eco-friendly electric cars.

During the festival period, related events organized by Gwangju Metropolitan City, Gwangju Cultural Foundation, Dong-gu, and Seo-gu Cultural Center will also be held, including the Children’s Carpenter Festival (October 5?7), the 2nd Gwangju Busking World Cup (October 6), the 13th Bitgoeul Literary Contest (October 7), Gwangju Art Picnic (October 7), Youth Culture School “God of Culture (新)” (October 6?7), Gwangju Fringe Festival (October 8), and the 6th National Amateur Art Competition (October 9).

Seo-gu plans to provide convenience for tourists by utilizing nearby large parking lots such as Gwangju Outlet, Kim Daejung Convention Center, and Sejeong Outlet during the festival and operating shuttle buses at 10-minute intervals within the festival area.

The opening ceremony of this year’s Eulssae Festival will be held on the 6th of next month at 5 p.m. on the Eulssae stage, featuring a ‘Promise’ theme with promise events by key figures including the Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Seo-gu Mayor, and members of the National Assembly, along with various citizen interviews and congratulatory performances.

In particular, Seo-gu will create a special memory for attendees by setting up a ‘Masters’ Table’ with ‘Seo-gu Boss’ Ahn Yoosung, CEO of Gamae (culinary), and Ma Okcheon, CEO of Babyier Co., Ltd. (confectionery and baking), who were selected as ‘Korea’s Masters,’ the highest honor for skilled technicians, in September.

Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, said, “The Eulssae Festival is an ecological environment festival where people can feel and enjoy nature as it is in the city with silver Eulssae and red sunsets. This fall, I hope many couples and families will promise love and create beautiful memories with Eulssae and sunsets as their backdrop.”