"Peak Autumn Foliage, Come to Gyeongbuk for Festival Viewing" ... 'Cheongsong Apple Festival · Uiseong Garlic Festival · Gumi Ramen Festival'

From this weekend until early November, the Gyeongbuk region will reach the peak of autumn foliage, with festivals held in various locations.

Gyeongbuk accounts for 60% of the nation's apple production. Among these, Yeongju and Cheongsong are famous as representative apple-producing areas.

The Cheongsong Apple Festival held last year.

On the 27th, the ‘2023 Yeongju Market Day Agricultural Specialties Grand Festival’ will open. Under the theme ‘Selling sincerity. Buying devotion,’ this three-day festival will be held at the Munjeong Riverside and Buseoksa Temple areas in Yeongju City. Starting with the opening performance at 6 p.m. on the 27th, the Singsing Concert will feature top domestic artists such as Roy Kim, Hi-Ki, and Lee Mujin, promising to enliven the festival atmosphere.

Throughout the festival, various prize events such as cooking classes using Yeongju agricultural specialties, recreation, and roulette events will be held. A Farm sales booth featuring excellent agricultural specialties from 19 towns and townships of Yeongju will also be set up.

Alongside a passionate citizen concert and special cultural performances involving local cultural artists, the Buseoksa sales booth will offer excellent Yeongju agricultural specialties for purchase until November 4.

The Uiseong Garlic Festival held last year.

On November 1, the ‘17th Cheongsong Apple Festival,’ recognized as a cultural tourism festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will open for five days. This year’s festival, themed ‘Cheongsong Apple, a Brilliant Golden Feast,’ will be held around Yongjeoncheon and Hyeonbiam areas. To actively promote Cheongsong as a clean tourist city and oxygen cafe, programs involving tourists and residents have been strengthened.

Sixteen carefully selected farms will sell apples directly at the festival site, allowing tourists to purchase at affordable prices. A report center to prevent overcharging will also be operated.

Additionally, the representative program, the ‘Cheongsong Flower String Weaving’ contest, has been expanded to a national competition to provide a high-quality spectacle, with plans to pursue cultural heritage designation in the future. The nighttime scenery and sculptures around the festival site will be significantly enhanced to create a more impactful festival atmosphere.

The Cheongsong Apple Festival will begin on November 1 with the Cheongsong Dohobu Parade at 8 a.m., followed by the Cheonsinje ritual and the opening ceremony of the 26th Cultural Festival. At 6 p.m., a congratulatory performance for the Cheongsong Cultural Festival will take place.

During the festival, various contests such as the Cheongsong Apple Essay Contest and Apple King Selection, and the Golden Apple Tasting Contest will be held. Diverse experience programs including ‘Find the Universal Gravity - Golden Apple!’, ‘Challenge - Apple Sorting Lotto’, ‘Fun - Apple Nanta’, and Apple Bat Experience will be available. Exhibitions and sales of Cheongsong apple dishes and agricultural specialties will be thoroughly prepared.

The ramen tower created to promote the Gumi Ramen Festival held last year.

The ‘6th Uiseong Superfood Garlic Festival’ will open on November 3 and run for three days in the Uiseong-eup downtown area. Under the theme ‘Superfood City, Uiseong is Alive!,’ the festival aims to highlight the vibrant image of the region.

Dynamic performance programs such as Uiseong in Trot Concert, Happy Show! Show! Show!, and the Living Ambitious Party will be held. Various programs including the Superfood Challenge Contest, Small Youth Festival, Uiseong Superfood Cooking Contest, Superfood Food Market, and Agricultural Specialty Sales Market will take place throughout the festival.

On November 17, the unique ‘Gumi Ramen Festival’ will open in Gumi, the origin of ramen. Marking its second year, this festival has been relocated to the city center, including the road in front of Gumi Station, the youth street Culture-ro, and Geumridan-gil, to improve accessibility and coexist with local businesses.

The festival will feature four themed zones: Enjoy Ramen!, Rest Ramen!, Eat Ramen!, and Fall for Ramen! The Ramen Road will include a festival welcome gate, Gumi Ramen character photo zone, various experience and promotional booths, as well as unique food zones such as retro and urban camping, ramen cooking and dining zones, and overseas noodle dining zones. The ramen-themed plaza, street dance competition, lively ramen talk show, and ramen retro party will further enhance the festival atmosphere.

Additionally, in November, the Yecheon Market Agricultural Products Grand Festival (November 3?5) will be held at Hancheon Sports Park, and the Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival (November 18?19) will take place at Guryongpo Ara Square.

Kim Sang-cheol, Director of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Culture, Tourism and Sports, said, “We invite you to visit the Gyeongbuk festival grounds filled with flavors and excitement that complement the beauty of the ripening autumn foliage. Please enjoy the best agricultural specialties of Gyeongbuk nationwide, take home plenty of goods, savor the peak autumn leaves, and create happy memories through the various programs prepared.”

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