Jinju City Successfully Concludes October Festival... Looking Forward to Next Year

Average Daily Visitors Increase by Over 10,000 Compared to Last Year
Reaffirming Status as a 'Global Festival City'

Jinju City in Gyeongnam announced on the 26th that it successfully concluded the October festivals, including the 2023 Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, the 72nd Gaecheon Arts Festival, and the Korea Drama Festival.

This year’s October festivals showcased newer and more diverse programs, and by expanding the installation of lanterns up to the Gaecheon Arts Festival and Korea Drama Festival sections and fully integrating all footbridges, the three festivals were combined into ‘one festival site,’ adding greater significance. At Jinju Fortress and along the Namgang River, where the festivals were spectacularly held, about 70,000 lanterns, water, fire, and light harmonized with various performances and events to offer visitors an unforgettable beautiful autumn night in October.

According to big data analysis, the number of visitors to this festival reached 1.26 million, with more than 10,000 additional visitors per day compared to the previous year, reaffirming Jinju’s status as a ‘World Festival City.’

Jinju Gaechon Arts Festival Parade.

The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival was held for 15 days from the 8th to the 22nd, considering holidays that attract many tourists and minimizing seasonal impacts such as typhoons and heavy rain, focusing on a safe festival by minimizing crowd congestion. In particular, to eradicate the hot issue of overcharging that became a nationwide festival concern, various measures such as rent reductions and pre-meetings with tenant businesses were implemented, allowing the festival to conclude without major complaints.

Additionally, Jinju City prepared for the large number of visitors by deploying 2,850 public officials (traffic and safety), 2,110 organizing committee members, 2,200 police and firefighters, and 5,900 volunteers, establishing an active cooperation system with related organizations and volunteer groups. Citizens also demonstrated mature civic consciousness by participating in campaigns such as ‘Do not drive private cars’ and ‘Use public transportation,’ contributing to a safe festival without traffic chaos.

Jinju City plans to keep the lanterns lit at Jinju Fortress and along the Namgang River until November 5, during the ‘Jinju International Agricultural Food Expo’ and the ‘Jinju Chrysanthemum Exhibition,’ which will be held after the October festivals.

This year’s Jinju October festivals combined three events, including the Yudeung Festival, into ‘one festival site.’ The route linked the Yudeung Park, Mulbit Naru Rest Area, and Kim Si-min Lake (tour boat) created last year, added the ‘Jinju Namgang Yudeung Exhibition Hall’ which opened on the 8th to coincide with the Yudeung Festival opening, and expanded lantern installations up to 200 meters in the Gaecheon Arts Festival and Korea Drama Festival (KDF) sections to alleviate crowd concentration at the festival site. Furthermore, lanterns were exhibited not only at Jinju Fortress and along the Namgang River but also at key locations such as Gangju Pond, Lee Seongja Art Museum, Wolasan Forest of Jinju, Geumhoji, and Chojang-dong Mulbit Park, turning the entire city of Jinju into an open-air festival site.

To facilitate visitor transportation, Jinju City established about 10,000 temporary parking spaces at 30 locations including Jinju gateways and around the festival site, operated 72 free shuttle buses on 7 routes, and implemented thorough traffic measures, enabling a comfortable festival site without vehicle congestion or traffic jams during this year’s October festivals, minimizing inconvenience caused by crowding.

This was achieved through thorough traffic measures and voluntary citizen participation, interpreted as a result of citizens actively engaging in the ‘No private car driving’ and ‘Use public transportation’ campaigns for the successful hosting of the festivals.

At the festival site, kiosks providing various information such as performances, programs, and festival guidance were expanded, and comprehensive guides offered information on temporary free parking lots, shuttle bus services, festival programs, food, and accommodation, prioritizing visitor convenience in festival operations.

Panoramic view of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.

By deploying about 13,700 personnel including related organizations, traffic volunteers, volunteers, and safety management officials, the 15-day festival was operated safely without accidents, and efforts were made to minimize visitor inconvenience by expanding temporary restrooms and providing rest areas within the festival site.

In particular, volunteers played a major role in the success of this festival. Their dedicated participation in tourist guidance, traffic order maintenance, interpretation, and medical services laid the foundation for a successful festival.

Mayor Cho Gyu-il said, “This year’s October festivals were successfully held with added safety thanks to the high sense of order and affectionate interest of the citizens, enhancing the dignity of the World Festival City,” and added, “I deeply thank the 350,000 Jinju citizens who demonstrated high civic consciousness, the volunteers who actively cooperated, related organizations, and festival officials. We will improve any shortcomings and develop many new contents to prepare next year’s festivals to be more substantial and safer.”

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