The Gangjin Celadon Festival Signaling the 'Prologue of Spring'... Over 50,000 Visitors

Experience Lighting Hwameokgama Fire and Wheel Shaping, Bread Barber Shop and Shinbi Apartment Children's Programs a Big Hit

"Half-Price Family Trips to Gangjin" Contributing to the Success of the Celadon Festival

Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do, is riding a wave of success as the 52nd Gangjin Celadon Festival, which opened on the 23rd at the Goryeo Celadon Kiln Site in Daegu-myeon, heralds the "Prelude to Spring."

According to Gangjin-gun and the Gangjin-gun Festival Promotion Committee on the 25th, nearly 50,000 people flocked to the festival grounds over the two days of the 23rd and 24th, despite somewhat chilly weather accompanied by rain and wind, continuing the reputation of the Gangjin Celadon Festival.

This year's Celadon Festival, themed "Will you come to Gangjin? Play with Celadon!", featured 68 rich programs across 8 categories, gaining strong popularity as a place for learning, experience, and a children's playground.

The 52nd Gangjin Celadon Festival held its official opening ceremony on the 24th.
[Photo by Gangjin-gun]

At 4 p.m. on the 24th, the "Wood-fired Kiln Lighting" ceremony was held to fire the Gangjin Goryeo Celadon, the essence of a thousand years of culture and the origin of K-Culture. Gangjin County Governor Kang Jin-won, Festival Promotion Committee Chairman Lee Ho-nam, National Assemblyman Kim Seung-nam, Jeollanam-do Deputy Governor Myung Chang-hwan representing Governor Kim Young-rok, and Gangjin County Council Chairwoman Kim Bo-mi lit the fire to mark the festival's opening.

Despite the rain and wind, about 5,000 people filled the main stage of the Celadon Festival, praying for its success.

The festival was bustling with enthusiastic participation and hands-on experiences from families with children at various booths set up throughout the venue.

Popular kids' programs included the Spring Spring Slide, Icefish Catching, Mini Train, Play Celadon Kids Land, Celadon Coiling, Celadon Mug Cup, Sanding Art, and Celadon Wind Chime Making.

Nearly 8,000 children enjoyed the precious experience of wheel throwing, fire camp, wood chopping, and the Spring Spring Slide.

A couple from Muan, Jeollanam-do, said, "We had fun challenging wood chopping with our daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters who live in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do."

Especially this year, the Celadon Festival introduced the singer-long show "Bread Barber Shop" as a "killer content" for children.

On the 24th, performances were held with a time difference on the festival's main stage and at Gangjin Art Hall in Gangjin-eup. About 3,000 people gathered at the main stage, and the 800-seat large theater at Gangjin Art Hall was packed with no room to spare.

The opening parade of the Gangjin Celadon Festival is taking place.
[Photo by Gangjin-gun]

A tourist who came from nearby Jangheung with her young daughter said, "I heard from an acquaintance in Gangjin that there was a good performance, so I came. My child was very happy, and after the show, we had a photo session with the characters, which was a truly happy experience."

The children's programs "Bread Barber Shop" and "Shinbi Apartment" will also be performed on the 2nd and 3rd of next month.

There was also a significant presence of foreign tourists at the Gangjin Celadon Festival. They came to Gangjin through travel agencies, explored Goryeo Celadon, tried on Goryeo-era costumes, and felt the essence of a thousand years of culture.

Daphne (23), who came to Korea from Mexico to study, said, "Seeing celadon, which I had only heard about, I could understand the strength of Korean culture. I heard that the K-Culture sweeping the world today originated here."

Surou (27), an Egyptian international student who came along, repeatedly gave thumbs up and said in halting Korean, "I am an influencer promoting Korea worldwide. When I go to Seoul, I will talk a lot about my trip to Gangjin."

Unique participation from Gangjin residents also continued. True to its reputation as the number one flower-growing area, members of the Ttangsim Flower Farming Cooperative handed out 1,300 roses?symbolizing the 1,300 degrees Celsius temperature at which Goryeo Celadon is fired?to tourists visiting the festival as a welcoming gesture.

Alongside this, the Gangjin Celadon Festival showcased the "Gangjin Premium Celadon Complex Shopping Mall 4 Types," including △Premium Celadon Sales Hall △Meeting of Tea and Ceramics △Meeting of Celadon and White Porcelain △Meeting of Roses and Celadon, achieving considerable sales.

To connect Goryeo Celadon to the modern era and make it more approachable, various experiences such as △Making Celadon 3D Puzzles △Celadon Rubbing Experience △Celadon Tile Experience △Celadon Fragment Mosaic were offered, along with new products made by local private kilns. Some private kilns attracted attention by offering discounts at "half price."

Children visiting the Gangjin Celadon Festival are experiencing media art.
[Photo by Gangjin County]

Additionally, the Goryeo Celadon Digital Museum provided VR experiences for children, and media art stimulated curiosity, increasing interest in celadon.

The opening ceremony celebration show held at 6 p.m. on the 24th featured trot stars like BTS of trot Jang Min-ho, Hong Jin-young, Moon Hee-ok, Seo Ji-o, and Hyun Jin-woo, providing lively entertainment for tourists visiting Gangjin.

At the same time as the Gangjin Celadon Festival, the Baekryeonsa Camellia Festival in Doam-myeon attracted many tourists from the metropolitan area and across the country. Most arrived by chartered buses and enjoyed the tranquility while walking the Baekryeonsa Camellia Forest path. They also enjoyed on-site photo printing, rubbing experiences, and free camellia tea tasting, savoring the subtle joys of southern spring.

Notably, the "Half-Price Family Trip" registration for this year's Gangjin Celadon Festival has officially begun, receiving enthusiastic responses from both hometown visitors and tourists, drawing attention to how much it will contribute to the festival's future success.

Gangjin County Governor Kang Jin-won said, "Despite somewhat chilly weather and rain in the early days of the Celadon Festival, nearly 50,000 tourists visited the festival grounds and participated in various programs. Through the half-price Gangjin trip, it would be good to reduce economic burdens and purchase fresh and diverse primary agricultural and marine products from Gangjin using the local gift certificates provided."

He added, "This year, Gangjin-gun will lead tourism and revitalize the local economy through many consecutive festivals, making every effort to increase residents' income."

The 52nd Gangjin Celadon Festival and the Gangjin Baekryeonsa Camellia Festival will continue until March 3.

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