Boseong-gun Integrated Grand Festival, Successfully Concluded

Integration of 9 Major Festivals Opens New Horizons for Local Festivals

The ‘Boseong-gun Integrated Grand Festival,’ praised as the first festival in South Korea to unify multiple festivals and open a new horizon for local festivals, successfully concluded this year as well, showcasing a total of nine festivals simultaneously from May 3 to 7, attracting over 210,000 visitors.

The opening ceremony marked the start of the ‘47th Boseong-gun Dahyang Grand Festival’ and the ‘47th Boseong-gun Citizens’ Day’ with a tea garden pledge performance by Boseong-gun and Hadong-gun, a youth leap Boseong performance, a citizens’ sports competition, a citizens’ masked singer contest, an awards ceremony, and celebratory performances, resembling a grand concert of unity between citizens and tourists.

[Photo provided by Boseong-gun]

Alongside, events such as the ‘Seopyeonje Boseong Sound Festival,’ ‘Illimsan Azalea Cultural Event,’ ‘Boseong Children’s Day,’ ‘Boseong Green Tea Marathon,’ ‘Korea Optimist National Yacht Competition,’ ‘Daily Concert,’ and ‘Drone Light Show’ were held with a one-day interval between them.

Leading the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Pansori Renaissance, the ‘26th Seopyeonje Boseong Sound Festival’ awarded the President’s Prize to Kim Dajeong (41, female) in the Pansori Master Division and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Prize to Lee Gangto (25, male) in the Myeonggo (drum) Division.

The ‘102nd Boseong Children’s Day Event’ held on May 5 was attended by over 800 children and families nationwide. Magic and bubble performances, family photo making, balloon art, fire safety experiences, dalgona candy making, and the ‘Challenge Golden Bell’ program with families created special memories for the children.

The ‘19th Boseong Green Tea Marathon’ boasted a record-high participation of about 5,000 runners. In the full marathon, Seo Muyeong recorded 2 hours 37 minutes 50.17 seconds to win the men’s overall category, while Moon Seonmi took first place in the women’s category with a time of 3 hours 17 minutes 49.83 seconds.

The ‘2024 Korea Optimist National Yacht Competition’ featured two categories (Optimist, ICLA 4) and eight divisions, with about 100 athletes and officials affiliated with the Korea Sailing Federation participating.

Eight participants, including youth representative Park Junsu from Boseong-gun and national team candidates Kim Hwun, Go Minseo, and Park Daol, competed amid enthusiastic support from the citizens.

The ‘20th Illimsan Azalea Cultural Festival,’ held in the nation’s largest azalea colony, offered programs for all ages such as a mountain spirit ritual, forest concerts, forestry culture photo exhibitions, and woodworking play.

Additionally, to provide diverse evening attractions daily, the ‘2nd Daily Concert’ united citizens and tourists, and the ‘Boseong Drone Light Show’ featured over 500 drones.

A tourist named Kim from Gwangju, who visited Boseong, said, “During the golden holiday, I enjoyed roasting and drinking tea directly in Boseong while making joyful memories with my child. It’s great to be able to watch the Boseong Dahyang Grand Festival along with other festivals.”

Kim Cheolwoo, the governor of Boseong-gun, expressed, “I thank all the festival organizing committees, volunteers, and public officials who did their best to break away from the existing image of local festivals and create a new festival image. Through this Boseong-gun Integrated Grand Festival, we saw the possibility that the entire region can be energized and gained confidence that the local economy can be revitalized.”

He added, “We will continue to scale and systematize various festivals to widely showcase a newer and more united image of Boseong-gun.”

Boseong = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Cheonseok hss79@asiae.co.kr

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