Come Visit Korea's Representative Festival 'Daegu Chimac Festival'... Expected to Attract 1 Million Visitors

The "2024 Daegu Chimac Festival," known as South Korea's representative summer festival, has returned with the sizzling summer. A midsummer night festival that makes you forget the scorching heat will unfold in Daegu, the "mecca of Chimac." "Chimac" is a portmanteau of chicken and beer. It began to gain popularity around the time of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and is now even listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as a neologism.

Last year, the Chimac Festival was held at the end of August due to construction at Duryu Park's 2.28 Freedom Square, but this year it returns as a summer festival under the slogan "It’s Summer! Let’s CHIMAC." The event will run for five days from July 3 to 7 at Duryu Park, Duryu Youth Street, and throughout the Peace Market area in Dong-gu, Daegu.

Daegu Chimaek Festival Duryu Park Main Event Venue (Aerial View)

The Daegu Chimac Festival Organizing Committee plans to welcome visitors with content packed with the unique identity of the Chimac Festival, ensuring everyone can forget the summer heat and enjoy an even hotter festival atmosphere as the "representative summer festival of Korea" returns.

Last year, the Daegu Chimac Festival established its identity as the one and only "Chimac Newniverse (New+Universe)" and has now firmly established itself as Korea's representative festival.

This year, 86 companies will participate, setting up 254 booths, and the number of visitors is expected to exceed 1 million. The festival has also been selected as a "Culture and Tourism Festival" by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for five consecutive years, out of more than 1,200 festivals nationwide, and is now on the verge of becoming a "national global festival."

According to an analysis by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Daegu Chimac Festival ranked first in both revisit intention and recommendation to others. The secret lies in the unique concepts and content of each festival space, which can only be experienced at the Chimac Festival.

First, the main stage of the Chimac Festival, located at 2.28 Freedom Square inside Duryu Park, Dalseo-gu, Daegu, will be decorated with the concept of a "Tropical Chimac Club." The stage, which was previously located at the front of the lawn plaza, will be moved to the center, creating an "open stage" that connects the lawn plaza and picnic plaza, allowing visitors to enjoy the festival from both sides and enjoy the stage from anywhere.

This adjustment in stage location will not only reduce noise in the surrounding area but also add 800 new stand seats, greatly expanding the food and beverage area.

The "Premium Chimac Lounge," which has sold out for two consecutive years, will increase both seating and benefits. The number of seats will increase from 960 to 1,500 this year, the space will be differentiated with a tropical theme, and tents will be provided so visitors can enjoy comfortably even in the rain. Each table will receive a Chimac set, the festival's exclusive "special sauce" introduced for the first time this year, and discount coupons for Daegu-ro Chicken.

Advance reservation tickets for the Premium Chimac Lounge will open at 10 a.m. on the 20th via Ticketlink and Naver Reservation.

With the Chimac Festival returning as a July summer festival, the ice water food and beverage zone where you can cool your feet, "Hawaiian Ice Pub," will be revived at the 2.28 parking lot inside Duryu Park. The area will be equipped with TFS tents to block heat and rain, and ceiling fans and air circulation vents will be installed so that visitors can enjoy Chimac in a comfortable environment.

The Kolon Outdoor Music Hall will be transformed into the "Chimac Sunset Garden." It will be created as a hot spot where visitors can take their best photos anywhere thanks to special lighting.

The area around the tourist information center, which boasts the highest visitor satisfaction among Chimac Festival content as the "mecca of retro," will be upgraded to the "Chimac Hot Summer Disco Pocha." With a disco pocha concept, it will be decorated as a 70s-80s live cafe, complete with a go-go dance floor. "Street Chimac Pubs" will be set up along the streets around Duryu Park, providing standing food and beverage zones.

The entrance to the festival, the face of the Chimac Festival, will also be completely revamped. In the past, traffic control fences and facilities were placed to control access, which led to criticism that the entrance did not fulfill its original role. To address this, a "Festival Welcome Information Center" will be established at the entrance to immediately convey the festival atmosphere, and food and beverage tables will be set up in unused spaces to enhance the festive mood.

This year, the Chimac Festival plans to invite musicians from various genres, including hip-hop, trot, and rock, to ensure that people of all ages can enjoy the festival every single day. In addition to the main stage, musicians will be invited to each themed festival area to further heat up the festival atmosphere.

To revitalize the local economy, services linked with "Daegu-ro" will be strengthened. By using the "Daegu-ro" app for pickup orders, visitors can order and receive chicken without waiting in line in the heat.

In particular, visitors who reserve the Chimac Premium Lounge will receive a 10,000 won discount coupon for pickup orders, while general visitors will receive a 5,000 won coupon, making it easier for everyone to enjoy the festival. In addition, a taxi stand will be set up in conjunction with Daegu-ro Taxi, allowing visitors to catch a taxi without waiting after leaving the festival, ensuring a safe return home.

Efforts to attract both domestic and international tourists are also drawing attention, befitting the festival's global status. A "Global Reservation Food and Beverage Zone" will be established on the lawn plaza with the main stage, providing a space for foreign tourists to fully immerse themselves in the Chimac Festival.

The scene from last year's Daegu Chimac Festival.

Products targeting global tourists are also being sold in partnership with Klook, a major Asian travel platform. These products include access to the Premium Chimac Lounge, a chicken+beer+special sauce package, and E-World discount coupons.

KTX-linked products will also be introduced to make it easier for festivalgoers from all over the country to attend. Details of the package, which includes 50% off KTX tickets on weekdays, 30% off on weekends, and a 10,000 won Chimac Festival coupon, will be announced later.

Daegu City Economic Director Ahn Joongon said, "Last year, we focused on establishing the unique identity of the Daegu Chimac Festival. This year, we have worked to further strengthen and solidify this identity, developing content that allows everyone to fully immerse themselves in the festival. We will do our utmost to ensure that the Daegu Chimac Festival, which began in Daegu, rises to become a global festival representing Korea."

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