Chuncheon to Host Soyanggang Cultural Festival Blending Tradition and Modernity on September 27-28

Chuncheon’s Signature Local Cultural Festival Begins with Chungi Ceremony and Street Parade
Traditional Culture Rediscovered and Restored Through Performances Like Yongshingut and Hoengseong Funeral Songs
Abundant Family Experience Programs Including Rice Cake Pounding, Straw Craft, and Photo Booths

The 46th Soyanggang Cultural Festival, which will offer a vibrant array of attractions blending tradition and modernity, will be held for two days from September 27 to 28 at the Chuncheon City Hall Plaza and the area around the Sunuibi Monument on Bongui Mountain.

Poster of the 46th Soyanggang Cultural Festival. Provided by Chuncheon City

This year marks the 46th edition of the festival, held under the theme “Shine, Soyang.” The event will feature the Chuncheon Chungi Festival, which honors the spirit of patriotic martyrs, a lively street parade, traditional folk performances unique to Gangwon Province, youth and children’s performances, as well as a variety of hands-on programs.

On the first day, September 27, the Chuncheon Chungi Festival will take place at the Sunuibi Monument on Bongui Mountain to commemorate the sacrifices of patriotic martyrs. Following this, a street parade will be held from the provincial government plaza to the city hall plaza, featuring more than 200 participants, including a traditional military band, a farmers’ music troupe, a taekwondo demonstration team, multicultural families, and children, adding excitement to the festival.

At the city hall plaza, a series of performances will be held to rediscover and restore the region’s unique traditional culture, including the opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m., Yongshingut (a shamanic ritual), Udu river fishing play, Chuncheon rice planting songs, Hoengseong funeral songs, and one-wheel cart battles, sharing these fading folk traditions with the citizens.

In addition, the city hall plaza will be filled with a variety of experiences and performances for people of all ages to enjoy. Programs such as rice cake pounding, straw craft, traditional folk games, tea ceremony, and hanbok wearing will allow visitors to experience traditional culture firsthand. Modern attractions like caricature drawing, face painting, four-cut photo booths, balloon and bubble play will also be available, making the festival especially appealing to families.

On the stage set up in the plaza, students of the Chuncheon Culture Center’s cultural school, youth clubs, and children’s performance teams will present a variety of performances, further energizing the citizen participation stage. In particular, the random karaoke and dance programs, open to all citizens, are expected to heat up the atmosphere even more.

Chuncheon City expects this festival to achieve three goals: the preservation of traditional culture, the promotion of civic unity, and the revitalization of the local economy.

A Chuncheon City official stated, “This year, we have significantly expanded hands-on programs that families can enjoy together, in addition to traditional ceremonies and folk performances,” adding, “It will be a special occasion for citizens and tourists to come together and experience the unique charm of Chuncheon.”

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