On the 8th, Mayor Jeong In-hwa Inspects Safety, Parking, Traffic, and Sanitation
Free Festival Shuttle and Temporary Bus Service from Gwangju to Gwangyang-eup to Festival Venue
Gwangyang City has completed the final on-site inspection for the safe and successful hosting of the 22nd Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, which will be officially held for the first time in four years, and has entered the countdown to the opening.
On the 8th, two days before the opening of the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, Mayor Jeong In-hwa of Gwangyang City and related officials conducted a final safety inspection while touring various parts of the festival site.
Gwangyang City plans to operate the festival site with safety as the top priority and in a manner befitting the status of a representative festival of Jeollanam-do, anticipating a large influx of tourists who have waited for the festival for four years.
The 22nd Gwangyang Maehwa Festival will be held for ten days from the 10th under the slogan "Gwangyang is Spring, Maehwa Meeting Again," welcoming citizens and tourists with differentiated content and an upgraded festival worthy of a representative festival of Jeollanam-do.
The festival will open with a meaningful performance to promote harmony between the east and west, attended by the heads of four basic local governments in the Seomjin River area, including Gurye, Hadong, and Gokseong, as well as the governor of Jeollanam-do, declaring the first year of the Seomjin River tourism era.
Nighttime landscape lighting will be installed throughout the Maehwa Village area, and a Gwangyang City Tour to enjoy the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival will be operated as a stay-type tourism product, aiming to invigorate the local economy.
Additionally, various linked programs such as KBS National Singing Contest, Golden Maehwa & Maesil GET, Master Hong Ssang-ri’s cooking class ‘Master Hong’s Maesil Bapsim,’ and an 8-meter large air-inflated sculpture photo zone called Maedoli will expand the festival’s ripple effects throughout the city.
The city will focus on visitor safety by installing additional restrooms, strengthening crackdowns on illegal street vendors and night markets, and will continue administrative efforts until the end of the festival to ensure a pleasant and comfortable festival environment.
In particular, through the ‘Gwangyang Culture & Tourism’ website, real-time traffic information for key sections such as Suwoljeong and Sinwon Intersection will be provided, and the free shuttle bus service, initially planned only for weekends, will be extended to weekdays.
Mayor Jeong In-hwa, who toured the festival site, said, “Please meticulously check safety, traffic, hygiene, and other aspects so that citizens and tourists visiting the 22nd Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, held for the first time in four years, can enjoy the festival with peace of mind, and operate a pleasant and safe festival site with a systematic system until the festival closes.”
Meanwhile, Gwangyang City has made every effort for the successful hosting of the festival by holding a total of three progress report meetings and two on-site inspections, including the final report meeting on the 7th.
Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr
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