Yeonggwang-gun 'Yeonggwang Beopseongpo Dano Festival' Concludes Successfully... Over 80,000 Visitors Attended

Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do successfully concluded the Yeonggwang Beopseongpo Dano Festival, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 123, from the 22nd to the 25th.

According to the county on the 26th, despite the midsummer heatwave and rain on the final day, over 80,000 visitors attended this year's Yeonggwang Beopseongpo Dano Festival, proving it to be a representative traditional cultural festival of the West Coast.

Yeonggwang-gun successfully concluded the Yeonggwang Beopseongpo Dano Festival, held from the 22nd to the 25th.
[Photo by Yeonggwang-gun]

This year, the festival centered around the national intangible cultural heritage events such as the Dragon King Ritual, Seonyu Play, and the National Gugak Competition for Forest Warriors, along with ritual ceremonies like the Sansinje and Dangsanje. Traditional customs performed on Dano Day, including Ssireum wrestling, folk games (Tuho, Yutnori, Neolttwigi, Jegichagi), washing hair with changpo, and swing jumping were featured. Additionally, programs for the whole family to enjoy were offered, such as mugwort rice cake pounding, world traditional games experience, magic shows, eel catching experience, and children's air bounce. There was also promotion of local specialties like glutinous barley, mosit leaf songpyeon, dried yellow corvina, and solar salt, as well as a Yeonggwang-gun government information booth, making for a rich array of sights, food, and activities.

Moreover, stage programs were well prepared to showcase the festival nationwide, including the traditional gugak performance “Gugak Hanmadang” in collaboration with KBS, the 2023 Beopseongpo Dano Song Festival featuring top singers from across the country, the Jeonnam Youth Mansahyeongtong Festival highlighting talents of Jeonnam youth, a drone light show illuminating the vast night sky, and the national arm wrestling competition.

Meanwhile, concerns about “overcharging” at the festival venue, which had been an issue before the festival, were overcome through prior consultations between Yeonggwang-gun, the Beopseongpo Dano Festival Preservation Society as the organizer, and merchants. Food prices were reduced by at least 1,000 KRW and up to 5,000 KRW from previous prices, making this one of the most exemplary cases during recent festivals.

A county official stated, “Going forward, the county and the Beopseongpo Dano Festival Preservation Society plan to thoroughly review this year’s festival, strengthen the successful aspects, and definitely improve the shortcomings to leap forward as a more developed festival.” He added, “Please look forward to the more splendid 2024 Yeonggwang Beopseongpo Dano Festival.”

Yeonggwang = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Lee Jeonseong baekok@asiae.co.kr