Held in the Gangju Village Area of Beopsu-myeon Until the 19th
The opening ceremony of the 11th Gangju Sunflower Festival was held on the 5th in the Gangju Village area of Beopsu-myeon, Haman-gun, Gyeongnam. Due to abundant sunlight and rainfall, the sunflowers bloomed earlier than expected, advancing the schedule by two days.
On the day of the opening ceremony, over 200 guests, including the Haman County Governor, provincial council members, and county council members, attended. More than 2,000 visitors came to the festival site on the first day.
Jo Cheol-rae, chairman of this year’s Gangju Sunflower Festival Committee, said, “This year, the sunflowers are more spectacular than ever, and we expect many tourists to visit,” adding, “We hope that local residents will continue to unite and establish this as a representative festival of Korea.”
In response, County Governor Jo Geun-je said, “I deeply thank the residents of Gangju Village who have beautifully bloomed the sunflowers despite difficult conditions,” and added, “I hope this festival will create new income and develop into a better village.”
Organized by the Gangju Sunflower Festival Committee, this festival features a sunflower flower feast across two planting areas totaling 37,000㎡, running until the 19th.
During the festival, various events such as woodworking experience and sales, free photo shoots, sales of local agricultural and specialty products, Haman Nongyo (traditional farmers’ songs), Hwacheon Nongak (traditional farmers’ percussion music), and Pumba performances will be held.
The festival viewing hours are until sunset, and the admission fee is 2,000 KRW. Residents of Beopsu-myeon, people with disabilities, preschool children, and those aged 70 and over are admitted free of charge. Admission fees will be used for village environmental management and facility maintenance.
The Gangju Sunflower Festival has been held since 2013, with local residents joining forces to revive the declining small farming village.
It became a model case of a successful resident-led village festival, winning the Prime Minister’s Award in the landscape and environment category at the 1st Happy Village Making Contest.
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