Recruitment of Participants for Nowon Street Festival 'Dancing Nowon'

2023 Nowon Street Festival 'Dancing Nowon' Participant Recruitment

The existing ‘Nowon Mask Festival’ has been renamed to ‘Nowon Street Festival Dancing Nowon’ as it takes a leap forward as a festival pursuing youth and the future

Festival participant recruitment ▲Dancing Parade ▲Dancing Fashion Show ▲Resident Choir ▲Dancing Supporters ▲Volunteers

Total prize money of 66.5 million KRW, refer to Dancing Nowon or Nowon Cultural Foundation website

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that the ‘Nowon Mask Festival’ has been renamed to ‘Nowon Street Festival Dancing Nowon’ and is currently recruiting participants to join the festival.

The Nowon Mask Festival has been one of Nowon’s representative festivals held annually since 2013 in October along a 555m section from Lotte Department Store to in front of Full Gospel Church. After being loved by residents for the past 10 years, the festival changed its name through a public contest in April and shifted the focus of the event to a ‘parade.’ This change aims to encourage youth participation and transform the festival into one that pursues youth and the future.

This year’s festival will be held from October 7 to 8 under the theme “Youth and Future! Dynamic Nowon.” The district is recruiting participants of various age groups to create a participatory festival full of high-quality sights and entertainment.

There are five recruitment categories: ▲Dancing Parade ▲Dancing Fashion Show ▲Resident Choir ▲Dancing Supporters ▲Volunteers.

First, teams of 15 or more members are being recruited to participate in the ‘Dancing Parade Competition,’ the representative program of ‘Dancing Nowon.’ Any genre capable of street parades such as dance, ballet, percussion, martial arts, marching band, hip-hop, cheerleading, etc., is welcome.

The categories are ▲University & General (no age limit) ▲Children & Youth (teams with at least 80% participants aged 19 or younger) ▲Resident Autonomy Competition (Nowon-gu resident autonomy associations, with at least 70% residents from the relevant neighborhood). Preliminary and final rounds will be held during the festival period with awards given. The total prize money is 60 million KRW, with 7 million KRW for the University & General category grand prize, 3 million KRW for the Children & Youth category grand prize, and 3 million KRW for the Resident Autonomy Competition grand prize.

The ‘Dancing Fashion Show’ is open to anyone who wants to showcase their own costume and dance. Participants can join individually or as a team, with no limit on the number of members. The total prize money is 6.5 million KRW, with 1 million KRW for the grand prize, 700,000 KRW for the gold prize, and 500,000 KRW for the silver prize.

The ‘Resident Choir’ that will announce the opening of the 2023 Nowon Street Festival ‘Dancing Nowon’ is also recruiting. This choir will perform a choral piece conveying harmony and new hope, and this year will create “Our Song (tentative title)” to be performed on the festival’s main stage. Any resident or choir group who loves music can participate. The recruitment target is about 200 people.

Additionally, to increase youth participation this year, ‘Dancing Supporters’ are being recruited. Local university students, youth dance clubs, and individuals who love dancing can participate. They will create vibrant spaces full of youth through dance not only at the festival opening but throughout the two-day event.

Furthermore, ‘Operation Support and Child Safety Volunteer Groups’ are being recruited. Since the festival is community-driven, the volunteer groups will ensure a safe and perfect festival. Adults can apply for 8 hours per day, and youth for 4 hours per day. Applications can be made individually or as a group.

Applications can be submitted directly via the Dancing Nowon website or Kakao Channel, or by downloading the application form from the Nowon Cultural Foundation website and submitting it via email. Applications for Dancing Parade, Dancing Fashion Show, and Resident Choir are accepted until August 18, while applications for Dancing Supporters and Volunteers are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “The Nowon Mask Festival has been reborn as the Nowon Street Festival ‘Dancing Nowon,’ embracing youth and the future. Since this festival is completed by the participation of residents, I hope many people will join and freely express their talents and passion.”