Naju City in Jeollanam-do will hold the "2023 Naju Festival, Yeongsangang River is Alive" from October 20 to 29 for 10 days at the Yeongsangang Riverside Sports Park area.
According to the city on the 22nd, the Naju Festival will debut as a representative local festival integrating major October festivals and events such as the existing Mahan Culture Festival, Millennium Naju Mok-eupseong Cultural Festival, Urban-Rural Win-Win Festival, Citizens' Day Ceremony, Cooking Contest, and Naju Installation Art Festival.
Against the backdrop of the Yeongsangang River that nurtured Naju, the festival plans to fully showcase the most glorious key scenes and unique cultures of Naju throughout its 2,000-year history from the ancient Mahan Kingdom through the Goryeo, Joseon, and modern eras.
In particular, the main stage of the festival will be installed as a floating stage on the Yeongsangang River, adjacent to the waterfront.
The floating stage, where opening performances, musicals, and traditional art performances will dynamically unfold, is expected to become a festival landmark where visitors can experience the living Yeongsangang River with all five senses.
The festival’s subtitle has been finalized as "For 10 Days at the Beautiful Yeongsangang." This phrase reflects the festival’s direction to externally promote the utility of the beautiful healing space of the Yeongsangang River and create an opportunity to attract external tourists as a stay-type tourist destination.
Nam Jeong-sook, the general director, explained, "The goal of this festival is to have various performances and stage shows unfold on the Yeongsangang River for 10 days, making it fun every day so that people want to come and see it daily."
The festival poster was painted by Jung Young-chang, a German D?sseldorf-based painter participating in the Naju International Residence Project during the 8th local government administration.
Artist Jung vividly visualized the Yeongsangang River and the stories of the people who lived along it using red, a color symbolizing passion.
The emblem represents the winding flow of the Yeongsangang River and the Naju pear blossom (Ihwa), with a grain of rice placed at the center.
The Festival Promotion Committee, led by General Director Nam Jeong-sook, is planning the 10-day festival program while moving around various festival sites.
The committee plans to promote and share the finalized festival program and planning process with the public through press releases, SNS, and YouTube channels. The festival’s first day, October 20, will feature a pre-event, and the opening ceremony will be held on the 21st.
The pre-event will include performances by Street Woman Fighter K-POP dance and the Fireworks Band, marking the official start of the festival.
The main event of the opening ceremony on the 21st, starting at 7 p.m., will feature an unprecedented water performance themed "Yeongsangang River is Alive," restoring 54 boats that were permanently docked at Yeongsan Port, the logistics hub of Honam.
General Director Nam Jeong-sook stated, "We will do our best to prepare so that the symbolic events of Naju’s 2,000-year history and the most glorious moments of each era are sublimated into a festival, giving pride to the citizens of Naju who have cultivated their livelihoods along the Yeongsangang River."
Naju = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong baekok@asiae.co.kr
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