'Yangdong Tongmaek Festival,' a Leading Gourmet Tourism Event in Gwangju, Opens on the 19th

The 2nd Yangdong Tongmaek Festival, a "very special gourmet tourism festival" where visitors can enjoy the unique taste and charm of Yangdong Traditional Market boasting a 100-year history, will open on the 19th.

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 15th that the Yangdong Tongmaek Festival, which facilitates communication among all generations, will be held every Friday and Saturday from the 19th of this month to the 4th of next month over three weeks at Gu 6-beon-ro and the Taepyeonggyo area of Yangdong Traditional Market.

The slogan for this year's festival is '#DITTO Yangdong,' utilizing a popular tag from social networks (SNS). This continues from last year's slogan, "Will you connect with Yangdong?" emphasizing active communication between the festival's main subject, "myself," and Yangdong.

The festival opening ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. on the 19th on the main stage with performances by local art teams, followed by the K Tourism Market Future Vision Declaration Ceremony and the Yangdong Tongmaek Festival menu parade and tasting.

During the festival, Gu 6-beon-ro and parts of the market interior will be set up as an "Eating Zone," with 200 dining tables installed. Every day, alongside "2024 glasses of 1,000-won beer," over 60 types of food will be sold, including Yangdong's representative dishes such as whole chicken, chicken skewers, sweet and spicy fried chicken, red chicken soup, dried seafood, and tteokbokki.

Additionally, for visitors' convenience, the Beer Man Makgeolli Jumo will circulate among the dining tables providing a "mobile alcohol service." Seo-gu plans to revitalize the market by collaborating with professional chefs to develop menus and establishing a virtuous cycle system that sources ingredients within the market.

There are also diverse programs to elevate the atmosphere of the Yangdong Tongmaek Festival. On the main stage, a quiz show related to Yangdong Traditional Market will be held every Friday and Saturday from 4 to 5 p.m. On the opening day, the 19th, and the last day, May 4th, an "AI (Yangdong Robot) Online Kitchen" will be broadcast live on YouTube, where viewers can comment to influence the cooking.

Moreover, during the festival, there will be market alley karaoke, a retro-themed "Tongmaek DJ EDM" party, Tongmaek busking, an online digital commerce event "Home ON Yangdong," and a treasure hunt event, all involving both festival visitors and market merchants. Especially in the "Gatgachi Olympics," short-form challenges will continue on themes such as shops introduced directly by merchants, hidden restaurants recommended by visitors, and the Yangdong Tongmaek song.

Furthermore, this festival, which encourages communication and enjoyment across all generations, offers family-friendly experiential programs such as children's career experiences with Hwasun Kids Lala, the Yangdong ESG Playground, Yangdong street graffiti zone, rooftop garden photo zone, and a Hanbok wearing experience SNS event.

This festival is hosted and organized by Seo-gu, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Small Enterprise and Market Service, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Gwangju Economic Promotion and Win-Win Job Foundation, and Yangdong Traditional Market. It is supported and sponsored by the Gwangju Seo-gu Council, Korail, Gwangju Tourism Organization, Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Innovation Platform (Tourism-related University Network), and Kids Lala.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Dongho Shin bless4ya@asiae.co.kr