Anseong Munhwa Jang Festa and Youth Festival Establish Identity as a 'Cultural City'
According to the resident registration population status from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the population of Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, was 193,220 as of the end of September, falling short of 200,000. During four days from the 3rd to the 6th, nearly three times the population, about 568,000 people, flocked to Anseong-si.
The driving force attracting people was the 'Namsadang Baudeogi Festival' held by the city during this period. Despite its relatively poor accessibility as it is located at the southern edge of the Seoul metropolitan area and its low recognition as a tourist destination, the large crowd drawn to this local festival is analyzed to be due to the power of differentiated cultural content, breaking away from typical food-centered festivals.
Added Fun + Convenience to Culture
The Anseong 'Namsadang Baudeogi' Festival, which attracted 560,000 visitors over four days, is praised for enhancing the scalability of local festivals through differentiated cultural content. Panorama of the Baudeogi Festival. [Photo by Anseong City]
According to Anseong-si, during the four-day festival, 491,000 people visited the main stage at Anseong Matchum Land, and 77,000 visited Anseongcheon. The city explained that the number of visitors increased by 3% compared to last year's festival. In particular, sales at the agricultural specialty market totaled 2.26 billion KRW, showing a 7.8% increase compared to last year.
The city cited various contents that could attract not only local residents but also tourists as the key to the festival's success. In addition to the symbolic 'Namsadang Nori,' fusion performances were also held.
Especially at this festival, under the slogan "A festival where all generations and the world come together," performance and experience programs were prepared to include various generations as well as foreigners. The festival demonstrated its expansiveness by combining citizen-participatory 'Gilnori' (street play), CIOFF's 'World Folk Performances' involving six countries, and the 'Anseong Cultural Market Festa' aimed at revitalizing Korea's cultural cities and the 2025 East Asia Cultural Cities.
Improving accessibility also drew attention. The city deployed numerous shuttle buses connecting major points such as the bus terminal to the festival site, and minimized visitor inconvenience by providing real-time traffic and parking information through YouTube broadcasts. According to the city's statistics, about 48,000 people used public transportation instead of private cars to attend the festival.
'Anseong Cultural Market Festa' Imprints Cultural City Identity
A craft artisan is assisting a child with a craft experience at the Anseong Cultural Festival. [Photo by Anseong City]
During the festival, the city planned the 'National Tour @ Anseong Cultural Market Festa,' an anchor project of the preliminary project for Korea's cultural city development. This event combined the Baudeogi Festival with culture, showcasing 'Anseong Cultural Market,' which was one of the three major markets during the Joseon Dynasty.
Through the event, various Anseong cultural artisans in fields such as woodworking, weaving, and natural dyeing demonstrated and offered hands-on experiences and products. Additionally, sellers introduced and sold specialty products from across the country in 'Artisans' Specialty Products,' visitors toured artisans' workshops and tried making items themselves in 'Artisans' Studios,' and nationwide peddlers promoted specialty products in the 'National Specialty Products Fair,' attracting visitors with high-quality cultural content.
Efforts to attract younger generations to the festival were also notable. This was the youth gathering event 'Neonadeuli' held during the festival. On the first day of the festival, the 3rd, 13 performances including bands, dance, musical instrument performances, and other acts planned and conducted by youth themselves were held. The performances were also broadcast live on YouTube, recording about 1,500 views.
Kim Bora, Mayor of Anseong City, is declaring the closing at the Namsadang Baudeogi Festival closing ceremony. [Photo by Anseong City]
Kim Bora, mayor of Anseong-si, said, "This year's festival was a meaningful time that promoted Baudeogi while transcending generations, nationalities, and languages based on harmony and coexistence, becoming one through culture." She added, "We will strive to create a community where diverse cultures coexist together through differentiated content."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
