Three Times More Visitors, Double the Sales Compared to Last Year
The '2024 Imsil Santa Festival', the representative winter festival of Imsil-gun, Jeollabuk-do, concluded successfully after attracting a record number of visitors over five days from December 21 to 25.
According to the county on the 27th, it was estimated that about 318,500 people from across the country visited the Imsil Santa Festival.
The Imsil Santa Festival successfully concluded after five days from the 21st to the 25th, recording the highest number of visitors in its history. Provided by Imsil County
This figure is three times higher than last year's record of 110,000, marking a significant achievement as the Imsil Santa Festival has grown beyond the Honam region to become one of Korea's leading winter festivals.
In addition, sales figures also set new records. During this period, total sales from ImsilN Cheese, large restaurants, booths, food trucks, and the sledding hill reached 833 million KRW, an 87% increase from last year's 445 million KRW.
On the opening day, about 35,000 people visited despite the falling snow, and on the second day, around 100,000 visitors created a bustling crowd.
Especially on Christmas Day, December 25, thanks to media coverage and viral posts on Instagram and mom cafes, a staggering 120,000 people visited, creating a sea of people.
As tourists flocked from all over the country to see the festival, severe traffic congestion occurred on highways and the roads leading to the festival site.
On the last day of the festival, Christmas Day, the area around Imsil County Office, the festival venue, and parts of Imsil-eup were so packed with cars that they resembled parking lots.
The county operated shuttle buses and large parking lots at full capacity and deployed professional traffic staff to ensure traffic order and safety for festival visitors.
Thanks to a 20% discount event on dairy products, various dairy items sold rapidly, and the cheese bungeoppang booth, filled with Imsil cheese, was especially popular, drawing long lines throughout the festival.
At the large food booths, dishes such as dried radish greens soup, various street foods, freshwater snail sujebi, cheese pork cutlet, and jjajangmyeon enhanced the dining satisfaction of family visitors.
The food booths surrounding the festival grounds offered winter snacks like sticky corn, fish cakes, chicken skewers, and hotteok, delighting the taste buds of families with children.
Particularly popular this year was the large snow sledding hill, where the 50-meter-long slope provided thrilling rides that kept children cheering. With 10 safety staff on site, children could enjoy the exciting sledding safely, resulting in long lines and a lively scene.
At the smelt fishing experience zone, many children enjoyed catching smelt with nets, and the freshly fried smelt they caught became a unique and popular event for both kids and parents to enjoy together.
Various hands-on programs for children, such as cheese curling, challenge air bounce, family tree making, family cake making, and chestnut roasting, were also popular, allowing families to create special winter memories. Santa gift events held throughout the festival grounds added extra fun.
On the special stage and at the fountain square, a variety of cultural performances took place, including orchestral concerts, popera, Santa parade flash mobs, magic shows, and busking. The Santa parade contest featured 10 pre-selected teams, each showcasing their unique costumes and talents in lively performances.
From the tunnel at the entrance to the Rose Garden, variously decorated trees and photo zones attracted long lines of people wanting to capture memorable photos. Around the large tree in front of the Cheese Castle, the landmark of the theme park, crowds gathered to take pictures non-stop.
County Governor Shim Min expressed his gratitude, saying, "I sincerely thank the many tourists from all over the country who visited the Imsil Santa Festival," and added, "We will further improve any shortcomings from this year's festival to solidify Imsil's status as a year-round festival city."
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