Nonsan Strawberry Festival: 66% of Visitors in Their 20s to 40s... Transforming into a Young Festival

Nonsan City Holds Evaluation Meeting
Mayor Baek Seonghyun: "Thorough Preparation Needed for Success of 2027 Expo"

Baek Seonghyun, mayor of Nonsan, is speaking at the Strawberry Festival evaluation meeting. Photo by Nonsan City

The 27th Nonsan Strawberry Festival, hosted by Nonsan City in South Chungcheong Province, achieved its best results ever, further solidifying its status as the region's signature festival.

In particular, the festival saw a significant shift toward a "young festival," with visitors in their 20s to 40s accounting for 66% of attendees, and visitors from the Seoul metropolitan area making up 32% of the total.

On April 29, Nonsan City announced that it had held an evaluation meeting in the city hall conference room to share the festival's achievements and to discuss successful strategies for next year's event, as well as for the "Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo" scheduled for 2027.

According to the city, this year's festival went beyond simply selling agricultural products, recording high levels of interest and sales with a variety of content linked to secondary and tertiary industries, such as desserts and goods made with strawberries. This is seen as a positive sign of the industrial expansion potential of Nonsan strawberries.

On the other hand, several areas for improvement were identified, including the event venue's information system, maintaining the quality of fresh strawberries, and enhancing convenience facilities. However, parking and traffic issues were significantly improved compared to the previous year, thanks to collaboration with related organizations.

Mayor Baek Seonghyun stated, "The most important aspect of the festival is showcasing high-quality strawberries," and added, "We must thoroughly verify safety and quality to ensure not only the success of next year's strawberry festival but also the 2027 expo."

He also emphasized, "We will focus on improving the layout and rest facilities so that family visitors can enjoy a comfortable stay."

Meanwhile, the city plans to grow the upcoming expo into a global event by conducting simulation exercises and upgrading infrastructure based on the results of this evaluation.