Would you like to experience the autumn breeze created by Busan?
On September 19, the Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced that it will host "Festival Siwol," a citywide event featuring 26 festivals under the theme of "Autumn Breeze," from September 21 to October 3.
"Festival Siwol" is a special autumn urban tourism campaign unique to Busan, first launched last year. It integrates arts, performances, festivals, startups, and international conferences, transforming the entire city into a single stage. This year, the number of participating events has increased to 26 across 10 categories.
On the opening day, September 21, the "Seven Bridge Tour," a cycling event that uses Busan's iconic bridges as its stage, and "Brunch on the Bridge," which will host 1,000 people on the upper deck of Gwangandaegyo Bridge, will take place. That night, "Bukhang World Drone Festival & Busan Jazz Festa" will be held at Bukhang Waterside Park, featuring a jazz performance and a drone light show competition with top teams from the United States, Japan, and China.
At BEXCO, "Fly Asia 2025," with 20,000 participants, will be held from September 22 to 23, and the "Busan International Food Expo" will take place from September 26 to 28. During the same period, the "Craft Beer Masters Challenge" will be held at the outdoor plaza. The forum and conference brand "Siwol Insight" will continue with events such as the Hankyoreh Symposium, Data Week 2025, City Brand Forum, Busan R&D Week, and AI+X Conference.
In the performing arts sector, the "Busan International Performing Arts Market" will showcase over 100 performances from 15 countries from September 24 to 28, and the "Busan International Rock Festival" will be held at Samnak Ecological Park from September 26 to 28. Legendary rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and other international musicians will take the stage, while the "Nakdonggang Gupo Naru Festival" will be held at Hwamyeong Ecological Park during the same period.
Additionally, "Siwol Lounge," a networking space for content industry professionals, has expanded from one location last year to three locations this year and will be operated at the BEXCO outdoor plaza, the Rock Festival venue, and The Bay 101.
Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, "As competition to attract tourists among domestic and international cities intensifies, Busan needs its own concentrated charm and a differentiated brand. When the entire city becomes a stage rather than just a single festival, our tourism competitiveness will also increase."
He also emphasized, "This year, Busan surpassed 2 million foreign tourists in the shortest period since 2014, and Festival Siwol will serve as a catalyst to usher in an era of 3 million foreign visitors."
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