Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival Selected as "2026 Jeollanam-do Representative Festival"

Content Competitiveness of the World Heritage Dolmen Recognized

Autumn flower festival site at Hwasun Dolmen. Provided by Hwasun County

Hwasun County in South Jeolla Province announced on January 13 that the "Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival" has been selected as the "2026 Jeollanam-do Representative Festival" by South Jeolla Province.

This selection is significant in that the festival has been recognized for its content competitiveness and future growth potential, and will now receive systematic support and development at the provincial level.

The Jeollanam-do Representative Festival is selected annually through a comprehensive evaluation of each festival's completeness and development potential, with the aim of discovering and nurturing outstanding festivals that utilize the region's unique cultural resources and enhancing the tourism competitiveness of South Jeolla Province.

This year's evaluation was conducted by the Jeollanam-do Festival Review Committee, which combined on-site assessments during the festival period with presentation evaluations.

The presentation evaluation, held on January 8, included both a review of written materials and a 15-minute presentation by each city and county. The assessment focused on five areas: content differentiation, operational capability, contribution to the local community, and safety management systems, among others.

The Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival has distinguished itself by operating programs that link the autumn flower landscape with historical and cultural content, set against the backdrop of the dolmen site, a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its selection as a representative festival, its brand competitiveness has once again been proven.

Based on this achievement, Hwasun County plans to further enhance festival content, expand stay-type tourism programs, and strengthen local resident participation in order to revitalize the local economy and attract more tourists.

Cho Hyeong-chae, Director of the Tourism and Sports Department, stated, "The selection as a Jeollanam-do Representative Festival is a recognition of the development potential and content competitiveness of the Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival," adding, "We will continue to develop it into a differentiated festival that harmonizes with the World Heritage Dolmen site."