Exciting Festival to Satisfy All Senses Opens in Naju... Naju City to Host Yeongsangang Festival from October 8-12

【Financial News Naju=Hwang Taejong Reporter】 An exciting festival to satisfy all senses opens in Naju.
 Naju City announced that it will hold the '2025 Naju Yeongsangang Festival' for five days from October 8 to 12 at the Yeongsangang Garden area.
 According to Naju City, this festival reinterprets the ecological, historical, and cultural values of Yeongsangang, the lifeline of Namdo, and is a combined festival incorporating agriculture, gardens, and marathons, offering a rich feast that satisfies all the senses of visitors.
 'Naju Yeongsangang Festival' received the grand prize in the 'K-Brand Festival Tourism City' category last year, and this year it has prepared a variety of programs under the slogan 'The New Story of Yeongsangang, Start Again Season 2'.
 In particular, △Naju Agriculture Festa (October 8-12) △Jeonnam Garden Festival (October 8-29) △National Naju Marathon (October 12) will be held together, greatly expanding the scale and attractions of the festival.
 Moreover, the Yeongsangang Garden, where the festival is held, has been created with citizen donations and participation since 2023, establishing itself as a 'garden made with citizens', equipped with permanent festival grounds, a large flower complex of 280,000㎡, parking lots, and access roads.
Naju City has increased parking spaces by about 2,000 more than last year to accommodate a total of 6,100 vehicles to enhance the convenience and accessibility for visitors, and operates an elephant train (electric train) at all times to improve the mobility convenience of tourists.
 The creative musical 'Queen, Janghwa', which will be performed on stage as the main performance of the opening ceremony, is a masterpiece depicting the story of Queen Janghwa, a native of Naju and the wife of King Taejo of Goryeo, planned by General Director Park Myungseong, with actors Luna and Lee Chungju starring, showcasing a stage that combines artistry and popularity. At the end of the opening ceremony, a spectacular drone light show and fireworks show will be presented over the Yeongsangang sky, offering an immersive performance.
 The main stage, which will be the center of the festival, is also designed as an open space with a 360-degree island structure that centralizes the system, allowing communication with distant audiences, enhancing stage aesthetics and technical completeness. Every night during the festival, the 'Yeongsangang Music Festival' will be held, featuring famous domestic artists such as Song Gain, Kim Yongbin, Park Jihyun, Lyn, Choi Jungwon, Michael Lee, Kim Hoyoung, Kai, and Ivy, beautifully decorating the night of Yeongsangang.
 The 'Yeongsangang Theme Pavilion', where you can experience the history, ecology, and culture of Yeongsangang, will also be unveiled for the first time this year. It is expected to be a core content that visually and experientially unravels the identity of Naju formed through Yeongsangang and the central value of the festival.
 The route where you can fully enjoy the beautiful nature of Yeongsangang is also attractive. A pedestrian bridge (pontoon bridge) is installed, allowing you to walk on water, crossing from the Yeongsangang riverside to Dulseom, and the cosmos in full bloom creating a spectacle, along with the stepping stones and lotus deck path that connect Dulseom and Parking Lot 1 to the festival site, are expected to be healing courses.
 In addition, citizen participation performances such as 'Village Choir Performance', 'Yeongsangang Water Festival' with participation from relocated public institutions, and 'Yeongsangang National Song Festival' are held daily, and traditional cultural contents such as 'Donggang Bongchu Field Song', 'Madang Play Naju Three-color Heritage Play', and 'Creative Dance Drama Cheongmyeong' that embody Naju's traditional culture are showcased. The 'Natural Dyeing Fashion Show', a high-quality cultural event combining region, tradition, and art, will also be held again this year following last year, continuing to impress.
 The content for family tourists visiting with young children has also diversified. Popular character and song combined 'Pororo & Bebepin Sing-Along Show', 'Balloon Bubble Magic Show', 'Kidzania' where children can experience jobs, and 'Board Game Experience Zone' that encompasses everyone, including adults, are prepared.
 'World Cultural Performance' and 'International Exchange City Invitation Performance', where foreign tourists, migrant workers, and multicultural families become one, are also held.
 Naju City, in particular, operates various participatory events and promotions to revitalize the local economy. During the festival period, an event is held where festival visitors who spend more than 50,000 won in Naju City receive an instant lottery ticket on-site, awarding up to 1 million won in Naju Love Gift Certificates. Also, a 10% discount benefit is provided at some restaurants for family visitors accompanied by children.
 Meanwhile, at the 'Naju Agriculture Festa (October 8-12)' held together, various events such as Naju agricultural exhibition, promotion, and specialty product sales are held, and a 20% discount event for Korean beef is also held.
 At the 'Jeonnam Garden Festival (October 8-29)' held in the Garden Festival Zone, garden exhibitions, participatory experiences, cultural performances, and garden markets are conducted.
 On the last day of the festival, October 12, the 'National Naju Marathon' held at Naju Comprehensive Sports Park, with various courses such as full course, half course, 10km, and 5km, has completed registration for over 12,000 participants, including family participants running with their children, proving its hot popularity.
 Yoon Byungtae, Mayor of Naju City, said, "The Yeongsangang Festival, which opens on October 8, is a comprehensive cultural festival encompassing agriculture, gardens, and sports, welcoming citizens and tourists," and "We have prepared a variety of attractions, including musicals, traditional cultural performances, and popular singer stages, so we ask for a lot of interest and participation."
 He also emphasized, "Together with citizens, we will develop Naju into Korea's representative ecological, cultural, and tourism city through Yeongsangang and Yeongsangang Garden."

hwangtae@fnnews.com Hwang Taejong Reporter