Gwangju Special City’s Seo-gu District to Host the 11th Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival from October 15 to 18

【Financial News, South Jeonnam-Gwangju = Reporter Hwang Tae-jong】"Let’s take a ‘walk into autumn’ along the silver grass."
The Seo-gu District of South Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Special City) will host the 11th Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival from October 15 to 18 along the Yeongsan River, from Geukrak Bridge to Seochang Bridge and Nanum Nuri Forest.
In particular, under the theme “A Walk into Autumn Conveyed by Silver Grass,” the festival will go beyond simply viewing and enjoying the silver grass. It will be organized as a walking-oriented festival where visitors can stroll slowly, linger and rest in nature.
Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Yi-gang emphasized, "This year’s Seochang Silver Grass Festival has been prepared not as a festival where people see and enjoy as much as possible, but as one where they can slowly walk and linger along the silver grass and red sunset, fully experiencing autumn."
According to Seo-gu District on the 7th, this year’s Seochang Silver Grass Festival will add music, rest, running and local culture to Seochang’s distinctive natural scenery of silver grass and sunsets, allowing visitors to fully savor the atmosphere of autumn.
The festival will first create a 400-meter section of the silver grass trail along the Yeongsan River, from the entrance to the main stage to the small stage, as the “Silver Grass Trail with Flowing Melodies,” adding music to a trail previously enjoyed only visually. Plans include “Silver Grass Soundscape,” which invites visitors to listen to the sound of silver grass brushing against the wind and other sounds of nature, and a “Sound Walking Map,” where they can find and record various sounds throughout the festival grounds. These programs are intended to make walking more engaging.
The festival will also operate the “Step-by-Step Silver Grass Explorers,” in which children explore various parts of the silver grass trail while completing missions, and “Walkies!” for visitors who want to walk the autumn trail with their dogs.
The district will also strengthen rest programs focused more on relaxation than sightseeing. At the “SG Lounge,” visitors can enjoy the tranquility of the silver grass field with LP music, while “Nanum Nuri Sunset 530” at dusk will allow them to take in Seochang’s sunset as it paints the Yeongsan River red.
On the final day of the festival, October 18, a program will allow visitors to lie in the silver grass field, read books or listen to music, and simply rest for an hour without doing anything. The program is intended to give people a chance to briefly escape their busy daily lives and spend uninterrupted time in nature.
The Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Sunset Marathon will be held for the first time around sunset on October 17. Participants will enjoy a special autumn race along the Yeongsan River, encountering silver grass swaying in the wind and the sunset turning the sky red at the same time. After the race, participants will be able to extend the experience of the sunset through an awards ceremony, nonalcoholic beer and performances.
A wide range of programs created together by local residents, artists and businesses will also be offered. These will include performances and hands-on activities involving local artists and residents, traditional games, a Seochang Village tour and resource-circulation experiences. Programs linked to local businesses, including the “Healing Currency Challenge” and the “Seochang Sunset Village Silver Grass Tavern,” are also planned, raising expectations that the festival will boost local spending and neighborhood businesses.
The district also plans to prioritize safety management by conducting on-site safety inspections before the festival, providing advance training for event staff and placing guides at major entrances and parking lots. Night patrols and security will be strengthened, and shuttle buses will run between Gwangju Outlet and the Seochang Riverside Parking Lot to reduce traffic and parking congestion.
Seo-gu District Mayor Kim Yi-gang said, "By adding people, music, rest and local stories to Seochang’s beautiful nature, we will create a festival that gives citizens special autumn memories and brings new vitality to the local community."

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