Ulsan Industrial Festival Faces Elimination, Sharply Scaled Down and Replaced by Distinctive Events Throughout October

[Financial News, Ulsan = Reporter Choi Su-sang] The Ulsan Industrial Festival will disappear into history again after its revival four years ago, with this year marking its final edition. Ulsan Metropolitan City plans to fill the gap left by the scaled-down festival with a variety of cultural and artistic events throughout October.
According to Ulsan Metropolitan City on the 29th, this year's Ulsan Industrial Festival will open on the 8th and run for four days through the 11th at the Taehwagang River waterfront. The opening ceremony will proceed as in previous years. Musical performances by Woongsan Band, Cha Ji Yeon, Baek In-tae, Soran, and Onewe are scheduled, along with performances by dancer Lee Ho-jun and tightrope master Kwon Won-tae. A drone show and a small fireworks display will also be presented.
New programs this year include "Traditional Performing Arts and Batucada's Improvised Revelry," the "Gaewoonpo Silla Pop Concert," "Dancing Carnival," and "Ulsan Nanjang."
Meanwhile, some of the festival's signature programs have been scrapped, including the street parade from Gong-eop Tap to Taehwa Rotary and the traditional games area "Gugu Palpal Ulsan."
The fireworks display will instead be held separately on October 2 at Gangdong Pebble Beach in Buk-gu, before the festival begins. Nakhwa Nori was held earlier, on Buddha's Birthday in May.
At the main venue, the "Ulsan Citizens' Festival" will run for three days in place of "Gugu Palpal Ulsan." Local artists, young people, and parents will present a variety of performances. Other linked events, including "Sports Hanmadang: Let's Get Moving, Healthy Ulsan," the Workplace Singers' Grand Championship, the Labor-Management-Government-Civic Unity Walking Event, and the Future Expo, will take place as scheduled this year. Junk art, a food-and-rest area, the Sulgorae Madang, and the Water Sports Center will also operate as they did last year.

In anticipation of the festival's downsizing, Ulsan Metropolitan City has prepared a range of artistic, cultural, and other events throughout October. The move is seen as an effort to minimize the negative impact of the festival's sudden reduction in scale.
The Wangsaeng-ro Light Street Festival will first be held from October 3 to 4 around Wangsaeng-ro in Nam-gu. From 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days, the area will feature street performances, street karaoke, nostalgic DJ sets, and a street-tree light show.
The Ulsan Art Museum will host the special exhibition "The Unfinished Story—Lee Jung-seop, the People's Painter" starting on the 15th. The exhibition will present approximately 140 works, including 109 pieces from the Lee Kun-hee collection at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), with assistance from the Samsung Leeum Museum of Art and the Lee Jung Seop Art Gallery on Jeju Island.
Visitors will be able to view major works that are rarely accessible in one place, including "Bull" and "Three People" from the MMCA, "Landscape of Tongyeong" from the Samsung Leeum Museum of Art, "Landscape with Seopseom Island Visible" from the Lee Jung Seop Art Gallery, and letter paintings held by Lee Jung-seop's descendants. The related event "Art Street Ulsan 2026" will take place from the 15th to the 17th on Jung-gu's Culture Street. Cultural and arts shops will operate, followed by performances by pungmul troupes, magic shows, and street performances.
The Ulsan Picnic Festival will be held on the 17th along the Nam-gu riverside area of Taehwagang National Garden, inviting citizens and tourists to explore the garden in search of treasures hidden throughout the grounds. On the same day, the Ulsan B-boy Festival, featuring Ulsan b-boys and dancers, will be held at the South Plaza of Ulsan Grand Park.
The Taehwagang River Legend Seonbawi Festival will be held on the 23rd and 24th at Seonbawi Park in Ulju County, centered on the "White Dragon," which was said to have granted citizens' wishes.
The Ulsan Rice Cake and Bread Mill Festival will be held on the 24th and 25th at Taehwagang Sports Park to promote rice consumption and a healthy food culture. From the 31st through November 1, the Hip Picnic Festival in Ulsan will take place at Sipridaebat Soccer Field, featuring musicians from various genres and local artists.
The Ulsan Industrial Festival was first launched in 1967 to commemorate the success of the Five-Year Economic Development Plan, but it was suspended after 1987. It was replaced during that period by the Cheoyong Culture Festival, but returned in 2023 after a 35-year hiatus, following Kim Doo-gyum's inauguration as mayor during the eighth popularly elected local administration. Since its revival, the festival has attracted attention with vehicle parades involving companies, various performances, fireworks, and luxury-car giveaways. However, after Kim Sang-wook took office as mayor under the ninth popularly elected local administration, the festival is expected not to be held from next year.
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