The 'Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival 2024' will open on October 5 and light up Jinju’s autumn nights with stunning lanterns for 16 days, until October 20, in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, a city recognized as a World Festival City.
From October 10 to 20, the ‘Gaecheon Art Festival’ will be held, and from October 11 to 20, the ‘Korea Drama Festival (KDF)’ will take place, adding richness to Jinju's October festivals.
The 'Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival' is a cultural tourism event of honor in Korea, based on the historical storytelling of the messages of peace and hope carried by lanterns during the Jinju Battle, which flowed along the Namgang River and transformed into a festival.
To globalize the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival and attract foreign tourists, Jinju City has prepared a range of new and diverse content. This includes lanterns depicting K-culture icons like Squid Game and BTS, as well as lanterns representing aerospace symbols such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and satellites.
Under the theme "River of History, Embracing Peace," the festival will kick off with an opening lighting ceremony on October 5, lighting up around 70,000 lanterns. It will conclude with a drone and fireworks show on October 20.
Festival Hours: 1 p.m. - 11 p.m. daily (Lighting starts at 6 p.m., except on the 5th, when it starts at 8 p.m.).
Expanded Festival Grounds to Jinju Battle Historical Park
This year, the festival grounds will extend to include the Jinju Battle Historical Park, completed after 17 years, in addition to last year’s locations like the Lantern Park, Waterlight Rest Stop, Kim Si-min Lake (Cruise Ship), and the Jinju Namgang Lantern Exhibition Hall.
K-Culture & Aerospace Lanterns
Throughout the festival, lanterns will be installed at Jinju Castle, Namgang River, Lantern Park, and the Railway Culture Park. Large-scale lanterns representing K-culture, such as a statue of King Sejong, Cheomseongdae, and Hanbok harmony, will be installed alongside K-aerospace symbols like KF-21 fighter jets, Surion helicopters, and UAM models, creating a spectacular nighttime view.
Inside Jinju Castle, themed exhibitions will showcase peace-themed lanterns, Squid Game lanterns, astronaut lanterns, and dinosaur lanterns. Lanterns symbolizing Jinju’s aspirations to become an aerospace city, including astronaut and spaceship lanterns, will be displayed near Yeongnampojeongsa within Jinju Castle.
In the newly unveiled Jinju Battle Historical Park, under the theme “Light and Shadow,” lanterns depicting the Jinju Battle will be displayed. The lights symbolize the victory of the Jinju Battle, while the shadows represent the horrors of war and the preciousness of peace, reinforcing the festival’s message of love for family and the importance of peace.
Drone Show and Fireworks
The drone show, one of the festival’s highlights, will see significant updates this year. Four performances (on October 5, 10, 12, and 20) with 1,000 drones will illuminate Jinju’s autumn skies, each performance tailored with Jinju-specific stories. Fireworks will take place three times during the festival (October 5, 10, and 20).
Additional Experiences
Various experiential events will be held during the festival, including attaching wish lanterns, crossing floating bridges, stamp and treasure tours, hope wall inscriptions, creating and launching lanterns, citizen lantern-making, and riverboat rides.
The Jinju National Museum will also host free hands-on activities such as making horn-shaped paper hats and decorating photo frames, adding more excitement to the festival.
Gaecheon Art Festival: Gyeongsangnam-do's Best Festival for Two Consecutive Years
The Gaecheon Art Festival, designated as Gyeongsangnam-do’s top festival for 2024-2025, will hold its 73rd edition from October 10 to 20. The opening ceremony will take place on a special stage in front of the Imjin War Memorial at Jinju Castle, marking the beginning of 11 days of events.
Korea Drama Festival: Korea's Premier K-Drama Festival
The '2024 Korea Drama Festival (KDF)' will run for 10 days from October 11 to 20, featuring events like the Korea Drama Awards, the KDF Concert, and the KDF Short Drama Competition.
More Convenient and Safer Festival
To enhance visitor convenience, the city has prepared over 12,000 temporary parking spaces in 33 locations. Additionally, free shuttle buses will operate on seven routes during peak times to ease transportation.
The festival will also feature four floating bridges, which can be accessed with online tickets. Specific one-way and integrated ticket prices apply.
Jinju City expects over 1 million visitors and encourages the use of public transportation to reduce congestion, especially on weekends and public holidays.
*This article was written by Jung Ki-Min for K-Heritage News.
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