This photo provided by the Busan metropolitan government shows a publicity poster for the Festival Shiwol. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
BUSAN, Oct. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, is set to transform into a city of festivals in October, with as many as 17 separate festive events taking place in the first eight days of the month, the city government said Wednesday.
The Busan metropolitan government said the Festival Shiwol (October), envisioned as the port city’s unique convergence exhibition and convention event, kicked off on Tuesday.
The Festival Shiwol is an event that simultaneously holds 17 individual festivals in six fields — music, film, culture, food, industry and technology — from Oct. 1-8 under the theme of “Wind of October.”
Busan has organized the Festival Shiwol to grow into a world-class convention city by benchmarking “South by Southwest,” the world’s largest convergence conferences and festivals hosted annually by Austin, Texas.
The 17 individual festivals in Busan include FLY Asia Startup Expo (Oct. 1-2), Busan Design Festival Shiwol (Oct. 1-2), Korea-ASEAN Fashion Week (Oct. 1-5), AI+X Conference (Oct. 1-2), Busan International Film Festival (Oct. 2-11), World Creator Festival@Busan (Oct. 2-7), K-Music Season (Good Night Busan) concerts (Oct. 3-5), Busan Global Webtoon Festival (Oct. 3-6), International Rock Festival (Oct. 4-6), Busan International Performing Arts Market (Oct. 4-8), International Food Expo & Marina Chef (Oct. 4-6), Global Data Hackathon (Oct. 4-6), Busan Craft Beer Masters’ Challenge (Oct. 5-6), Asian Content & Film Market (Oct. 5-8) and Beyond Hallyu & K. Culture (Oct. 5-8).
The opening ceremony of the Festival Shiwol took place at BEXCO on Tuesday night.
During the festival, 44 performances, 15 content exhibitions and six international conferences will be held, the city government said.
The so-called Shiwol Village was set up in the BEXCO outdoor parking lot to serve as a hub for participants and visitors to the 17 festivals to interact, it noted. The village comprises national pavilions, theme houses, a VIP lounge, a food and beverage pavilion, a convention house, a stage and convenience facilities.
City officials said the Festival Shiwol event has been created to develop Busan’s MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) industry and link the city’s business opportunities, tour sites, food and entertainment features.
(Yonhap)
