Since the event first launched in 2013, the turnout has grown steadily over the last few years, attracting over 1.1 million people who consumed some 400,000 chickens and 300,000 liters of beer in 2016 alone. (Image: Yonhap)
DAEGU, Jul. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — This year’s Daegu Chimac Festival kicked off yesterday with the English slogan “Be Together! Be Happy!” as K-pop groups Mamamoo and Ulala Session performed at Duryu Baseball Stadium for fried chicken and beer enthusiasts from across the nation, with the event scheduled to run through to the end of the weekend.
Chimac is a portmanteau of the words “chicken” and “maekju” (the Korean word for beer), and refers to the beloved combination of fried chicken and beer among the South Korean public, and Daegu has been successfully taking advantage of the new food consumption trend over the last few years.
Marking its fifth anniversary, festival organizers hope to reinforce Daegu’s place as the mecca of chimac this year, as the annual event continues to draw more and more visitors by the year, resulting in a significant contribution to the local economy.
Since the event first launched in 2013, the turnout has grown steadily over the last few years, attracting over 1.1 million people who consumed some 400,000 chickens and 300,000 liters of beer in 2016 alone.
As other local governments rush to put together similar events in the hopes of replicating Daegu’s success, the Korea Chimac Business Association is staying one step ahead by introducing new features starting this year, including a number of kingdom-themed areas comprising a premium zone, a live pub, a global zone, and a picnic hill, adding stories and concepts to the event.
The premium zone, which has been set up at Duryu Baseball Stadium, can accommodate up to 1,300 people, and offers visitors the chance to sample food and drinks while enjoying jazz and folk music performances from the main stage.
A beer serving robot also made an appearance at this year’s festival.
Invented by KUKA Robotics, the intelligent cooperative robot LBR iiwa is programmed to measure the weight of a beer bottle and use just the right amount of force to pour beer into a glass.
This year’s Daegu Chimac Festival kicked off yesterday with the English slogan “Be Together! Be Happy!” as K-pop groups Mamamoo and Ulala Session performed at Duryu Baseball Stadium for fried chicken and beer enthusiasts from across the nation, with the event scheduled to run through to the end of the weekend. (Image: Yonhap)
As last year’s attracted over 70,000 foreign nationals, a tourist service center has been set up where useful information is provided in various languages.
As part of the organizers’ effort to make the event more convenient, all fried chicken business operators participating in the event were required to adopt a credit card payment system this year.
“We prepared the festival in such a way that everyone who likes chimac can have a good time,” Choi Sung-nam, the secretary-general of the Korea Chimac Business Association said.
M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
