The Chungjangno Festival (광주7080충장축제) has been cancelled, as indicated by this display on the official site. I'd visited the festival twice, and had two pleasant times.
I'd read in the papers and heard from a few people I trust that Gwangju had delayed or cancelled its large fall festivals because of swine flu, including the Kimchi Festival, though there was no official word yet on their respective websites. That's changed now, and it has been mentioned in the Korean press again today, and turned up for the first time in English a couple days ago. From the Dong-a Ilbo on the 3rd:
The city of Gwangju decided yesterday to cancel or delay a world tourism expo to run from Oct. 9 through Nov. 5 and a kimchi festival slated for Oct. 23 through Nov. 1.
Notice on the Photonics Expo site.
The Design Biennale (광주디자인비엔날레) has been abbreviated, and instead of running from September 18th through November 4th, will go from the 18th through October 11th.
You'll remember in late-August a Joongang Ilbo article on festival cancellations said the Gwangju festivals were thus far safe:
Just two days ago, Gwangju city officials said it cannot cancel or suspend upcoming international festivals because of financial commitments and effort spent organizing the programs. The city’s major festivals include World Photonics Expo 2009 Gwangju (Oct. 9 to Nov. 5), and Gwangju Design Biennale (Sept. 18 to Nov. 4), Gwangju Kimchi Cultural Festival 2009 (Oct. 23 to Nov.1). The city estimates 2 million Korean and overseas visitors from 50 countries would visit the photonics expo.
Swine flu has caused the cancellation of many other festivals, and one reason why I haven't finished my Jeollanam-do seasonal festival preview is that few of them are likely to be held. The World Choir Championships Korea 2009 were cancelled halfway through in July, and its participants quarantine after a flu outbreak. The Yeosu International Youth Festival, which was to host 100,000 students from 50 countries, was cancelled in mid-July as well. The above-quoted Joongang Ilbo article said fall festivals in Anseong, Hwaseong, and Seongnam were already cancelled. The Korea Times says that the Bucheon World Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo, the 2009 Onggi Expo Ulsan, the Gimhae Art Festival, and the Gimhae Ceramics Festival. were recently cancelled, and that Jinju is considering dropping the Lantern Festival, which I consider one of the few must-visit festivals in the area. And that Dong-a Ilbo article said a world taekwondo expo in Chungcheongbuk-do has been cancelled, and that 200,000 parents had demanded refunds for tickets purchased for Incheon area festivals. Additionally, all kinds of school festivals and events have been cancelled, as per that article, and we read that some colleges and public schools had delayed the start of the fall semester. Local festival cancellations will be reported on this blog as soon as they're confirmed.
The Dong-a Ilbo article---appearing in perhaps the least-read English-language paper in Korea---reports on other reactions to swine flu. The most troubling:
Others refused to take a sobriety test at checkpoints. A police officer in the southern port city of Ulsan said, “A growing number of drivers are refusing sobriety tests for fear of contracting the new flu.”
Browse the "Swine flu in Korea" category for more news, and double check before you head off to any festivals this fall, because there's a good chance they've been delayed or cancelled.
8 comments:
You would think that the kimchi festival would be the one festival that would NOT be canceled. Or is it's curative powers over swine flu a load of bunk?
With regards to the kimchi festival, it certainly is interesting to see two forces of unreality battling it out in the Korean psyche, isn't it? Which will win - irrational fear or irrational belief?
While at the World Archery Championships in Ulsan this past weekend I noticed a couple of booths set up advertising the 2009 Onggi Expo Ulsan ... shame to see that it's been cancelled two days later.
Good for Korea taking the necessary steps of being responsible for its own policy of quarantine. This is exactly what I said they should before.
Seoul Magazine is also reporting that the Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival and Seoul International Fireworks Festival are also cancelled.
This is a knee jerk reaction on a country wide scale, I've never seen anything like it.
Little do these festival organisers know that you are more likely to die on the roads as a pedestrian in Korea than die from swine flu.
In reality it's the small business owners who suffer through this irrational fear.
Another big one gone - I was told by an employee at the KTO office in central Seoul today that the Andong Mask Dance Festival has also been cancelled. Confirmation from maskdance.com (in the pop-up window).
On Tuesday at GIC word was that the Kimchi Festival, the GIPAF and the Design Biennale are a go.
Post a Comment