28th Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Grand Festival Brings Together Performances, Exhibitions, and Experiences

Gyeonggi Province will hold the "28th Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Grand Festival" at Gapyeong Culture and Arts Hall from October 16 to 18.

Under the theme "Connecting and Sharing Gyeonggi's Grace and Spirit," the festival brings together performances by holders and successors of Gyeonggi Province's intangible cultural heritage, as well as exhibitions of artworks, demonstrations of production processes, and hands-on experience programs all in one place.

The performances will showcase traditional arts that have been passed down across various regions of Gyeonggi Province. A diverse range of intangible cultural heritage performances including Icheon Turtle Play, Gyeonggi Sword Dance, Gyeonggi Songseo Rhythmic Chanting, Yangju Nongak Farmers' Band, and Togyewon Sandae Play will unfold on indoor and outdoor stages throughout the festival period.

The exhibition hall offers a chance to view both the works of master craftspeople who have preserved traditional techniques and the past and future of intangible cultural heritage. In the "Memory Space," visitors can reflect on the footsteps of previous-generation artisans and performers through works, photographs, videos, and instruments of deceased heritage holders. The "Future Exhibition," which showcases works by transmission education instructors, introduces how traditional techniques are passed from current successors to the next generation.

A commemorative ceremony for the "Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Transmission and Memory Day" will be held on October 17, marking the first observance this year. Through dedication performances by transmission education instructors and commendations for those who have contributed to the vitalization of intangible cultural heritage transmission, the festival will honor the efforts and values of the successors who have preserved and carried on this heritage.

This year's festival also features an international exchange program introducing traditional culture from Poland's Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The Legnica Song and Dance Ensemble will present Polish traditional folk dance and vocal performances, and the exhibition hall will display 43 pieces of Bolesławiec pottery, a 700-year tradition, along with 13 pieces of traditional glassware.

A hands-on experience program for traditional papermaking from the Duszniki-Zdrój Paper Museum will also be offered. In Gapyeong, which preserves the traditions of Korean hanji paper, visitors can directly experience Polish papermaking culture and enjoy the distinct traditional cultures of both regions side by side.

"This festival is a venue where visitors can encounter the diverse aspects of Gyeonggi Province's intangible cultural heritage, from performances on stage to masterpieces created at the hands of craftspeople," said Park Sung-hwan, head of Gyeonggi Province's Cultural Heritage Division. "We hope participants will appreciate the meaning of remembering our predecessors' traditions and passing them on to future generations, while also enjoying this special encounter with Polish intangible cultural heritage."