- “Welcome Daehakro Festival 2023,” launched on October 15, features vibrant street parades and performances

- Discounts on 34 performances for October, outdoor shows in Daehakro, and numerous tourist attractions

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) is partnering with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO, CEO KIM Jang Sil), Jongno-gu, and the Korea Performing Arts and Tourism Association to host the “Welcome Daehakro Festival 2023” from October 14 (Sat) to 28 (Sat) in Daehakro, the heart of Korean culture and arts. This event aims to promote the global appeal of Korean performing arts tourism. MCST Second Vice Minister JANG Mi Ran graced the opening ceremony on October 15 (Sun) at the car-free street in Daehakro, offering encouragement to the organizers and staff.

Initiated in 2017, “Welcome Daehakro” stands as Korea’s premier performing arts tourism festival, welcoming both local and international audiences to enjoy high-quality Korean performances, including musicals, plays, and nonverbal performing arts. Notably, last year’s car-free street around Daehakro (from Ihwa Intersection to Hyehwa Station Exit 1) drew over 50,000 attendees during the opening ceremony. This year, the official participating titles have grown from 20 to 37[1], and a new business-to-business (B2B) consultation session for the performing arts tourism industry will be introduced.

 Opening Ceremony on October 15: A Fusion of International Artist Performances, Flash Mobs, and Aerial Shows

The opening ceremony on October 15 featured a street parade and performances by 18 diverse teams representing various nationalities and genres. The parade showed traditional Korean acts, contemporary dance, taekwondo, cheerleading, and performance groups hailing from the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan. Exciting moments to look out for include a flash mob dancing to the “Welcome Daehakro Festival” theme song, an aerial performance titled “Welcome Air Concert,” and celebratory performances by musical actor JUNG Sung Hwa and the K-pop group VIVIZ. MCST is committed to ensuring the safety of the festival, deploying approximately 160 security and traffic management personnel.

 October Discounts for Daehakro Performances, Online Show Streaming, and B2B Consultations

Discounts have been arranged to make Daehakro performances affordable for local and international tourists. The MCST and KTO provide pre-distributed performance vouchers, offering KRW 10,000 discount for 34 permanent performances, intending to reach 15,000 audiences. Furthermore, an online performance program known as “K-Stage” is set to unfold, allowing those unable to visit Daehakro to enjoy the festival and help promote Korean performing arts globally. Six performances[2] will be streamed on platforms such as YouTube, Naver TV, and Mafengwo, a social travel platform popular among young Chinese users. These streams will feature subtitles in five languages (Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese).

This year, the festival introduced “Theater Market” on October 14 (Sat) and 15 (Sun), designed to drive the Korean performing arts tourism industry forward. It featured a B2B consultation session with the goal of commercializing inbound travel through performances. Over 100 participants, including overseas travel agencies, performance producers, and distribution officials attended. In addition, the festival has prepared over 30 outdoor performances in the Daehakro area with “Fringe,” and “D-Tour” with English guides on weekends and public holidays, along with a closing ceremony. Detailed information about the festival can be found on the official website[3].

Vice Minister JANG Mi Ran expressed, “In collaboration with the private sector, we aim to further enhance Welcome Daehakro Festival, the flagship event of performing arts tourism.” She added, “We will strive to transform K-performing arts tourism into a globally beloved tourism attraction by discovering outstanding performance content not only in Daehakro but also other regions.”