Gimje Horizon Festival

The Gimje Horizon Festival, the only one among the Republic of Korea’s Honorary Representative Cultural and Tourism Festivals designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to feature traditional agricultural culture, takes place around the Byeokgolje Reservoir—Korea’s oldest and largest irrigation facility. Set against the backdrop of vast golden fields and the horizon, the festival features a variety of attractions—including the nation’s first Presidential Cup National Nongak Competition—as well as programs that allow visitors to experience traditional farming culture firsthand, such as cooking rice in a traditional hearth, catching grasshoppers, harvesting rice, and threshing. In addition, visitors can participate in traditional folk events such as the “Ssangryong Nori” dance—based on the legend of the Byeokgolje Reservoir—and the “Ipseok Tug-of-War,” which prays for a bountiful harvest, further enhancing the festive atmosphere.

1. Main Programs - President’s Cup Jipyeongseon National Nongak Competition: As the only competition among national festivals to be awarded the President’s Cup, this event features teams representing regional nongak from across the country, offering visitors a chance to experience the essence of traditional Korean nongak. - The Legend of the Twin Dragons at Byeokgolje: A representative traditional cultural performance based on the legend of the twin dragons associated with Byeokgolje—the main stage of the Gimje Horizon Festival. It features a dramatic reenactment and involves residents of Buryang-myeon, Gimje City. - Standing Tug-of-War for a Bountiful Harvest: A traditional folk game held on the 15th day of the first lunar month to pray for a bountiful harvest. This is a representative traditional cultural performance organized with the participation of residents from Gyowol-dong, Gimje City. 2. Hands-On Programs - Land Art Zipline Experience: A unique leisure sports experience that takes participants across the large-scale land art installation (rice paddy experience area) at Byeokgolje - Cooking Rice in a Traditional Fireplace: An experience where families cook and eat rice in a traditional cauldron over a small hearth - Horizon Kite Flying: A program featuring the nation’s largest kite-flying project, where participants fly a variety of kites simultaneously 3. Supporting Programs - LED Land Art: A nighttime light display installed on the land art—which depicts “Sari Kongi” in traditional Korean attire welcoming visitors while capturing the serenity and warmth of the horizon—to create a festive nighttime atmosphere - Sarikongi Gonpo Art Exhibition: A Gonpo art exhibition showcasing the festival’s atmosphere, featuring a variety of artwork ranging from the Sarikongi character to other popular characters - Horizon Final Fantasy Show: A spectacular finale to the festival night and a large-scale nighttime spectacle—a final media show combining lasers, lighting, fireworks, and multimedia 4. Miscellaneous (Food, etc.) - Local Specialty Food Booths: In addition to representative dishes from each town, township, and neighborhood, food will be sold by representative local restaurants selected through the “Let’s Taste It Competition”—a project aimed at eliminating subpar food at local festivals - Horizon Welcome Street: Snack booths catering to younger visitors - Direct Sales Market for Agricultural and Specialty Products: Sales of raw and processed agricultural, livestock, and marine products, as well as local specialties produced in Gimje