The Hwacheon Tomato Festival — billed as more colorful than Spain's famous tomato-throwing event — opened Friday with an energetic performance by singer Kim Da-hyeon and a fireworks display.
This year's edition runs for 10 days, up from three days last year, and spans six themed zones, including the main arena where visitors stomp on tomatoes and get face paint applied.
The festival runs through Aug. 9. A "Find the Golden Ring" event features 36 don worth of gold rings and roughly 44 tons of discarded tomatoes.
The experience zone offers balloon art, tomato face painting, fire-safety demonstrations, a Santa post office and a sheep farm experience.
The water zone features a sliding pool, a water splash party and a water gun playground.
The performance zone hosts shows by a military band, local artists and entertainers.
The event zone keeps visitors busy with the "Find the Golden Ring" contest, live public-broadcaster shopping segments and group recreation activities.
A market and promotions zone houses stalls selling Hwacheon agricultural products, an Ottogi Co. promotional booth and a food court, while the military zone offers displays of large military equipment and a shooting experience program.
Civil servants from Gangwon Province and Hwacheon-gun's public safety departments have been deployed in full force, working behind the scenes to keep the festival running smoothly.
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