Gijang-gun will hold the 2026 Gijang-eup Fortress Festival at the Gijang-eup Fortress site from Friday through Sunday. [Gijang-gun]
Gijang-gun will hold the 2026 Gijang-eup Fortress Festival at the Gijang-eup Fortress site from Friday through Sunday. [Gijang-gun]

The 2026 Gijang-eup Fortress Festival will be held at the Gijang-eup Fortress site from Friday through Sunday.

Gijang-gun announced Tuesday that the festival has been redesigned to carry on the historical and cultural legacy of the former Chaseong Cultural Festival while adapting to shifting tourism trends — offering hands-on, immersive content that invites visitors to experience and linger among the area's historical and cultural resources.

The most significant change is placing Gijang-eup Fortress at the heart of the event. Rather than the stage-centered performances — pop music competitions and trot concerts — that dominated previous editions, the festival will emphasize participatory, stay-and-explore programming such as reading, hands-on activities, board games and live music.

This year's festival is built around the concept of "Play at the Fortress," encouraging visitors to walk through and settle into various corners of the fortress grounds while experiencing the ancient space in a contemporary way. Programming is designed to flow naturally from daytime into the evening, and the festival will be linked to Gijang Market and nearby commercial and tourism attractions.

Gijang-gun plans to position the fortress not merely as a venue that draws visitors during the festival period, but as a year-round destination where residents and tourists can drop by at any time to stroll, read or simply rest.

"Through this festival, we will faithfully preserve the historical value of Gijang-eup Fortress while developing it into a representative historical and cultural space that anyone can visit as part of their everyday life," Gijang-gun Mayor Woo Seong-bin said.

Meanwhile, Gijang-eup Fortress was built in 1425, the seventh year of King Sejong's reign during the Joseon Dynasty, and stands as one of Gijang's most significant cultural heritage sites with nearly 600 years of history.


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