Korean festivals shine on world stage at IFEA World Pinnacle Awards

Professor Jeong, Gang-Hoan Ph.D., the president of IFEA ASIA and the staff members of IFEA ASIA are receiving the awards on behalf of festivals in Korea. [Courtesy of IFEA]

In a true display of talent and dedication, South Korean festivals once again took center stage in the global festival scene. The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) Pinnacle Awards 2023, an annual festival awards ceremony, was held at the McAllen Convention Center in Texas, United States on from October 11 to 12, bringing together festivals from 110 cities across the world in a fierce competition for the honors.

Korea won a total of 12 awards at the IFEA World Pinnacle Awards, including five gold, one silver, and six bronze across various categories in the festival industry. Of note among the gold award winners were the Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival for “Best Promotional Brochure,” the Geumsan Ginseng Festival for “Best TV Promotion,” and the Hongseong Village Festival Academy for “Best Event Management Certificate Program.” The Graduate School of Pai Chai University was also honored for offering the “Best Festival & Event Management Master’s and PhD Program,” further solidifying its position as the only specialized graduate school for festivals in Korea.

The city of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province was honored as a “World Festival City” alongside Sukhothai Province, Thailand, at the IFEA Festival City Award. Half of the world’s selected festival cities are from Asia, with the other two being Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and McAllen, Texas in the United States, with the trend underscoring the increasing influence and recognition of Asian festivals on the global stage. Thailand’s Chiang Mai Province and Korea’s City of Jinju, as well as Taiwan’s City of Penghu, received this prestigious designation in 2022, highlighting the strides Asian festivals have made in the international festival scene.

The significant achievements in revitalizing festivals across Asia are attributable to the dedication of the cities themselves and IFEA Asia & IFEA Korea President Jeong Gang-hoan, who is also the dean of the Tourism Festival Korean Wave Graduate School at Pai Chai University.

The IFEA Asia Chapter has continued its efforts to this end despite the challenges it faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. It undertook a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing festival competitiveness, including the Three Major Festivals in Asia Designation Ceremony in 2021, an international seminar in 2022, and the 2023 Asia-Pacific Festival City Designation Ceremony, where Korea’s Tongyeong, Thailand’s Pattaya, and Australia’s Sydney received awards.

“The IFEA Pinnacle Awards is an opportunity for Korea to showcase to the world the status of K-festivals, just like K-pop,” Jeong said, adding that IFEA Asia is committed to further promoting the competitiveness of Asian festivals and festival cities, with plans for an Asian festival conference in Pattaya, Thailand, scheduled for February 2024.

As the momentum in the Asian festival industry continues to build, IFEA Korea will host the ‘IFEA Korea Annual Conference and Pinnacle Awards Korea’ this year, a preliminary event ahead of the annual IFEA World. The event will take place at the Ramada Plaza Chungjang Hotel in Dong-gu, Gwangju on November 15 with approximately 50 Korean festivals expected to be represented.