Art, movies, games and more: Busan's cultural calendar bursts with events

Busan plays host to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), G-Star, the Busan Biennale and many other cultural events.

The 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) kicks off with its opening ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District on Oct. 4, 2023. [NEWS1]

[Chasing MICE]

The city of Busan bustles with visitors all year round. This makes it a leading metropolis not only for its abundance of culture and history but also its rich roster of MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) facilities that host a variety of cultural events. Many, including gamers, cinephiles and art lovers, head south each year for the biggest cultural festivals in the country.

From Korea’s largest film festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), and the annual gaming get-together, G-Star, to the Busan Biennale and the fireworks and drones that fill its vast and ravishing beaches, Busan is a thriving mecca of culture whose streets offer endless opportunities for fun, even when the festivities end.

This year is no exception. With a swarm of drones set to fill the night sky every weekend, the Busan Biennale starting in August, followed by BIFF in October and G-Star in November, Busan hopes to entertain everyone making their way down to the port city.

The cast of film “Believer 2” walks down the red carpet for the Busan International Film Festival’s opening ceremony held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District on Oct. 4, 2023. [YONHAP]

The Cannes of Korea

One of the most prestigious film festivals in Korea, BIFF, is set to take place this year for 10 days from Oct. 2 to 11.

This year marks the 29th year for the festival, which first launched in 1996 and was the first international film festival to be held in Korea. Though many worried about such an international festival being held far from the capital city of Seoul, the concerns have become irrelevant, as the event has become one of the largest festivals in Korea and also in Asia.

Funded by Busan Metropolitan City, the Korean Film Council, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, hundreds of films are screened during the period in selected theaters in the city, with cinephiles and film industry insiders flocking to film screenings.

The number of films to be screened this year has not yet been decided, as film submissions are in progress until July. During the festival, big and small events are organized, including talk sessions and outdoor greeting events, allowing film fans to meet renowned directors and actors in person and share their thoughts with them.

The festival’s opening ceremony is held at the Busan Cinema Center, which was exclusively made for the festival in 2011, gathering world-renowned filmmakers and actors to shine in the moment.

Last year, actor Park Eun-bin hosted the opening ceremony, the first time the event has been conducted by a single host. This year’s host has yet to be revealed.

Gamers fill the Bexco convention hall on Nov. 16, 2023, during the annual G-Star game festival. [NEWS1]

The gamers’ star

Every autumn, Busan’s biggest convention center, Bexco, is filled with gamers flocking to attend G-Star, the largest game festival in Korea. It takes place at a very special time each year: the weekend that high schools College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) ends.

Organized by the Korea Association of Game Industry (K-Games), G-Star is an annual exhibition that gathers game developers from around the world to present their latest titles. The first four events from 2005 to 2008 took place at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi, before moving to Bexco in Busan.

Filling the halls of Bexco, G-Star is a get-together for game developers, publishers, investors and players alike who take to the southern port city not only to try out the latest games from companies inside and outside of Korea but also to take part in on-site events, ranging from cosplay to in-depth lectures from industry leaders.

A total of 3,328 booths from 1,037 companies hailing from 42 countries were set up at last year's G-Star, the largest event to date. An array of local game companies, such as NCsoft, Netmarble, Wemade, Krafton, Smilegate, Kakao Games, Pearl Abyss, Gravity, Nettention and NHN took part.

This year’s G-Star will take place from Nov. 14 to 17, also in tandem with this year’s CSAT, which will take place on Nov. 16.

Nigerian-born visual artist Otobong Nkanga performs ″Soft Offerings″ (2022) during a preview event of the 2022 Busan Biennale at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art on Sept. 2, 2022. [BUSAN BIENNALE]

The art of art

A true art aficionado is always eager to explore art events that are big in both scale and reputation. Luckily, Busan is the very city that hosts two of Korea’s major art events, the Busan Biennale and Art Busan.

The Busan Biennale is held every two years — on even-numbered years — across multiple venues. It presents artworks that deal with the identity of the southeastern port city. The event was started in 1981 by a group of Busan-based artists and has since expanded to feature the works of artists from abroad. The Busan Museum of Contemporary Art (Busan MoCA) is the biennale’s permanent venue, with other venues changing in each edition. In 2022, it was also held at a pier, a factory on the small island of Yeongdo and a house in Choryang-dong in Dong District.

This year, under the theme “Seeing in the Dark,” the 15th edition will explore the connection between the ocean and pirate communities and Buddhist monasticism. The venues are Busan MoCA, a former Hyundai showroom in Jung District and the Choryang house from the previous edition.

Visitors look at artworks during the 13th edition of Art Busan at Bexco on May 9. [YONHAP]

The annual Art Busan is arguably one of Korea’s largest art fairs and is held at the Bexco convention center. It's the event to be at when you want to see the hottest local and foreign artworks crammed in one space to view and purchase. Prominent art galleries like the Kukje Gallery, Hakgojae Gallery, PKM Gallery and Gallery Hyundai are recurring participants, but the fair makes sure every year to introduce emerging galleries as well.

This year, 70,000 visitors came to Art Busan during its four-day run, which had 129 gallery booths from 20 nations. Kukje Gallery was reported to have sold a Ha Chong-hyun painting for some 300 million won ($218,900), and PKM Gallery sold a Yun Hyong-keun painting for some 100 million won.

Drones form the shape of the Blue Dragon during the M Drone Light Show at Gwangalli Beach, Busan, on Jan. 1, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Drones, fireworks and action!

Nights in Busan are rarely quiet. In addition to its vibrant nightlife, the city’s beachfront areas, most notably Gwangalli, are hot spots for those looking to relish in glittering spectacles.

Against the backdrop of the brightly lit Gwangan Bridge arching over the pitch-black East Sea, a swarm of drones set flight every week at Gwangalli Beach. Hosted by the Suyeong District Office, the Gwangalli M Drone Light Show takes place twice every Saturday night and lasts about 10 minutes. Deploying 600 to 2,000 drones each show, the shows are reportedly some of the largest that run in Korea.

Busan is also home to Asia's largest drone fair, Drone Show Korea. A total of 228 companies from 10 countries took part in this year's edition, which took place in March and had 881 booths set up.

Fireworks go off during the Busan Fireworks Festival at Gwangalli Beach, Busan, on Nov. 11, 2023. [NEWS1]

Gwangalli also hosts one of Korea’s most elaborate fireworks shows every November. Usually lasting about one to two hours, some 80,000 fireworks go off, with displays as big as 400 meters (1,312 feet) in diameter. Nearby roads are closed off to ensure the safety of about a million people who reportedly flock to Gwangalli Beach for the event each year.

Last year’s fireworks festival was divided into two acts and held under the umbrella theme of dreams. The fireworks can also be enjoyed in the comfort of one’s own home, as they are live-streamed and available for free through the YouTube channels of Busan MBC and the Busan Culture and Tourism Festival Organization Committee. Not just sandcastles

Busan does not fail to utilize its famed beaches.

The ″2024 Haeundae Sand Festival,″ Korea’s largest sand art exhibition [YONHAP]

The annual Haeundae Sand Festival is held every year in late spring or early summer and is a festival where artists flaunt their sculpting skills using nature’s finest ingredients. This year’s event took place at Haeundae Beach and Haeundae Square from May 24 to 27.

Famous artworks, such as Michelangelo's “The Creation of Adam,” Leonardo da Vinci's “The Last Supper” and Kim Hong-do's “Ssireumdo” were recreated with sand and exhibited on Haeundae Beach. Both classic and contemporary works, including depictions of Venus, Poseidon, Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol, were displayed on the path from the event square to the aquarium.

The main installation, a sand sculpture measuring 25 meters in width and 10 meters in height, was created with recreations of famous works of art arranged next to a flight of stairs, allowing people to take it in while climbing up and down beside the piece.

Korean artists Choi Ji-hoon, Ji Dae-young and Kim Gil-man, as well as nine foreign artists, including Zhang Zhou of China, participated in the event. Twenty works were displayed this year, up from last year’s 14.

The sand art exhibits will be on display until June 9.

BY LEE JIAN, SHIN MIN-HEE [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]