Gwangju Chungjang Festival of Memories

About the Festival

The Gwangju Chungjang Festival of Memories is Gwangju's largest and representative festival, originating from Chungjang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the best commercial district in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do. This festival holds special significance as the first memory-themed festival in Korea that embraces all generations and social strata through the universal theme of 'memories.' It creates a space for 'memory production,' where everyone shares precious memories they cherish and people of diverse ages and backgrounds come together to create new memories. In particular, it unfolds around Geumnam-ro and May 18th Democracy Square, core spaces of the festival and deeply significant places in the history of world democracy, thus embodying historical and cultural values beyond a simple local festival. As a festival held in the sacred ground of democratization, it carries symbolic meaning, showcasing the citizens' will to overcome past pain and move towards a hopeful future. The Chungjang Festival has been externally recognized for its excellence, selected as a 2024-2025 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Culture and Tourism Festival, and is currently designated as an Honorary Culture and Tourism Festival of Korea. Furthermore, after winning the Best Parade Award and being designated as a World Festival City at the 2024 Asia Pinnacle Awards, it achieved the feat of consecutive international awards by winning the Best Overall Entertainment Program Award in 2025. It harbors a great ambition to evolve into an international festival that encompasses the culture and memories of all of Asia, beyond just the region, through cooperation with the National Asian Culture Center, and plays a valuable role in elevating Gwangju's status as a cultural hub city of Asia while providing a platform for communication and harmony through culture.