Yeongju mayor invites summer visitors to stay through the night

"This year's Siwon Night Festa moves beyond the water-play festivals of the past to offer a summer night experience that blends performances, food and hands-on activities. We hope many residents and tourists will come to Yeongju and enjoy everything the city has to offer after dark."

Yeongju Mayor Hwang Byeong-jik sat down with The Herald Business on Monday ahead of the 2026 Yeongju Siwon Night Festa, a three-day event running Friday through Sunday at the city's civic stadium grounds.

Hwang said his goal for this year's festival is to combine performances, food and experiences so visitors can spend an entire day — and stay well into the night — making Yeongju "a tourism city where people linger after dark." The following is an edited transcript of the interview.

— What sets the 2026 Yeongju Siwon Night Festa apart from previous summer festivals?

▶ If past festivals belonged to the daytime, this year the night takes center stage. Rather than a simple water-play event, we have significantly expanded performances, food offerings and nighttime content to turn Yeongju's evenings into a tourism asset in their own right. The biggest change is the shift from a festival people drop by briefly to one where they stay through the evening and truly enjoy themselves.

— What was the top priority in planning this festival?

▶ The core concept is a "stay-and-linger festival." Instead of an event where people catch one performance and leave, we have woven together performances, food and rest spaces so that families, couples, friends and tourists can each enjoy a summer night in their own way.

— Why did you place such emphasis on nighttime content?

▶ In tourism, how long visitors stay matters more than how many show up. Daytime tourism alone has limits when it comes to driving the local economy. You need performances, food and attractions at night to turn visits into overnight stays and spending. This Siwon Night Festa is the starting point for transforming Yeongju from a city people see and leave by day into one they want to stay in through the night.

— What economic impact do you hope the festival will have on the region?

▶ A festival means nothing if only the venue is crowded. Real benefit to the local economy comes when visitors eat at restaurants, stop at cafes, stay overnight and browse the traditional market. By extending visitors' time in the city through performances and nighttime content, and by linking the festival to local businesses, we aim to turn tourism into genuine vitality for the local economy.

— What would you like to say to residents and tourists?

▶ A festival is prepared by the city government, but it is completed by the people who attend. I hope this Siwon Night Festa becomes a cherished summer night memory for residents and a chance for tourists to discover a new side of Yeongju. Come with your family, friends or partner and enjoy a cool summer night that only Yeongju can offer. This summer, I strongly recommend Yeongju — a city where you can stay and enjoy the night.