Yeongcheon holds planning review for 23rd Bohyeonsan Starlight Festival

Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, held a planning review session at city hall Friday ahead of the 23rd Yeongcheon Bohyeonsan Starlight Festival to assess preparations for a successful event.

About 20 people attended, including the mayor, deputy mayor, city council members and members of the Bohyeonsan Starlight Festival Committee. Participants reviewed overall preparations covering program operations, visitor convenience and safety management.

This year's festival will focus particularly on expanding hands-on, participatory programs while preserving its identity as an astronomy and science festival.

Organizers also plan to actively address visitor complaints raised in previous years.

To resolve the shortage of food and dining space, a new "Starlight Mandu Zone" — featuring mandu, one of Yeongcheon's signature foods — will be introduced alongside food trucks offering a variety of options. Additional seating and rest areas will also be set up.

Hands-on content will be strengthened as well. The VR experience zone will be expanded, and general vendor booths that previously focused on sales will be reorganized around interactive and participatory activities so visitors can engage directly with the festival.

Programs drawing on Bohyeonsan's natural environment and the astronomical observatory — including stargazing and constellation experiences — will be complemented by performances, exhibitions and a range of hands-on activities, turning the event into an all-day festival running from afternoon through the night.

The 23rd Yeongcheon Bohyeonsan Starlight Festival, now in its final stages of preparation to give residents and tourists a special autumn-night memory, will be held for three days from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11 at the Bohyeonsan Astronomical Science Museum and its surrounding grounds.

"The Bohyeonsan Starlight Festival is Yeongcheon's signature event, so this year we have prepared even more enriching programs for visitors to participate in and enjoy," Mayor Kim Byeong-sam said. "We will prepare with meticulous care, putting safety first, so that both residents and tourists can create special memories under the starlight."