The first day of May turned downtown Iksan into a festival playground.
At 5 p.m. on May 1, in the Oyang-dong Central Sports Park area.
The \"Great Some Parade\" announcing the 2026 Iksan Seodong Festival drew crowds and cranked up the celebratory vibe.
The large procession that stretched from Oyang Park to Central Sports Park grabbed everyone’s attention. People snapped photos of the striking sights, and families, couples and groups of friends left with memories to treasure.
Eye-catching performances by participating teams and a citizen-led flash mob transformed the streets into one big party.
Bold costumes, upbeat music, distinctive acts and even a surprise proposal from a real couple had the audience cheering and clapping all evening.
The opening ceremony, celebratory performances and fireworks let attendees soak up the festival's urban charm and unwind.
This year’s theme, \"Breath of Baekje, Love of a Millennium,\" pairs traditional historical content with modern staging to deliver a mix of visual treats and hands-on experiences.
The main stage was moved from Geumma Seodong Park to the more central Central Sports Park to improve access, and the festival footprint was expanded to include Sinheung Park.
The city connected these varied spaces to make them easier to reach and gave each zone its own theme to create a more comfortable, safer festival experience.
At night, the atmosphere shifted into something dreamlike and utterly enchanting.
Illuminated installations across the site and a laser show at Sinheung Park beyond the pedestrian bridge created spectacular nightscapes, giving visitors plenty of picture-perfect moments.
Kim Se-man, CEO of the Iksan Cultural Tourism Foundation, said, \"This year’s Seodong Festival was prepared as a true citizen-led event, with many more programs so people can directly create and participate. As Iksan’s signature historical and cultural offering—telling Baekje’s history, culture and love stories—we expect it to grow into a stay-and-play festival.\"
He added, \"On the first day, visitors from Seoul, the greater metropolitan area and abroad stood out. Our efforts to develop projects based on the region’s valuable historical and cultural resources—work meant to let culture reshape the city and make tourism part of everyday life in Iksan—are starting to pay off.\"
