Governor Lee Cheol-woo attends the opening ceremony, sharing the festival's excitement with domestic and international performance troupes and citizens

 
- Selected as a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism '2026-2028 Global Festival'.. Officially leaping forward as a world-class festival 
- 26 teams from 22 countries.. Featuring events such as the World Mask Dance Competition and Daedong Nanjang until October 4th 

Gyeongsangbuk-do announced that it held the opening ceremony for the 2026 Andong Maskdance Festival on Friday, September 25, at the former Jungang Line 1942 Andong Station and downtown areas, kicking off the festivities.

Marking its 28th anniversary this year, the Andong Maskdance Festival has been selected as a 'Global Festival' designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The opening ceremony was attended by Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Kwon Oh-eul, Andong Mayor Kwon Ki-chang, Korea Mental Culture Foundation CEO Lee Hee-beom, Andong City Council Chairman Lee Jae-gab, Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council Culture and Environment Committee Chairman Kim Dae-jin, city and provincial assembly members, diplomatic corps in Korea, overseas performance troupes, citizens, and tourists.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Governor Lee Cheol-woo welcomed the diplomatic corps and overseas performance troupe officials at a welcome reception held at the auxiliary stadium of the Andong Gymnasium, wishing for the successful hosting of the festival.

The downtown street parade, featuring domestic and international performance troupes along with citizens, started from the former Jungang Line 1942 Andong Station and wound through downtown Andong, showcasing traditional dances, music, and diverse mask cultures from around the world.

On the main stage, starting with an opening performance featuring 26 teams from 22 countries, performances themed "Memory of the Past," "Dance of Today," "New Dance," and "Dance of Everyone" took place, followed by Daedong Nanjang (mass street party) and fireworks.

The festival is being held for 11 days from September 24 to October 4 across Andong City, including the former Jungang Line 1942 Andong Station, Maskdance Park, downtown, and Hahoe Village, under the theme "Memory of Masks, Dance of Everyone." It carries the meaning of connecting the communal memories contained in masks and visages with today's life through dance.

Centering around "Korean Mask Dance," a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it showcases masks and dances from around the world while operating programs that combine traditional culture with modern performance content. Various events such as the World Mask Dance Competition, World Creative Mask Contest, citizen participation performances, and Daedong Nanjang will continue throughout the festival period.

On September 30 and October 3, Daedong Nanjang will be held, bringing together domestic and international performance troupes, citizens, and tourists. On October 3, Hahoe Village's traditional fireworks display, Seonyu Julbulnori, will take place, and on October 4, the festival will conclude with the World Mask Dance Competition finals and awards ceremony, Daedong Nanjang, and fireworks.

Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo said, "The Andong Maskdance Festival is a representative cultural festival of the Republic of Korea that shares the charm of our traditional culture with people around the world," adding, "We will further develop the Andong Maskdance Festival into a global festival that people from all over the world visit and stay, so that the global interest in K-culture, heightened by K-pop and K-food, leads to Korea's traditional culture and regional tourism."