A unique international cultural event is coming to Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, as the city prepares to host the 2025 UNESCO-Gyeonggi Province World Cultural Heritage Festival Showcase on October 18. The free event will bring together traditional performances from five nations at the Jeongjo Theme Performance Hall, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage from around the world.

The showcase will feature distinctive cultural performances from Vietnam, India, Mongolia, the Philippines, and South Korea. Vietnamese artists will perform Ca tru, a traditional singing style, while Indian performers will present the Chhau dance form. Mongolian musicians will showcase the morin khuur, also known as the horsehead fiddle, and Filipino artists will perform the Hudhud chants of the Ifugao people. South Korea will contribute with its traditional lion mask dance, representing the country's rich cultural heritage.

Beyond the main stage performances, the festival will offer additional cultural experiences for attendees. An Indian cultural heritage photo exhibition will provide visual insights into the country's artistic traditions, while a world mask experience corner will give visitors hands-on opportunities to interact with cultural artifacts from different nations. These educational components aim to deepen visitors' understanding of global cultural diversity.

The inaugural event represents an ambitious initiative by the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee to establish the province as a major international cultural tourism destination. By bringing together what organizers call "living human treasures," the province hopes to provide its residents with high-quality cultural experiences while developing the festival into a world-class traditional arts and tourism event that could rival the established King Jeongjo Royal Parade.

The project has been made possible through a partnership with the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under UNESCO's auspices (ICHCAP), with additional support from the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation. This collaboration ensures the event meets international standards for cultural heritage presentation and preservation.

According to Nam Jeong-sook, the event's general director, this year's showcase serves as a crucial test run for a much larger festival planned for 2026. "The 2025 showcase, a preliminary event for the 2026 festival, will be a crucial touchstone for judging whether Gyeonggi Province can successfully host the full-scale festival next year with participation from over 20 countries," Nam explained. The expanded 2026 version aims to include more than 20 participating nations, making it one of Asia's largest cultural heritage festivals.

Nam emphasized the importance of the networking opportunities the event provides, stating, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the intangible cultural heritage officials from these five countries have a satisfying performance and successfully establish a network. We hope many citizens will participate in this precious opportunity, which is rarely encountered even in textbooks." The event represents not just entertainment but also diplomatic and cultural exchange between participating nations.

The showcase will begin at 6:00 PM on October 18 at the Jeongjo Theme Performance Hall, located inside the Temporary Palace at Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. The historic venue adds significance to the event, as it connects Korea's own cultural heritage with the international performances, creating a meaningful dialogue between past and present cultural traditions.