From 2019, Gyeonggi Province is designating its own ‘Culture Day’.

The province announced on December 6 that it will make significant changes to the existing ‘Culture Day’ and rename it ‘Gyeonggi Province Culture Day’ with the enactment of relevant legislation underway.

The newly established Gyeonggi Province Culture Day will take place on the last Wednesday of every month in place of the existing ‘Culture Day,’ but the special promotions offered on that day will be extended to the private sector. The province will expand free admission and discounts for the day and also feature more cultural and art programs so as to further promote appreciation for arts and culture among its residents.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to expand the number of organizations participating in Gyeonggi Province Culture Day to 560, which is 232 more than currently participating, by 2022. Public culture and art centers will see the addition of 38 more cultural sites, 70 sites in total, offering discounts on Gyeonggi Province Culture Day. The total number of museums and art museums providing free admission will also be increased from 55 to 100 as well.

The province also added 46 public campsites and 10 temple stay locations to the list of participating organizations so as to provide residents with opportunities to enjoy unique cultural experiences that were not as readily available before.

To encourage participation by private organizations in Gyeonggi Province Culture Day, the province is considering the organization and development of special performances, as well as the support of fund applications available for museums and art museums and other incentives for interested organizations.

Additionally, the province is planning supplementary public projects so as to encourage more public participation in Gyeonggi Province Culture Day and to prevent it from becoming a token gesture. Some of these projects include: the organization of a provincial art company with local performance admission discounts for provincial residents; the expansion of traveling performances to foster more cultural events in local spaces; special screenings of Gyeonggi’s diversity movies; indie band performances, and more.

The province will draft legislation required for the provision of discounts and free admission to cultural sites for Gyeonggi Province Culture Day by March 2019.