Gangwon
Gimsatgat Cultural Festival
김삿갓 문화제
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Plan your visit
- Dates
- –
- Venue
- Kim Sat-gat Historic Site Area and Yeongwol-eup
- Address
- Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Yeongwol County Gimsatgat-myeon Gimsatgat Road 216-22 Nango Gimsatgat Literary Museum
- Admission
- Free
- Organizer
- Yeongwol Cultural Foundation
Page updated . Dates and availability can change; confirm with the organizer before travelling.
About the festival
The Gimsatgat Cultural Festival is held in Yeongwol to honor the life and literary value of the wandering poet Nango Kim Byeong-yeon (Gimsatgat) from the late Joseon period. Gimsatgat, known for wearing a straw hat, traveled across the country, satirizing the authority and hypocrisy of society at the time, while humorously expressing the lives and sorrows of common people. The Gimsatgat Cultural Festival, which started in 1998, takes place every autumn around the historical site in Gimsatgat-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, where Gimsatgat's grave, residence, and Nango Gimsatgat Literary Museum are located. Major programs include rituals to commemorate Gimsatgat, the Gimsatgat Literary Award ceremony, a national poetry contest and calligraphy competition, the Joseon Dynasty civil service examination, and academic events related to literature. Additionally, performances, exhibitions, and experiential programs themed around Gimsatgat's wandering, humor, and cultural refinement are organized. The festival aims to illuminate Gimsatgat's life and literary heritage and to modernly inherit the satire and humor reflected in his poetry.