On April 5~6, Seomun Night Market hosted an opening event at which underground bands, including 2-5-1, a Daegu-based band that was the winner of Busan’s Hyunin Song Festival 2022, and Daydreamers, the winner of TBC’s D-Rookie Festa 2022, performed covers of K-pop and other songs that are popular among young Koreans. On April 7 (Sun), local indie bands performed covers of indie rock and K-pop.

Chilseong Night Market featured family-friendly performances from April 5~6, including a caricature experience by Shanti, musical hits by musical actor Choi Yongwook, a mime act by mime artist Ppikppiki, and mini-concerts by two bands (Betty Blue, 2-5-1 Unit). Festivities continued into April 7 with folk song performances by local musicians.

Seomun Night Market underwent several large renovations (repairs to outdoor stage and red/blue lanterns, renovation of outdated food booths) to gain a new reputation as a weekend hot spot for tourists as well as young locals.

Chilseong Night Market, for its part, is undertaking a landscape improvement project that utilizes spaces near Sincheon River reserved for civic use to create rest areas for locals and outsiders to enjoy with their families. Renovations, which will make Chilseong Night Market a landmark through an attractive harmony of the night market with Sincheon River, are expected to be completed in June.

In March, 27 new sellers (stall: 24, food truck: 3) for Seomun Night Market and 14 (stall) for Chilseong Night Market were selected based on two strict screenings (document, taste test). All 41 teams began selling their unique and delicious foods, including Aged Kimchi Pasta, Grilled Cheese Lobster, and Buldak Cheese Egg Roll, on opening day for both markets.

Seomun Night Market, as in 2023, will be operated three days per week (Friday~Sunday) until late December. Chilseong Night Market, based on its surroundings and overall performance of 2023, will be operated five days per week (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday) until late October.

There will also be a broader offering of participatory events three times per week (Friday~Sunday) that are tailored to the characteristics of both markets, including performances by local musicians, Seomun Singing Contest, and Chilseong Beer Festival.

The Seomun and Chilseong Markets, which were visited by a total of 1.37 million in 2023, were included that year in the “100 Must-visit Tourist Spots in Korea” list compiled by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). The designation was especially meaningful for Seomun Night Market, as it came on the heels of its 2020 designation by the KTO in the “100 Night Tour Spots” list, showing that it has already started gaining a reputation as a key nighttime attraction not only in Daegu but of Korea.

Ahn Jung-gon, head of DMC’s Economic Affairs Bureau, said, “This year, we included more busking performances by local musicians as part of an overall effort to make the Seomun and Chilseong Night Markets famous nationwide. I hope local residents as well as those living in other areas can, as in previous years, take an interest in our wonderful night markets.”