The Daegu Flower Expo, where visitors can experience the healing power of flowers and gardens and the beauty of floral art, will be held at EXCO for four days starting Thursday.
According to the Daegu Metropolitan City government Tuesday, this year's expo will be held on the largest scale ever, with 153 companies and 916 booths participating.
Themed on the novel "The Secret Garden," which symbolizes growth and healing, the venue will be filled with large-scale floral installations and artistically rich works.
The exhibition is organized into the following sections: ▲Theme Hall ▲Cheongna Sanggwan ▲General Exhibition Hall ▲Local Government Pavilions ▲Concurrent Events.
The Theme Hall, the centerpiece of the expo, will be presented under the theme "The Secret Garden: Door of Time, Waltz of the Forest," designed by florist Kim Young-joo of Piverdie Korea, and staged across three spaces with distinct atmospheres.
The hall offers a unique garden experience through three themes: "Boundary of Time," which dissolves the line between past and present; "Forest of Reverie," where stone objects, peach trees, and mist come together; and "Waltz of Flowers," which depicts a fairy's space with birch trees and hanging plants.
At the Cheongna Sanggwan, where artists reinterpret the expo's theme through their unique perspectives, 10 teams selected through a nationwide open call and review will present their own distinct secret garden works.
The General Exhibition Hall will feature a variety of special exhibitions, including a French invitational pavilion, the Hwaonhoe Exhibition Hall showcasing traditional Korean flower arrangement, and the Yeongdo Velvet Garden Hall, in which a representative local company is participating.
During the expo, the "Korea Cup Flower Design Competition," in which Korea's top florists compete, will also be held.
The winner will receive the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award and qualification to participate in international competitions.
In addition, various programs in which citizens can directly participate will be operated, including guided tours with flower commentators, calligraphy, terrarium, and flower basket experiences, and social network service (SNS) hashtag and purchase verification events.
Viewing hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"This year's Daegu Flower Expo, commemorating the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations, will be a meaningful cultural event that fuses the sensibilities of world masters, the aesthetics of our traditional floral art, and the technology of representative local industries," Park Ki-hwan, director general of Daegu's economic affairs bureau, said.
