Character fest counts down to Olympics and 2018

The Korea Creative Content Agency will hold a character festival this weekend to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, “Character Winter World Festival” will kick off on Saturday in Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall, central Seoul, and run through 2 a.m. on Monday.

During the event, exhibitions and performances will include 17 popular characters - including Pororo, a blue penguin from the animated series, Shrek, and Po from Kung Fu Panda.

Under the theme “Pyeongchang On, All On, Dream On,” the event is divided into three sections.

In the Pyeongchang On section, five-meter-high (16.4 feet) character balloons dressed in various winter sport uniforms will be on display. They will provide information about the sports that will be played during the Olympics to visitors.

In the All On section, people can cheer for the national team along with the characters. There will be a photo wall, where visitors can take pictures with the characters.

In the Dream On section, a flash mob made up of the 17 characters as well as the two mascots of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics - a white tiger named Soohorang and a black bear named Bandabi - will take place three times a day.

At 6 p.m. this evening, a lighting ceremony, which will be attended by speed skater Kim Tae-wan and other athletes, is scheduled to take place.

At midnight on Dec. 31, a multimedia laser show will light up Seoul Plaza to celebrate the New Year.

“We prepared this event to wish for the successful launch of the PyeongChang Olympics, which is only two months away,” said a source from the culture ministry. “We hope crowds gather in Seoul Plaza to spread the celebratory mood for the upcoming Olympics.”

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]