The 2026 Gia Lai International Gong Festival will be a major event of the National Tourism Year-Gia Lai 2026 and will take place in Pleiku Ward, Bien Ho Commune and neighbouring areas.
The event will mark 21 years since UNESCO recognised the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
About 45 gong groups are expected to participate, including 22 from Gia Lai, groups from around 10 other Vietnamese provinces and cities, and performers from several Asian countries.
The festival will feature cultural performances, traditional music, tourism activities and exchanges between artisans, ethnic communities and visitors.
At Ia Gri Village in Bien Ho Commune, artisans will perform traditional music and instruments, while a Jrai ceremony celebrating a new communal house will be recreated. A local products market and an exhibition on Gia Lai's gong culture will also be held.
A street festival on November 6 will see artisans in traditional costumes perform along streets in Pleiku, Dien Hong and Hoi Phu wards.
Pleiku Museum and Dai Doan Ket Square will host further cultural performances and exchanges, alongside displays of local cuisine, tourism products, OCOP goods, agricultural products and Gia Lai coffee.
The main highlight will be the International Gong Night, scheduled for 8 pm on November 7 at Dai Doan Ket Square in Pleiku.
The event will feature Vietnamese and international gong groups, with representatives from UNESCO in Vietnam and diplomatic missions of participating countries also expected to attend.
Organisers also plan to announce national treasure recognition for the Ko Do gong set and a collection of gold worship objects from An Phu Cham Tower.
The festival aims to promote the Central Highlands' cultural heritage while strengthening its links with tourism.
As part of National Tourism Year-Gia Lai 2026, the programme will also showcase the province's landscapes, culture and local products, including wild sunflowers at Chu Dang Ya Volcano, OCOP products and Gia Lai coffee.
Through the festival, Gia Lai aims to provide more opportunities for ethnic minority communities to practise their traditions and for Vietnamese and international artisans to exchange experience in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.
The event is also expected to promote the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands to domestic and international visitors while reinforcing the role of local communities in preserving and passing down the heritage.
