The opening ceremony was attended by Nguyễn Tuấn Thanh, Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee and head of the festival’s organizing committee, alongside provincial leaders, artists, residents and visitors.

The program featured a blend of traditional and contemporary performances. It opened with the medley “Quy Nhơn, Gia Lai - A landscape painting” and the song “Gia Lai: Golden forests, blue seas”, symbolizing harmony between highland forests and coastal waters.
Artisans from Pleiku Róh village presented gong performances, while artists from the province’s eastern region staged traditional hát bội and bài chòi singing.

More than 40 professional performers and dance groups from Ho Chi Minh City added modern elements including carnival dance, clown circus, juggling and acrobatic cycling.
A parade of over 200 artisans, artists, students and residents moved along major coastal streets such as An Dương Vương, Xuân Diệu and Nguyễn Huệ, accompanied by more than 15 decorated floats, cultural performance groups and dance troupes.

With the theme “Colors of the sea”, the event highlighted Gia Lai’s cultural identity and traditions, while promoting tourism by combining the vibrancy of the highlands with the dynamism of the sea.
Organizers said the festival aimed to spread a message of pride in the homeland and showcase the province’s vitality to both domestic and international visitors.
