At a meeting held on May 15 at the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee headquarters in Pleiku Ward, Vice Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Thanh Lịch chaired discussions on the festival, themed “Symphony of the Great Forest,” with representatives from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Pleiku Ward People’s Committee and other related agencies.
Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Thị Thanh Lịch delivers directives at the meeting. Photo: Minh Trí
The festival is being proposed and jointly organized by Green World Co., Ltd. and Phát Bảo Anh Company under a policy approved by the provincial authorities.
According to reports presented at the meeting, organizers have mobilized around 70% of the planned workforce for the event. The organizing committee has invited approximately 200 artisans to perform traditional musical instruments and 100 dancers for xoang performances, while preparations involving professional artists are about 90% complete.
However, organizers said preparations continue to face difficulties, particularly in gathering participants for centralized rehearsals and implementing supporting components for the event.
Overview of the meeting. Photo: Minh Trí
Following an assessment of the current situation, the two organizing companies proposed moving the festival to the end of June 2026 instead of the originally scheduled late-May timeframe. They said the adjustment would provide additional time for technical preparations, rehearsals, final run-throughs and measures to ensure safety and artistic quality.
Concluding the meeting, Vice Chairwoman Nguyễn Thị Thanh Lịch called for a review of the festival’s overall scale and stressed that the event must be organized professionally and methodically while preserving cultural and artistic values and avoiding commercialization.
She also said the timing of the festival should be carefully considered to match actual conditions and noted that current progress had not met requirements.
Lịch urged organizers and relevant agencies to coordinate urgently and issue a detailed implementation plan clearly outlining responsibilities, contact points and deadlines for each task.
She added that the entire artistic program would require approval from the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee to ensure compliance with regulations and alignment with cultural orientations, political requirements and the province’s promotional goals linked to the National Tourism Year - Gia Lai 2026.