The festival will bring together Bả Trạo clubs from Youth Union organizations across Gia Lai. Each participating team will receive support with 15 sets of costumes, including three for chief rowers and 12 for crew members, valued at 15 million VND (about $600).
Festival performances will highlight the fishermen’s traditions of Gia Lai through Bả Trạo singing and dancing, an art form deeply rooted in coastal communities. The program reflects daily life, production activities, and spiritual practices, while also serving as entertainment and prayers for favorable weather.
Teams are encouraged to perform all three acts of Nguyễn Diêu’s Bả Trạo opera: worshiping the deity, setting sail, fishing - storm at sea, and triumphant song. Each performance must feature three main characters, chief bow, chief midship, and chief stern, alongside 12 to 18 crew members, showcasing signature formations and movements of Bả Trạo Chèo.
Organizers said the festival will be presented in a theatrical format with group singing and dancing.
They hope the event will strengthen the role of clubs and youth teams in preserving intangible cultural heritage while encouraging the younger generation to embrace and promote the distinctive folk art of Bả Trạo.