A promotional poster for the Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival 2026 / Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan GovernmentDaegu is turning its signature summer festival into a global spectacle this year, unveiling the performance lineup and opening ceremony details for the 2026 Daegu CHIMAC Festival as it seeks to cement its status as an international tourism draw centered on the classic combination of chicken and beer. The city said Monday the opening ceremony will be held at 7:30 p.m. on July 1 at 2·28 Freedom Square in Duryu Park, located in Dalseo District. A central feature of the ceremony will be the unveiling of a large illuminated “chicken and beer globe,” a symbolic installation representing the festival’s ambitions. The main stage will host nightly performances from K-pop and indie artists. The lineup includes FT Island on July 1, N.Flying on July 2, 10cm on July 3, rappers Wonstein and Hangzoo on July 4, and comedian Park Myung-soo with singer-songwriter Car, the Garden on July 5.Organizers said paid seats at the main venue sold out within 11 minutes of reservations becoming available, reflecting strong demand for the event.The 2·28 Democracy Movement Memorial parking area will be transformed into a DJ-led “Chicken and Beer Singalong Club,” while the Kolon Open Air Music Hall will feature “EGG Island,” a popular themed zone from last year, along with indie band performances.A 1,000-seat free admission zone will operate through a priority entry system run by Ticketlink.Across Duryu Park, a “K-Chicken Street” will feature themed zones, including a welcome road, amusement-style attractions and a flea market.Interactive events will include a stamp rally called “Golden Egg Adventure,” a chicken-and-beer pong challenge and a soccer heading game.The city will also operate a “Global Lounge” for foreign visitors and deploy an artificial intelligence-based festival platform offering multilingual information and real-time crowd updates.Park Ki-hwan, head of Daegu’s economic bureau, said the festival is designed to position the city as a global hub for chicken and beer culture through high-quality content and advanced digital operations. Chimac, or chimaek, is a portmanteau word combining "chicken" and "maekju," the Korean word for beer.This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.