Busan is looking for participants to perform or run booths at its annual Global Gathering festival in October.

The multicultural festival includes a parade and cultural performances and stalls run by embassies and foreign community groups.

“Alongside the multicultural products and foods from embassies and foreign communities, this year we have specially prepared a global promotional and market corner, and a town meeting with Busan’s foreign residents,” a festival organizer said.

The town meeting will follow the same format as those in Seoul, in which expatriate members of the public can turn up and ask questions to the mayor and make suggestions and requests on how to improve life in the city.

The city has run the festival each year since 2006, when it had 20 exhibitors and 28 stalls. Since then it has grown almost fivefold to become one of the country’s biggest multicultural festivals. The number of countries represented has also increased from 11 in 2006 to 28 last year.

Typical cultural performances include dance, music and martial arts, while stalls sell cultural products and foods from the country they represent or promote their activities.

The festival was held each October until 2013, when it was moved to May. However, it returned to October last year after the Sewol ferry disaster in April.

The event will be held on Oct. 17 at Dynamic Busan Madang in Songsanghyeon Square from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration for participants closes on July 31.

To register or find out more information, visit bfia.ir.kr/globalgathering.

By Moses Kim, Intern reporter (myk@heraldcorp.com)