The festival brought together nearly 70 art troupes selected in the contests of province, city and county, thousands of artistes and other people and overseas Korean artistes.

The festival will be divided into the professional art, national art squads and national itinerant art squads and national working people's art festivals.

In the outdoor venue of the opening ceremony on the bank of the River Taedong garbed in festive attire, festival posters were set up and festival flags were fluttering.

To the tune of light music, dance with fans and dance turning round were shown, stirring up an atmosphere of the ceremony.

Present at the opening ceremony were Kim Ki Nam, Yang Hyong Sop, officials concerned, participants in the festival, creators and artistes.

Hong Kwang Sun, minister of Culture who is also chairman of the festival organizing committee, said in an opening address that the festival is the great political art festival for singing songs lauding the sun, reflecting the ardent yearning for President Kim Il Sung and the iron will of all the army and the people to hold in high esteem the Generalissimos as the eternal symbols of the great Paektusan nation and the banner of all victories and glories.

The songs full of the will of the DPRK army and the people to significantly greet the 65th anniversary of the DPRK and the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and to achieve a final victory in the building of a thriving socialist nation true to the line on simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and building of nuclear force under the leadership of the dear respected Marshal Kim Jong Un will be sung at the festival, he noted.

Then followed speeches.

An opening performance was given.