The Andong International Mask Dance Festival that opened Friday in the city in South Gyeongsang Province drew some 200-thousand people over the weekend.

Participating in the festival are mask dance troupes from Korea and other countries around the world. It also includes traditional folk activities in which attendees can take part.

The head of a participating Chinese troupe said that combined with creative dances and ballet, Korea’s traditional mask dance has developed into a new genre of art.

Traditional fireworks and mask dance displays will also be held in the village of Hahoe, which was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in August this year.

The festival, which has been chosen as one of the nation’s representative festivals for the third consecutive year, ends on October third.