Introduction
As confirmed by Young Pioneer Tours, all signs point to the Mass Games returning for 2021, and tourists will, at this time, hopefully, be able to travel again to North Korea once the country has finalized its safe reopening plan amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the Mass Games?
The Mass Games are the world’s largest performance featuring over 100,000 performers. It takes place in the world’s largest stadium by capacity, and the performance combines elements of live theatre, dance, musical performance, gymnastics, acrobatics and martial arts, all against the backdrop of a screen made up of students from around Pyongyang with flashcards.
The performance depending on the year, tells the story of the history of the DPRK all the way from the countries founding through the Korean War, the period of prosperity and industrial buildup, the hardships of the 1990s caused by severe economic sanctions, natural calamities and the collapse of the Socialist block all the way to present-day and the era of Invincible Socialism only possible in the DPRK.
Were There Mass Games in 2020?
The Mass Games performance was back in 2020 despite the country being closed for tourism and the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. In 2020 North Korea celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Worker’s Party of Korea, and a special Mass Games performance was held titled “Great Leadership” or “위대한 향도” and had a heavy emphasis on the history of and achievements of the Worker’s Party of Korea.
The performance ran from October 11th until the end of the month and was attended by Marshal Kim Jong Un on one occasion.
Here are some photos provided by KCNA of the historic event taking place in Pyongyang:
