Big success at the Isan Creative Festival 2025!

Isan Creative Festival 2025 (ISANCF2025), a major creative festival for Thailand’s Northeast — known as Isan in Thai — concluded in early July in Khon Kaen province. Organized by the Creative Economy Agency in partnership with a network of creatives, entrepreneurs, the public and private sector, academic institutions, and community groups, the festival took place across four main locations in TCDC: Khon Kaen in Kangsadan Districts, Columbo Creative District, Pullman Khon Kaen, and Sawathi Community, as well as other venues throughout the Isan region. Held from 28 June to 6 July 2025, under the theme “ISAN SOUL PROUD,” the nine-day festival was a resounding success. It attracted over 200,000 visitors and generated an economic value of over 956 Million Baht.

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Beyond its impressive visitor numbers and economic impact, ISANCF2025 created a significant ripple effect across the economic, social, and cultural landscapes, bringing about systemic change in the Isan region. By comprehensively linking “People, Business, and the City,” the festival featured over 200 diverse programs, including exhibitions, events, music, talks, workshops, tours, and creative district development initiatives. These activities tangibly drove the region’s ability to proudly present itself.

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This year’s festival highlighted the creative process born from a sense of self-pride among Isan people, who leveraged their cultural assets with creative thinking. This was showcased in events like the “Isan Show Proud” fashion show, which presented the contemporary identity of Isan through the work of young designers. The “Return to Isan is Better! The Pavilion” exhibition told the stories of people who returned home to build new businesses and futures using the cultural heritage they grew up with.

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The festival demonstrated that while “soft power” starts from national policy, it can also begin at the smallest unit: the individual. By cultivating “self-pride,” people learn to see the “value” in what they possess. When individuals feel proud of themselves, this attitude can spread to neighborhoods, cities, regions, and eventually, the entire country.

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Even though ISANCF2025 has concluded, it showed that when the “Proud” spirit of the Isan people is fused with creative energy, the Isan Creative Festival can help design the region’s economic future. It provided an opportunity for everyone to showcase their potential, see their own value, and improve their quality of life. The festival also helped revitalize various city neighborhoods.

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Moreover, it inspired local people to realize that they can “Show Their Pride” to the world and shine brightly on both national and global stages. It is also a key force in driving the sustainable growth of the creative economy in the Isan region.