Revellers danced and wrestled in South Korea’s capital of mud, kicking off a nine-day festival expected to lure millions of people to the quaint coastal city of Boryeong, about 190 km southwest of the capital Seoul.

Organisers of the 20th annual Mud Festival say its mud has special powers to refresh the skin and soothe the soul. Besides pitching skincare products made from nearby mudflats, the festival also gives visitors the chance to play in tonnes of the greyish goo at mud wrestling pits, mud slides and mud baths.

The festival is a major boost to the local economy with four million people, including 439,000 foreigners, flocking to the city last year.