All-year-round List of Korean Festivals (Part 1)
Traveling to Korea in any season, you can participate in many festivals organized in different regions and at different times of the year. From culture, entertainment to nature-themed festivals – these festivals are meant to make you fall in love with this beautiful country!
Festivals in Korea are not only fun and entertaining but also a fascinating way to immerse yourself in the local culture. With many festivals organized all year round, here is a list of top festivals from January to June that you should check out for next time you come to Korea. For the list of festivals from July to December, check out Part 2!
1. JANUARY-FEBRUARY: Pyeongchang Trout Festival
Pyeongchang Trout Festival is held every February in Gangwondo Province. The organizers select the 40cm-thick ice surface and turn it into the venue of the festival. Fishing participants choose an appropriate location to sit down and fish. If you’re lucky enough to catch some fishes, you can bring them to a nearby restaurant and pay the restaurant to cook a delicious meal for the whole family!
Although fishing is not at all an easy game, this festival still attracts thousands of tourists every year. Besides the main activity, you can also ice-skate on the river, build a snowman, play ice hockey, etc. There is also a display of snow statues and many other entertainment events. Visitors can also try out grilled salmon or salmon salad, which are very delicious and nutritious.
(Photo credit: english.visitkorea.or.kr)
2. MARCH: Jeju Fire Festival
Jeju Jeongwol Daeboreum Fire Festival is a fun and monumental festival of farmers and fishermen on Jeju Island. Every year in March, they organize this festival with the wish to pray for a bumper crop and a year full of peace and luck. In the past, people used to light a fire in the field to chase insects that destroy crops. Today, the festival also reorganizes the fire ritual on the field, and many other attractive programs such as recreate a traditional Korean wedding …
Coming to this festival, visitors will have a chance to learn more about Jeju traditional culture as well as join in impressive dance performances by the flaming fire. You can also experience the traditional Korean life style and participate in farming as the real Jeju farmers!
(Photo credit: english.visitkorea.or.kr)
3. APRIL: Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival
The small island of Yeouido located on the romantic Han River is an ideal spot for watching cherry blossoms. Every year, the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival attracts a lot of tourists to come and participate in the festival with a lively and bustling atmosphere.
There are more than 1,600 cherry trees planted across the island – which turns it into a cherry blossoms paradise whenever spring comes. Visitors can also stroll around to enjoy the specialties at Yeouiseo-ro Walking Street. The shimmering lights at night harmonize with the color of flower petals creates such a romantic setting.
4. APRIL-MAY: Daegu Lantern Festival
Have you ever watched the movie Tangled? Do you want to experience a real scenery as magical as the lantern’s scene in that movie? Then come to Daegu and participate in the Daegu Lantern Festival. Lantern Festivals organized in order to celebrate the Birth of Buddha is held in many provinces and cities in Korea during the end of April until the beginning of May, but the most famous and interesting is Dalgubeol Lantern Festival in Daegu.
The festival attracts thousands of Daegu residents as well as tourists every year. People will gather at the Duryu baseball field in the Duryu park complex to release the sky lanterns, carrying wishes of peace and happiness. The moment thousands of colorful sparkling lanterns soar into the night sky is definitely unforgettable for any visitor.
(Photo credit: @halinhnt on Instagram)
5. MAY: Seoul Grand Park Rose Festival
Located in Gyeonggi Province, the famous Seoul Grand Park is the venue for the annual rose festival in May. Tourists come here not only to discover the unique colors that this flower festival brings about but also to learn more about the unique architecture of this large park.
More than 239 varieties of roses from all over the world are grown here, creating a beautiful, shimmering scenery that no one can resist. From traditional roses to white roses, pink roses, purple roses … are all presented for you to admire their beauty. Maria Callas Rose, which is considered the queen of roses, is also featured in this festival.
(Photo credit: english.visitkorea.or.kr)
6. JUNE: Haeundae Sand Festival
haeundae Sand Festival is one of the most unique Korean cultural festivals, held every summer on the beautiful Haeundae beach in Busan city. During the festival time, the 1.5 km-long coastline of Haeundae Beach will become a showcase of beautiful, sophisticated sculptures made entirely of sand by the talented hands of artists from around the world. Besides sand sculptures, there are also many other interesting activities such as cooking competitions, sailing, windsurfing, folk dance, and music performances by Korea’s most famous singers.
(Photo credit: english.visitkorea.or.kr)
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That’s all we have for you today!
Stay tuned for the list of more Korean festivals from August to December in the upcoming blog!
So which of the festivals mentioned above that you want to join the most?
Let us know by leaving a comment below~! 😍
Which Themed Park is Better? Lotte World or Everland?
Everland and Lotte World are Korea’s most famous and biggest amusement parks. Choosing between the two parks can be a real tough question to visitors who don’t have enough time for both. If that’s your case, let us help you with some quick comparisons! 😎
If you are still wondering about which park among these two to put into your schedule, then take a quick look at our suggestions before making your choice!
1. LOCATION AND TRANSPORTATION
The first thing many tourists should pay attention to is the location of these 2 amusement parks as well as how to get to these places?
Lotte World Park is more conveniently located in the heart of Seoul, namely near exit 4 of Jamsil station. To get to this park, the easiest way is to take the Seoul Subway to Jamsil station (line 2 or line 8) and go out of Exit 4.
▲Lotte World can be conveniently reached as it’s located in Gangnam, Seoul.
Meanwhile, Everland is located in the suburb Gyeonggi-do Province, about 50 minutes by bus away from Seoul. To get to Everland, there are several ways:
- Take the Subway to Giheung Station, then change the train to Jeondae Everland Station (takes about 30 minutes). After that, take the shuttle bus (free) to Everland.
- Another way is to take shuttle bus from the start: Take bus number 5002 (near Gangnam station) or 5700 (near Jamsil station) to go straight to Everland. The bus trip takes about 50 minutes, with ticket price at 12,000KRW (round-trip). Biggest note: Reservations must be made for bus ticket!
If you are new to the city and don’t want to get confused by the public transportation, then an alternative option is to book a shuttle bus package tour to Everland.
💡 Spend a Day at Everland with a Shuttle Bus Package!
2. TICKET PRICE
Admission to Lotte World and Everland is not much different, about 50 USD for an adult ticket. Some special zones of both parks (for example, Aquarium in Lotte World and Caribbean Bay in Everland) have their own ticket rates that you have to purchase separately beside the normal day-pass.
▲Some special zones in each Park have their own separated ticket price.
You can refer to this this table for price comparison. However, it should be noted that because the ticket prices are not much different and each park has its own attractions, this price list is completely for reference.
|
Lotte World |
Everland |
Adults (1-day ticket) |
59,000 KRW |
56,000 KRW |
Children (1-day ticket) |
47,000 KRW |
44,000 KRW |
Adults (after-4pm ticket) |
48,000 KRW |
46,000 KRW |
Children (after-4pm ticket) |
36,000 KRW |
37,000 KRW |
Above are only the basic ticket rates, there are more ticket options that you can purchase in reality. You can book tickets online from the official websites of 2 parks, or come to buy them directly at the ticket counter. You must bring your ID card or related document to prove your age, especially for some special price offers.
💡 Tip! You can pre-order here to get Lotte World DISCOUNT TICKET up to 46%!
3. GAMES AND ATTRACTIONS
Both parks have a great variety of games and activities for visitors to enjoy, especially thrilling games that challenge player’s courage to the max. However, due to its advantage of larger area, Everland Park has more choices of games, with many different themes.
▲With its big area advantage, Everland has more variety of games and entertainment zones. There’s even a Safari with different types of wild animals.
There are more than 40 games and thrilling experiences at Lotte World, both outdoors and in air-conditioned buildings, so that visitors don’t have to worry about the unpredictable weather, especially during harsh periods in summer and winter. The most famous thrilling games at Lotte World are Gyro Spin, Gyro Swing, Flume Ride, Atlantis, French Revolution and The Comet Express. These are also the games that attract the most visitors and make them spend a lot of time waiting in line just to get in.
▲But Lotte World also has its own unique games and attractions!
As the largest theme park in Korea, Everland is divided into 5 main areas. Thanks to the area advantage, the scale of thrilling games in Everland are often bigger than in Lotter World. Among them, the most outstanding is the T Express – one of the world’s steepest wooden roller coaster, which can be a nightmare for even the bravest of people. Beside the thrilling games, Everland also has some special attractions that can be enjoyed by families with young children such as Lost Valley, Safari World and Panda World with many wild animals – what cannot be found in Lotte World.
4. OTHER FACTORS
- Queuing
The long waiting lines are an indispensable part of visiting theme parks. Both Lotte World and Everland are no exception. However, the overload of tourists in Lotte World is somewhat worse due to its small area and convenient location.
The best way to get rid of the tiring ticket queue line is to use the Magic Pass -a smartphone app that is similar to the entrance ticket to the attractions of Lotte World. Of course, a pre-order one-day Lotte World ticket is also a great choice!
When traveling to Everland, you’ll need a Q Pass, the reservation system for thrilling rides – the most popular games. You can also consider booking your Everland tickets online to skip the queue and have more time to have fun.
▲Without the special pass, you might have to wait up to hours to play your favorite games.
- Indoor activities
The weather can be unpredictable and will greatly impact your travel schedule. If it’s rainy, most outdoor activities will be closed. Because Lotte World is an indoor park, it is usually not affected much by this factor comparing to Everland.
However, if you’re caught in the rain while visiting Everland, you can still visit some indoor attractions that will remain open like the Mystery Mansion and Castle of Oz or the movie theater at Victoria Theater.
▲Lotte World might be a safer choice in the rainy season.
In conclusion, it is absolutely impossible to say which one is better between Lotte World and Everland, as each amusement park has their own specialties and attractions. The article only serves as a quick guide to help you pick the better choice according to your personal preferences, schedules and accessibility. Of course, if you have enough time, we highly recommend you to spend time visiting both places to experience “the best of both worlds”!
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So after reading through our comparison, which amusement park do you want to visit first?
Are you #TeamLotteWorld or #TeamEverland?
Comment below and let us know how you feel!