A Guide to Autumn Festivals

After a long, hot summer, autumn is finally just around the corner. This is a perfect chance to wander around and enjoy the cool wind. Just look around, and you will be able to find some nice places to visit. The following is a list of festivals that Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization recommend for a family picnic.

Cosmos Festival in Guri (September 14-16)
It is more than romantic to see cosmos blossoming along the Hangang. One can just take a rest, sitting on a bench or walking around in Hangang Park, where there are bicycle paths, streams, a promenade, and a pond. The Cosmos Festival will be held from September 14th to 16th, with the theme “In Search of the Goguryeo Dynasty’s History and Culture” This festival will give visitors a unique experience of Goguryeo culture; you can enjoy a variety of art forms at the museum, see the Goguryeo stamp exhibition, stamp some Goguryeo-style traditional roof-end tiles, and even ride the carriage that carried Great Emperor of Goguryeo. (For information, call 031-550-2065 or visit www.guri.go.kr)

Ansan Sunflower Festival (September 7-9)
A sunflower festival will be held from September 7th to 9th at the Starlight Square, located in Gozan, Ansan. The festival will take place to celebrate the recovery of what had been the site of narrow-gauge train railroad, and is now a protected ecological site, full of sunflowers and herb flowers. This festival is particularly recommended for those that have fond memories of taking narrow-gauge trains from Suwon to Incheon. It is also worth taking picture along the railroad tracks, since it provides a magnificent panorama of 250,000 yellow sunflowers. In fact, a picture-taking contest will be held during the festival, so anyone who is interested can participate. There is also a wetland with reeds surrounding Sihwa Lake, which is only a 10 minutes away from the festival. (For more information, call 031-481-2697 or visit www.iansan.net)

Autumn Fruits Festivals
The best part of a fruit festival is to taste fresh fruits and a wide variety of foods available. It is also a good chance for children to have a harvest experience.

Janghowon Peach Festival in Icheon (September 14-16)
The yellow peach, harvested in Janghowon, Icheon, has long been popular for its pleasant scent, nice appearance, and unique taste. From September 14th to 16th, the Janhgowon Peach Festival will be held at the terrace land of Cheongmicheon (stream) at Janghowon, where visitors can buy peaches and also have experience of picking their own. A harvesting experience will be given to the first 80 visitors to the festival on the 15th and the 16th. This is a good experience, as it is rare in Korea for non-farmers to have the opportunity to harvest peaches. (For more information, call 031-641-5211 or visit http://peachfestival.co.kr)

Grape Festival at Daebu (September 15)
Ansan will be holding a grape festival at the outdoor venue of North Daebu-dong on September 15th. Gunja Nonghyup will be the host, and will sell high-sugar content grapes at 10% off the regular price between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. For more information, call 031-481-2315.

Sungnam International Ballet Festival
From September 5th to 9th, the Seongnam International Ballet festival will be held in Seongnam Arts Center, Namhansansung, and Tancheon. The festival will be showing ‘Mediterranean Dance Collection’, which includes dances from Israel, Egypt and Turkey, which are not commonly seen in Korea.

Another exciting point of the festival is the court dance and music production called “The Flower Blossoming in Namhansansung”, which will be presented by the Seongnam Arts Center. It features a tragic love story set during the Manchu war of 1636, through dance, song and performance. Among the performers are some high-profile professionals including lawyer Kang Ji-won, actor Sunwoo Jae-doek, actress Moonhi, and Sungnam Arts Center President Lee Jong-deok. For information call 031-783-8233, or visit www.snart.or.kr.

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