Recommended Winter Date Course ‘Luminarie Light Festival’ Big 4
(Published January 05, 2012)

◇ We are already five days into 2012, and I’m curious about how you’re planning to spend your first weekend of the year. Maybe those of you with a girlfriend or boyfriend are planning a exceptional trip to create special memories. Then I hope this posting comes in handy for you.

There are so many places in Gyeonggi Province to recommend as‘winter date courses.’ While I was racking my brains, trying to decide which ones to introduce, I decided to seek help from the 1330 Gyeonggi Tourism Smart Center. The first place that the consultant confidently suggested was the Botanical Garden BCJ (Byeokchoji) located in Paju.

◇ It actually came to me as a surprise, for I was expecting the consultant to recommend somewhere well-known like the Garden of Morning Calm or Provence. My foolish expectations were dispelled at once, and I came to trust the 1330 Gyeonggi Tourism Smart Center even more.

In addition to diverse date courses, the 1330 consultant also recommended tour sites for families, including the Trout Festival. Another reporter will deliver the related posting, so I’ll introduce four winter festival sites that are ideal dating courses.

◇ When you hear the words ‘winter festival,’ what do you guys think of first? In my case, I think about a ‘light festival,’ since lovers can really enjoy the romance of winter nights. Being at a festival lit up with extravagant lights, it almost feels like I’m standing right in front of the Milky Way.

Each scene, decorated by diversely-shaped bulbs emitting a myriad of colors, is virtually a work of art in itself. What could be more beautiful on a winter’s night? Many tour sites in Gyeonggi Province currently host festivals related to lights, so I have selected four places to recommend.

Recommendation 1. Botanical Garden BCJ (Byeokchoji) Lighting Festival (To February 28th)

The Botanical Garden BCJ (Byeokchoji), located in Gwangtan-myeon of Paju City, lies harmoniously somewhere between a Korean-style garden and a Western-style one. Around 1,400 species of plants including pine trees and wild flowers create beautiful scenery throughout the park’s broad expanse of 120,000㎡ (app. 36,000 pyeong).

The pond in the center of the garden, the wide grass square, and gardens and walkways of diverse themes are truly first class. As such, this place is already known as a popular filming location for various dramas and advertisements. In addition to the dramas 49 Days, City Hunter, and Warrior Baekdongsoo, this garden was also used as a setting for the currently showing drama Padam Padam.

For the first time since its opening in 2005, the garden is hosting the ‘Luminarie Light Festival.’ Some two million lights of different shapes and colors, including LEDs, have been installed all around the botanical garden to create a special vista for visitors. The festival began this past December 9^th and will continue until February 28^th.

Botanical Garden BCJ (Byeokchoji)
Location: 166-1 Changman-ri, Gwangtan-myeon, Paju City, Gyeonggi Province
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm (Lighting-up time: 5:30 pm)
Admission: Adults KRW 6,000 / Middle and high school students KRW 5,000 / Children, seniors and the disabled KRW 4,000 (winter time)
Contact: +82-31-957-2004

Recommendation 2. Garden of Morning Calm Five-Color Starlight Garden Exhibition (~Mar. 1st)

The Five-Color Starlight Garden Exhibition of the Garden of Morning Calm, the representative light festival of the metropolitan region, celebrated its 5^th birthday in 2012. Back in 2007, the garden of the desolate winter arboretum located in the vicinity of Gapyeong County’s Chungnyeong Mountain (879m above sea level) was decorated with an extravagant lighting display, creating a fresh and dazzling vision for the public.

At the Five-Color Starlight Garden Exhibition, visitors can enjoy the most splendid display of illumination in Korea. The view of the lighting at the wide outdoor arboretum almost feels like the Milky Way shining on the winter mountain.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful winter festival. The fantastic Five-Color Starlight Garden Exhibition lights up some 4,500 species of beautiful flowers and trees, and its twenty theme gardens will leave you with unforgettable memories. I highly recommend the festival if you haven’t already been there.

Garden of Morning Calm
-Location: San 255 Haenghyeon-ri, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province
-Opening hours: 9am to 8:30pm (Lighting-up time: 5:30pm)
-Admission: Adults KRW 6,000 / Middle and high school students KRW 4,000 / Children KRW 3,000 / Seniors and the disabled KRW 4,000 / Gapyeong-gun residents KRW 4,000 (Winter time)
-Contact: 1544-6703
Recommendation 3. Provence Illuminations (To April 1st)

A light festival is being turned on in Provence, which recreates the scenery of a French village in Korea. This year, three main themes under the topic of <Love Story Delivered by Light> will decorate warm love stories of winter with a splendid light display.

The three subjects include the largest light tunnel in Korea at 180m in length, a 1,000 pyeong (3300m²) heart garden that expresses the love of the four seasons with light, and a sea of love that expresses the allure of cold love through images of a blue ocean and waves. Four million LED lamps have been used to create an even more technologically evolved festival of light.

This year’s light festival was prepared after a full year of planning and three months of construction work. Take home special memories from this unique light festival held in a French-style village.

Provence Illuminations
-Location: 82-1 Seongdong-ri, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju City, Gyeonggi Province
-Opening hours: 10am to 11pm (Lighting-up time: 6pm)
-Admission: Adults KRW 5,000 / Middle and high school students KRW 3,000 / Children Free
-Contact: 1644-8088

Recommendation 4. Herb Island Fairytale Light Festival (To April 30th)

The Fairytale Light Festival, which is being held for the third time this season, consists of 5 million lights, creating a more splendid view than ever before. The mountain garden illuminated by a myriad of colors presents a magnificent landscape for the eyes.

In particular, the Herb Santa Village was established this year to present various Santa sculptures. There’s also a Santa Post Office where visitors can send letters to Finland’s Santa Village and even receive letters in reply.

Herb Island, which was opened in Shinbuk-myeon of Pocheon City in 1998, is one of the largest herb museums in Korea. Its outdoor garden and various herb stores make the island a popular dating course for people of all ages.

Herb Island Fairytale Light Festival
-Location: 517-2 Samjeong-ri, Shinbuk-myeon, Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province
-Opening hours: 10am to 10pm (Lighting-up time: After sunset)
-Admission: Adults KRW 3,000 / Children, middle and high school students KRW 2,000 / 65 years or older KRW 2,000
-Contact: +82-31- 535-6494

◇ You’ve got to take a look at these four places now. Which place captures your heart? Among these locations, I visited the Botanical Garden BCJ (Byeokchoji), which was recommended by a consultant.

When I visited the garden on January 3^rd, I realized why so many dramas use it as a shooting location. Lighting of diverse shapes and colors made the winter night even more splendid and beautiful.

Milky Way lighting installed in various trees and sculptures of elephants and giraffes made me forget the coldness of the snowy winter. The LED lighting decorating the incredibly long walkway, the main tree tunnel, and a Picea jezoensis longer than 10m left me speechless. I felt as if I was gazing at an aurora.