Why are people gathering on Herb Island in the middle of the night?
Createdd 2014-02-05 Hit 487
Contents
Filled with beautiful lights, the tunnel is also overflowing with love.
The heart-shaped wish notes, each containing an adoring message for family, friends or lovers, will fill up the tunnel as time goes by.
A world filled with herbs, Herb Island in Pocheon hosts a fantastic illumination festival every winter.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, the Herb Island Flame Festival will continue non-stop from November 1, 2013, to April 30, 2014 (with exceptions for inclement weather). Usually, the lights go on at 5 PM and off at 9 PM, but the illumination hours may vary slightly,
They will be on until 11 PM on Saturdays and 10 PM on Fridays and Sundays.
Direct link to the official Pocheon Herb Island website
We can see all kinds of illumination festivals in various places around Korea during the winter. Some of them display only unremarkable lights that lack unique characteristics. The Fairy Tale Light Festival of the Herb Island, however, is famous for its unique composition as well as numerous other attractions.
Sometimes we want to experience the world inside a fairy tale. The Fairy Tale Light Festival is the best place to fulfill such desires, because Herb Island turns into the Santa Village in winter.
All right, so let’s go inside the Santa Village and enter a fairy tale! 
To get to the Santa Village, you should pass through the Herb Plants Museum.
As you walk along this museum passage filled with many herbs and plants, you can see the Santa Village entrance.
Honestly, I was worried as I stood in front of this entrance before going inside. What if it’s similar to last year?
There were the same sculptures from last year, but the overall atmosphere was fortunately quite different.
The first thing that caught my eye was the central plaza of the Santa Village. Last year, the area around the tree was nothing more than an empty plain.
There were sculptures such as Santa Claus, Rudolph, and a snowman placed here and there in the vacant lot.
But this year, the space is decorated beautifully with colorful lights installed like waves.
This is a wooden deck around the entrance. Last year, it was a bit messy during the final stage of its construction, but now it has been transformed into a neat place.
There are female Santas guarding the front. Not all Santa Clauses are men!
It’s off to a great start.
Now let’s enter the Love Tunnel along the border of the Santa Village.
Filled with beautiful lights, the tunnel is also overflowing with love.
The heart-shaped wish notes, each containing an adoring message for family, friends or lovers, will fill up the tunnel as time goes by.
If you pass the middle of the tunnel, you can find many places to pose for photographs
This Santa is a cook. 
When you finally exit the long tunnel, you will see a place where you can ride a donkey.
This place provides a donkey-riding experience as well as various other facilities for children, including a small animal farm.
So we’ve had a quick tour of the fairy-tale Santa Village.
Other than the Santa Village, there are many places to enjoy beautiful lights on Herb Island.
One of the biggest places is this Flower Garden, located between the Herb Plants Museum and Herb Museum.
What a bright world here, too! 
An aroma store across from the Flower Garden features a complete range of products that can be made with herbs.
I’m introducing you to this place, which was also a filming location for Running Man, because you will see many items relating to Christmas. 
Herb Island is filled with Christmas spirit. I still have so many places to show you, but I will have to wrap it up here.
If you want to jump into the world of a fairy tale full of beautiful lights this winter, be sure to visit Herb Island. You won’t regret it.
<Directions to the Herb Island>
♡ Public transportation
◎ There is a bus stop at the entrance of Herb Island. It is 400 m from the ticket office of Herb Island.
Samjeong-ri Herb Island bus stop (No. 41017): Across from Herb Island entrance (Dongducheon → Pocheon direction)
Samjeong 1-ri bus stop (No. 41018) : Herb Island entrance (Pocheon → Dongducheon direction)
You can take Gyeonggi Bus 57 or 57-1 that stops at Herb Island at the bus stop in front of the Dongducheon Station of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, or the bus stop across the Soyosan Station of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway.
▶ Departure time at Dongducheon Station: 07:50, 08:55, 09:50, 10:55, 11:50, 12:55, 13:50, 14:55, 15:50, 16:55, 17:50, 18:55, 20:00
▶ Departure time at Herb Island entrance: 06:20, 08:30, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:30, 19:40
You can use the Gyeonggi Bus Information System to conveniently check bus routes and schedules in real time.
