Everland Rose Festival attracts tourists

By Cho Mu-hyun

The Everland Rose Festival, which started on May 11 and will run through June 17, has been dubbed by Koreans as the “queen of festivals.” The annual event that started in 1985 and celebrates its 27th birthday this year allows visitors to enjoy genres of music and different kinds of roses used to decorate Everland, the nation’s leading amusement park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

According to Everland, the festival has taken a step forward this year to become a more interactive “European” festival for visitors.

Two musical events on roserelated themes are must-sees: “Alice in Wonderland,” a musical based on the novel, will feature 16 actors and actresses teaching dance steps. The performers will be dressed as characters from the famous Lewis Carroll tale and dance with members of the audience during the show.

“Rosina’s Love Adventure” is a live concert in which nine musicians and three actors sing songs for visiting couples. The actors will dress as Rosina and her two lovers, while the musicians sing romantic songs.

Other attractions such as parades on a rose theme will take place inside the park.

Eighty hundred and fifty kinds of roses will be planted in the gardens. Rare species such as Garden Party, John F. Kennedy, Moon Shadow, Mister Lincoln and Casanova will be among those displayed.

Three-meter tall heart-shaped rose topiaries are situated along the streets with other exotic decorations, perfect for photographing.

Actors dressed as princes and princesses are on standby to pose for photographs if requested by visitors.

In Holland Village, there is a pub with a full view of the rose gardens and the Four Season Garden, from which fireworks are shot into the sky five times every evening.

To further enhance the festival experience, Everland has put back its closing time to 10 p.m., allowing visitors to view the roses under soft lighting.

According to Gallup surveys, the rose has been the favorite flower of Koreans since 1990.