Summer Fun at Festivals
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
While most people are busy preparing for their holiday trips abroad, don't feel bad if you're stuck at home. There are a lot of interesting festivals and exciting events being organized to entice tourists to travel around the country.
Among the most-awaited festivals are the fun-filled Boryeong Mud Festival, exciting Busan Sea Festival and Andong Maskdance Festival.
So, enjoy the bright sunshine and warm weather with these festivals this summer.
Water Fun
No summer would be complete without spending some time at the beach. Korea's beaches are packed with people throughout the summer, but many places have special events to make one's experience at the beach more enjoyable.
The 10th Boryeong Mud Festival, held at the Daecheon Beach, South Chungcheong Province, is one event where it's okay to get dirty. The mud festival runs from July 14 to 22.
Since the mud on the beach has qualities that are good for the skin, it is highly recommended that visitors slather on as much mud as they can on their bodies. The mud contains minerals and nutrients that tightens the skin and prevents aging.
You can get a mud massage on the beach, play around in a grand mud pool, go mud sliding and even participate in a Marine Corps-style survival training and 10-kilometer marathon on the shore. After getting muddy, you can always jump in the clear sea to clean up.
The Boryeong City government is trying to attract more foreigners to the event, providing programs for foreigners and English translation services. Last year, the event attracted 32,000 foreign tourists. For information, check out www.mudfestival.or.kr or call (041) 930-3542.
A water-related event where you won't mind getting your feet wet is the 5th Hwacheon Jjokbae (traditional Korean raft) Festival, which runs from July 27 to 29 at Bungeoseom Island, Hwacheon, Gangwon Province. A carnival-like atmosphere permeates the festival, where visitors can take a ride on some of the colorful rafts.
The highlight of the event is the jjokbae contest, where participants show off unique boat designs during a water parade along the Hwacheon River. The contest is open to everyone. This year's theme for the contest is fish, which means the boats have to have fish included in the design. The total prize money is 20 million won; the grand prizewinner will take home 4 million won.
For more information, check out www.narafestival.com or call 1688-3005.
Busan's Haeundae Beach must be Korea's most popular and crowded beach during summer. Thousands of people flock to Busan to bask under the sun on the many beaches. To make it more enjoyable for tourists, the city started the Busan Sea Festival in 1996 and has been flourishing ever since.
The festival starts with an opening musical event and fireworks on Aug. 1, and has a line-up of exciting events until Aug. 9. The International Beach Dance Festival at Gwangalli Beach runs through Aug. 3, featuring performances by 16 dance troupes from eight countries.
The Busan International Rock Festival, a one-of-a-kind free concert, will be held on Aug. 4-5 on Dadaepo beach. Sixteen rock bands from Korea, Japan, the United States and Malaysia, including LA Guns, YB, No Brain and Crying Nut are scheduled to perform.
For non-rock fans, you can go over to Songdo Beach for the Hyun In Song Festival on Aug. 4-5, the Passion Concert featuring jazz and folk rock music on Aug. 6 at Gwangalli Beach and a Korea Sea Literature festival on Aug. 7. Young people will enjoy the Busan International Hip-hop Festival on Aug. 7-9 on Haeundae Beach.
For more details, visit www.seafestival.co.kr.
If fishing is your thing, get your gear ready to catch sweet fish in Bonghwa, located in North Gyeongsang province. Every summer, Bonghwa celebrates the season of its sweet fish. This is a chance to sample the sweet fish, with melon and cucumber aroma.
This year, the Bonghwa Sweetfish Festival runs from July 29 to Aug. 5. Visitors can try to catch the sweetfish for themselves, through the Sweetfish Experience held twice a day, a Night Fishing Experience and even a Bare-Handed Fishing Experience. There is a cooking area where participants can cook the fish. Of course, there are stalls where you can sample the fish either raw, grilled, fried or made into porridge.
Aside from the fishing events, you can try water cycling, rafting and games. Admission is 3,000 won for children and 5,000 won for ages 13 and above. For more information, check out: https://www.bonghwa.go.kr/potal/euneo/story/story_02.html.
Cultural Events
There's nothing more enjoyable than spending a balmy summer evening watching a play or listening to music.
The Geochang International Theater Festival, held from July 27 to Aug. 15, will feature plays by troupes from different countries including Korea, Japan, Germany, Romania, Philippines and Canada. The plays will be held in various locations in Wicheon-myeon, Geochang in South Gyeongsang Province.
The festival has helped in the globalization of the Korean dramatic arts industry. Last year, a total of 47 troupes from around the world participated in the event, and 210 plays were performed. For information, visit https://kift.or.kr/english.
The Nangye Traditional Music Festival, held in Yongdu Park, Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province, commemorates Nangye Park Yeon who was one of the three great Korean musicians during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The four-day event, which starts on Aug. 30 and ends on Sept. 2, features the National Korean Classical Music Competition and Nangye Korean Classical Music Orchestra performances.
Visitors will have a chance to play Korean musical instruments, and even try their hand at making them themselves. For information, visit https://yd21.go.kr/english/festival/festival_01.html.
``Exciting Mask Dance World of Pleasure'' is the theme of this year's Andong Mask Dance Festival, which will be held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 7. The beauty of traditional Korean mask dance is showcased during the festival, through various performances held at Hahoe Village, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.
Visitors can watch Korean and international dance troupes perform captivating mask dances, and also participate in traditional Korean folk games. There is a World Mask Exhibition, Mask Dance Contest and an event where visitors can learn mask dances. A special fireworks event is also held during the festival.
For information, check out www.maskdance.com or call (054)- 852-9230.
History buffs may enjoy the Great Battle of Hansan Festival, in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang province, held from Aug. 9-12. The event celebrates Admiral Lee Sun-sin's victory of the war at sea. The Hansan Naval Battle is reenacted, and there is a parade honoring the admiral. For information, check out https://www.hsdf.or.kr.
Learning at Festivals
While children may want to take a break from their studies during summer, parents are most likely to take their children to educational events where their children can learn something.
The Goheung Space Festival, located in Goheung South Jeolla Province, will allow visitors to learn more about outer space and space travel. It has a model spaceship and a three-dimensional theater, which simulates space travel. It starts on July 28 and ends on Aug. 6. For details, visit www.spacegoheung.co.kr.
The Daejeon Science Park, held at the Expo Science Park in Yuseong, Daejeon, is the biggest science event in Korea. Visitors can learn more about science, robots, and even participate in science experiments and other learning activities. For information, call (042)-866-5115.