Seoul to hold water festival at Nanji Hangang Park

People shoot squirt guns during the water fight event at Nanji Hangang Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, in this August 2018 photo. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

By Kim Jae-heun

A water fight festival will be held over the weekend at Nanji Hangang Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the venue will be divided into four zones: a water zone, a healing zone, a picnic zone and a food zone.

The main event at the festival will be a water fight where participants will be divided into two teams and throw water balloons and shoot at each other with water guns.

Water fights will be held three times a day at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, for an hour each. Seoul City said it has prepared some 100,000 water balloons for this event.

The water fight will be followed by music played by DJs so people can dance in the water zone.

Visitors can also go swimming at the festival as there will be four swimming pools and three water slides, the largest of which will be 8 meters tall and 35 meters wide. The slides will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A log-rolling experience will be introduced this year, a sport in which two opponents stand on top of a floating log and try to be the last one standing.

In the healing zone, there will be a program for mothers who bring their children. The mothers will rest on sunbeds with their feet dipped in cold water while receiving a manicure, while the children will participate in an ecology experience program prepared nearby.

The program prepared for parents and children will be available to only 20 mothers and 40 children on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be offered twice a day for two hours each at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. at a cost of 9,900 won.

There will be a food zone for people to grab something to eat. A picnic zone will also be available for people to lay mats and rest.

Participation in the festival costs 6,600 won, and a special package including a water gun, helmet and a waterproof bag costs 12,000 won.

Tickets can be purchased online through Auction, Gmarket or Ticket Monster and children under 3 years old can enter the festival for free with their parents.

“With the regular summer holiday season arriving, Seoul City introduces the Han River water festival for families in Seoul. We hope many people will come and enjoy various events over the weekend,” a city official said.