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Quick Guide to Jeju’s Best Festivals
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Jeju has festivals all year round that provide visitors and locals alike with memorable experiences. Here is our guide to some of the best.
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- Unforgettable Events and CelebrationsAt a Glance <A Quick Guide to Jeju’s Best Festivals>
Jeju has many festivals that provide visitors with memorable experiences. January begins with the Seongsan Sunrise Festival, where participants welcome the New Year. The Jeju Fire Festival signals the start of spring, before the Cherry Blossom and Canola Flower Festival bathe the island in color. Later in the year, Geomun Oreum Trekking Festival and the Olle Walking Festival encourage visitors to explore nature, while the Tamna Culture Festival and Haenyeo Festival celebrate Jeju’s culture.
The first event of the year is also the last of the previous one. At Seongsan Sunrise Festival, participants welcome the New Year with performances, fireworks, and by watching January’s first sunrise. The festival starts on December 30, with the fireworks taking place on December 31. On the morning of January 1, participants make the short but steep hike up Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak to take in the sunrise. The peak’s location on the easternmost side of the island means it is the perfect place to view the sun rising over the open sea. The festival ends with a serving of tteokguk, a type of rice cake soup traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day. If you plan to attend the festival, there are plenty of hotels and accommodation options nearby in Seongsan. Be sure to wrap up warm, though, as standing around watching the sunrise in January can get cold.
Jeju’s most dramatic festival comes at the start of spring when one of the island’s volcanic hills is set alight to welcome the coming season. If you are looking for a place to take unique pictures, this is the spot. The festival comes from the traditional practice of Jeju farmers setting their fields alight at the end of winter to remove vermin and renew vegetation so the pastures could later be used to rear cattle and horses. Starting in the morning, there is plenty to do before the burning of the hill. You can watch performances, participate in traditional activities, or simply grab some Jeju-style food and drinks and enjoy the atmosphere. The festival takes place at Saebyeol Oreum on the west of the island, around a 40-minute drive from the city. However, the roads can get busy, so there is usually a shuttle bus to take participants from the bus terminal to the event.
Korea is famed for its cherry blossom and Jeju is no exception. The Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival occurs at various spots around the island when the flowers are at the height of their bloom. Locations include Jeonnong-ro in Jeju City, the entrance to Jeju National University, and Jangjeon-ri in Aewol-eup. At the festival, visitors walk through streets lined with cherry blossom trees. There are also plenty of spots where you can grab some Korean food and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Spring is also the time that canola flowers appear, and the Jeju Canola Festival is the island’s annual celebration of these plants. The festival takes place in Gasi-ri, an area of Jeju known for its canola fields. In bloom from the end of winter through spring, these flowers are less ephemeral than cherry blossom meaning even if you can’t make it to the festival, you have plenty of chances to see them.
Geomun Oreum International Trekking Festival takes place during July at the height of summer. Geomun Oreum is a volcanic hill that was ratified as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage spot in 2007 due to the system of lava tubes in the area. The hill itself is 456 meters above sea level, and there are several trails that explore the peak and surrounding area. While you can trek Geomun Oreum at any time of year, there are several reasons to do so during the festival. First, you can hike the trails around the oreum without pre-booking, which you normally have to do at least two days in advance. The festival is also the only time of year that the Yongam Trail is open. This path heads to the summit of the oreum before taking walkers through Gotajwal Forest. Here you’ll pass Bengdwigul Lavatube, which is the entrance to a complex system of lava tubes that stretch out to around 4.5 km. As people don’t typically visit the trail, it is practically untouched, making it seem like you’ve found a secret spot on the island.
- When: Mid-July
- Address: 569-36 Seongyo-ro, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do
- Contact: 064-710-8980
- Website: http://www.jeju.go.kr/wnhcenter/black/black.htm
As the weather begins to cool in fall, it is the perfect time to tackle some of the Olle trail walking paths that circumnavigate Jeju’s coast. Every year at the end of October or early November, Jeju holds the Olle Walking Festival. Here, participants gather to walk three of the island’s 26 courses. The exact paths change every year, but they focus on one area of the island. This makes taking part in the festival a great chance to see the culture and food of the local villages. Anyone can participate for free by simply showing up, or you can register on the day or in advance to receive gifts and a guidebook.
The Jeju Haenyeo Festival takes place in September or October and celebrates haenyeo divers. These are women that dive up 30 feet deep in the sea around Jeju without any breathing equipment to harvest shellfish and other seafood. Many haenyeo have reached old age yet still live and work in the sea. During the Haenyeo Culture Festival, there are performances that help visitors learn more about haenyeo life. A fun activity is to take part in a contest to catch mackerel or halibut with your bare hands. You can also head out into the sea to catch shellfish. The Tamna Culture festival is a celebration of Jeju’s traditional culture, arts, and history. Taking place over five days during September or October in various locations around the island, it is the perfect time to get to know more about Jeju. The festival gets its name from the fact that “Tamna” is the old name for Jeju. During the festival, you can view a wide range of traditional practices including masked parades, dances, arts and crafts, Jeju language poetry recitals, folk music performances, and more.
- Notice
- 2020-09-16
- ※ Unauthorized use of the content above (text, photos and videos) is prohibited and subject to copyright by the Jeju Tourism Organization.