Flower festivals around the country welcome fall

With the days getting shorter, a crisp breeze in the morning and late at night, one can feel fall is just around the corner. Fall flower events around the country are a sure sign of the arrival of autumn.

Starting Friday, Hadong -- a small county in South Gyeongsang Province -- will begin its 17-day cosmos flower festival, attracting tourists with cosmos, buckwheat and other hands-on agricultural programs.

This annual fall festival is the earliest fall event featuring a fall flower in South Korea.

Travelers will not only able to witness the colorful flowers draped in red, orange, yellow and pink, but also harvest potatoes, pound rice cakes and taste sliced buckwheat jelly or maemilmuk in Korean.

If traveling to Hadong takes too much time, try Pinnacle Land, an Asan-based botanical garden in South Chungcheong Province.

Pinnacle Land is set to beckon flower lovers with its chrysanthemum-themed festival starting from Saturday.

The event, which runs through the end of November, will showcase a total of 50 million chrysanthemums and offer a gastronomic journey with local specialties including prawns and abalone.

According to the botanical garden, the firework show will entertain tourists at 8 p.m. on Saturdays during the festival period.

Yangju and Goyang -- two cities located in northwestern Gyeonggi Province -- host their own globe amaranth and other fall flower festivals, respectively.

While Yangju’s event is held on Sept. 27, Goyang’s festival starts its 14-day journey on Oct. 1.

For those who wish to experience more unique seasonal flowers, head to Youngdae Tourist Site in Inje, Gangwon Province.

The county beckons tourists with a flower field filled with different wildflowers.

Travelers can take part in tree climbing, walk around the wood craft-themed exhibition and experience the augmented reality program as well.

The Inju Fall Flower Festival is held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 20.

Meanwhile, Masan Chrysanthemum Festival -- the biggest chrysanthemum-themed events in the country -- will welcome visitors of all ages on Oct. 26.

Held in areas near Masan Marine New City in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, the festival promotes the excellence of the city’s fall flowers.

Changwon -- into which Masan was merged in 2010 -- accounts for 13 percent of all chrysanthemum farming in Korea.

The stunning display of flowers aside, holidaymakers can enjoy diverse programs, including a drone light show, bubble magic show, local musicians’ concert and more.