[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Haman Watermelon Festival

The county of Haman, South Gyeongsang Province, will host the 2021 Haman Watermelon Festival online from April 23 to May 2.

More than 14 percent of watermelons produced in Korea come from Haman. Though the festival is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be kits to help people make watermelon-inspired dishes and diverse activities related to the summer fruit.

During the festival period, watermelons from the area will be sold at live commerce events. Customers can also pick up watermelons by drive-thru. 

Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival

This year, the 42nd Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival will be held online April 27-29 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Every spring, the sea around Jindo opens up, exposing a 2.8-kilometer stretch of sand that connects two islands in the area. The gravitational phenomenon draws numerous visitors to the small island in South Jeolla Province.

The annual festival was canceled last year due to the pandemic. This year, it will be held online with the sea road opening livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. Festival organizers will also sell local Jindo specialties online. 

Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival

The 25th Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival is set to open May 5.

Every year, the city of Jeonju holds a hanji festival, celebrating the legacy of traditional handmade paper.

Due to coronavirus concerns, the 2021 edition of the festival will be held both offline and online for a month.

The online part of the festival will feature lectures, contests and hands-on activities related to hanji, spanning over three weeks. In early June, the festival will wrap up with an offline hanji fashion show, featuring clothing made of mulberry paper. 

Hwadam Botanic Garden

The Hwadam Botanic Garden has opened its doors for the 2021 season. The eco-friendly arboretum located at the Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, about an hour’s drive from central Seoul, is spread across 65,265 square meters and features 17 gardens with different themes.

This year, the park will receive visitors who first make reservations online to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

The Hwadam Botanic Garden will remain open until late November. Admission costs 10,000 won per adult. 

Hadong Tea Festival

The 24th Hadong Tea Festival will be held online from May 15 to 23.

The organizers of the festival discussed canceling the annual event due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, but decided to hold the festival to promote the 2022 World Tea Expo.

To prevent the spread of the virus, this year’s festival will mainly feature contactless online activities with limited offline activities across Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province.

To help tea plantations that experienced difficulties due to the festival’s cancellation last year, this year’s festival will feature Hadong tea leaves in several e-commerce events as a way to introduce the tea vendors to a new retail market.