[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hueree Maehwa Festival, Jeju

The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicks off Friday, runs through March 24 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island.

Maehwa is plum blossom in Korean.

The park, near Mount Halla, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the early spring.

The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its beautiful plum blossoms, among many other flowers blooming in the spring season, offering multiple photo zones for families and friends to take memorable pictures.

The event is open to people of all ages, and admission fees vary by age.

Royal Culture Festival

The ninth edition of the Royal Culture Festival is set to be held from April 29 to May 7 at the five Royal Palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and Sajikdan Altar in Seoul.

The event allows visitors to experience the important cultural heritage of Korea through unique performances, exhibitions and hands-on programs.

The festival takes place twice a year, in spring and fall.

Nonsan Strawberry Festival

Nonsan Strawberry Festival will take place from March 8 through March 12 at various areas of Nonsan Citizen Park in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province.

The event promotes the strawberries of Nonsan, providing opportunities for tourists visiting the city to enjoy the strawberries and the beautiful surroundings in which they are grown.

The five-day festival offers various hands-on activities, including strawberry jam making, strawberry picking and more.

Visitors can also enjoy delicious strawberry-themed desserts as well.

Gangjin Celadon Festival

The 51st edition of the Gangjin Celadon Festival is scheduled to start Feb. 23, running through March 1 in the areas around Goryeo Celadon Museum in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province.

Celebrating the excellence of Korean celadon from the Goryeo period, the event offers various hands-on activities, including the pottery wheel, coil-style celadon-making and more.

The prices for hands-on activities vary from 1,000 won ($0.78) to 5,000 won.

Samulnori performance, a Korean traditional folk music genre that employs four traditional percussion instruments, busking by local artists, a lantern-making program and folklore drama await visitors as well.

Lighting Festival at Garden of Morning Calm

The Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm opens its doors until March 19 in the main garden of the Garden of the Morning Calm in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

The event is the first light festival in Korea to include light installations designed around the natural landscape.

Environmentally friendly light-emitting diodes are lit up throughout the garden to entertain visitors with colorful lights and showcase the terrain.

The lights come on after sunset and stay on until 9 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays. The garden closes at 11 p.m. on Saturdays and public holidays.

While the festival is open to visitors of all ages, admission fees vary.