[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival

The Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival, which started May 4, will run through June 4 at Tea Culture Center in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province.

The annual festival promotes tea cultivation, which started approximately 1,000 years ago in Hadong county.

Visitors can experience various exhibitions and hands-on programs, including tea bowl making activities, as well.

Detailed information is available at www.wildteafestival.kr.

Gwangalli Eobang Festival

The Gwangalli Eobang Festival will take place at Gwangalli Beach in Busan, May 12-14.

Sponsored by Suyeong-gu and managed by the Busan Suyeong-gu Festival Organizing Committee, the event celebrates traditional fishing culture of Joseon Dynasty offers cultural experiences in a folk village.

Visitors can experience various programs, including a parade, concert, musicals and bare-handed fishing.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

More information can be found at www.suyeong.go.kr.

Miryang Arirang Festival

The 65th edition of Miryang Arirang Festival runs May 18-21 along the Miryang riverside and at the Yeongnamnu Pavilion in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province.

The four-day event promotes the Miryang style of Arirang, a national folk song that was listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012.

The highlight of the folk festival is "Miryang River Odyssey," a musical that combines the story of Miryang Arirang and the history of Miryang.

The musical starts at 8:30 p.m. on the festival days.

Admission is free.

Namwon Chunhyang Festival

The Namwon Chunhyang Festival celebrates the love between Chun-hyang and Lee Mong-ryong, based on the famous Korean love story “Chunhyangjeon” set in Namwon.

The event is scheduled to run from May 25 to 29 at Gwanghalluwon Garden in Namwon, North Jeolla Province.

Various traditional programs, performances and exhibitions are open to visitors of all ages from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Admission fees are 3,000 won for adults and 1,500 won for teenagers.

More information is available at the event’s official website www.chunhyang.org.

Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival

The Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival is scheduled to take place at Pinnacle Land, a botanical garden in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, starting March 24.

The event runs through May 30.

The botanical garden will present some 50,000 tulips and narcissus plants, allowing visitors to enjoy a fragrant spring atmosphere.

The second edition of Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival also puts on a firework display at 8 p.m. on Saturdays.

Admission costs 12,000 won, 10,000 won and 9,000 won for adults, teenagers and children, respectively.