Festivals, sights across Korea

The 25th Gwangyang Maehwa Festival will run through March 22 at Gwanyang Maehwa Village in South Jeolla Province. The annual event celebrates the blooming of plum blossoms that blanket the hills along the Seomjin River, creating one of Korea’s most iconic early-spring landscapes.

Visitors can enjoy folk painting, media art exhibitions, a stamp tour and live busking performances. Hands-on activities include traditional archery and a plum-themed healing therapy session, each costing 6,000 won. Other offerings include a boat ride along the river or a relaxing garden reading program.

Festival admission is 6,000 won for adults and 5,000 won for teenagers.

The Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival runs March 26-29 in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province. The festival introduces visitors to the coastal region’s famous prized snow crab through hands-on experiences and lively performances.

Major activities include snow crab fishing, crab pot hauling demonstrations and a crab preparation contest. Interactive events such as tug-of-war, themed sports activities and a quick auction of freshly caught crabs add to the festivities. Visitors can also join spontaneous singing contests and other stage performances throughout the event.

Admission is free, though some experience programs charge a fee.

The Gurye Sansuyu Festival takes place from March 14 to 22 in Gurye-gun, South Jeolla Province, celebrating the bloom of sansuyu, or cornelian cherry blossoms, which blanket the area in vivid yellow. Gurye is home to the nation’s largest sansuyu colonies, drawing visitors for scenic flower walks and countryside views.

Included are an opening concert, traditional ritual praying for a good harvest, sansuyu fruit-peeling contest, rice cake pounding and children’s craft workshops. Visitors can stroll along flower-lined trails and enjoy busking, making it an easy, picturesque spring getaway in southern Korea.

Admission is free.

The Seocheon Camellia Octopus Festival runs from March 21 to April 5 at Maryangjin Port in Seocheon-gun, South Chungcheong Province.

Timed to coincide with the blooming of camellias at the nearby pavilion Dongbaekjeong, the festival highlights the seasonal delicacy of webfoot octopus.

Admission is free, though certain activities require a fee.

Children’s webfoot octopus fishing and boat fishing experiences cost 13,000 won per person. Visitors can sample freshly prepared octopus dishes at on-site food stalls and browse local specialty products. Family-friendly programs include treasure hunts in the camellia forest, flying kites and craft booths.

The Jeju Fire Festival will take place through Saturday around Saebyeol Oreum in Aewol-eup, Jeju Island. The festival is rooted in Jeju’s traditional practice of sheaf-burning to pray for health and a good harvest.

Events from March 9 to 12 include wish-writing activities, building a symbolic moon house and guided oreum tours. The main events on March 13 and 14 feature an opening ceremony, torch parades, traditional marching bands and the lighting of the large “daljip,” or moon house, set ablaze against the night sky. The festival offers visitors a blend of folklore, performance and Jeju’s natural landscape.

Admission is free.