Mayor Jun Nak-yeong: "Enjoy the Cherry Blossom Rain"
The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival will be held from the 31st of this month to the 2nd of next month around Daereungwon Stone Wall Road and Bonghwangdae Square.
The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the spread of COVID-19, and last year it was held online in a non-face-to-face format, leaving many tourists who were looking forward to the festival disappointed.
The biggest feature of this festival, held for the first time in four years, is its transformation into a sustainable festival focusing on eco-friendliness and pet-friendliness using cherry blossoms as the theme. During the Cherry Blossom Festival, various programs such as performances (Cherry Blossom Street Art), ESG activities (Cherry Blossom Jogging, Cherry Blossom Doggy Playground), spatial productions (Cherry Blossom Mung, Cherry Blossom Light & Cherry Blossom Shower), and experiences (free photo printing, Cherry Blossom Limited) are prepared.
Cherry Blossom Jogging is part of the ESG activity sector and includes a program that exchanges paper or plastic takeout cups for eco-friendly wooden cups, as well as a plogging event where participants pick up trash while enjoying the cherry blossoms.
The Cherry Blossom Doggy Playground is a pet-friendly space where visitors can enjoy with their dogs. It offers welfare services such as pet registration and health consultations, and operates a dog playground and flea market. However, only one dog per guardian is allowed entry, and it is the only event held at Bonghwangdae Square during the festival.
Cherry Blossom Mung is a healing resting area on the road where cherry blossoms scatter, providing a space to fully enjoy and relax with Cherry Blossom Street Art, food trucks, flea markets, and art experience zones. Cherry Blossom Light & Cherry Blossom Shower is an emotional space where visitors can take photos of the cherry blossoms. During the event period, a free photo printing event is also held for visitors to take home memories.
Gyeongju City operates a festival citizen SNS supporters group and a university student cherry blossom planning team to increase participation not only from tourists but also from Gyeongju citizens. Traffic in all directions will be restricted around Daereungwon Stone Wall Road (from Hwangnam Bread Intersection to Cheomseongdae Intersection) during the festival period.
Mayor Ju Nak-young of Gyeongju said, “The full-fledged cultural tourism of Gyeongju begins with the blooming of cherry blossoms,” and added, “We hope you come to Gyeongju, where spring flowers and cultural heritage harmonize, and enjoy the full spring atmosphere while being showered by cherry blossoms.”
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