Ten Million Roses 'In Full Bloom'... Seoul Rose Festival 'Fanfare'

Jungnang-gu to Host ‘2023 Seoul Rose Festival,’ the Most Beautiful Festival in Seoul, from May 13 to May 28

10 Million Roses Bloom in the 5.45 km Largest Rose Tunnel in Korea and Jungnang Rose Park

Parades, Performances, Exhibitions, and Various Attractions Created Directly by Jungnang Residents

It is the season of roses, May.

At Jungnang Rose Park in Jungnang-gu, a fragrant spring breeze fills the air with waves of ten million colorful roses.

Right here, the most beautiful festival in Seoul, the ‘2023 Seoul Rose Festival,’ begins on the 13th and runs through the 28th.

This year’s theme for the Seoul Rose Festival is ‘Bloom Again, Jungnang.’ It carries the meaning of hoping many visitors will fully enjoy the spring after the festival’s resumption following a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

As Korea’s representative rose festival, about 300,000 rose bushes of over 200 varieties will be in full bloom at Jungnang Rose Park (from Mukdonggyo Bridge to Jangpyeonggyo Bridge). Roses of various breeds from around the world, including Angela, Pink Perfume, Grande Classe, and Gold Facade from France, Germany, and Denmark, convey the vitality of spring.

Visitors can enjoy 10 million roses throughout the festival grounds, including the 5.45 km rose tunnel along the Jungnangcheon embankment?the largest in Korea?and rose gardens set up in five other locations including Surimdae Park. Additionally, an observation deck and photo zones overlooking Jungnangcheon, along with nighttime LED lighting, will offer visitors a unique experience.

Especially this year, a new ‘Rose Exhibition Hall’ has been created to showcase a variety of rose attractions. Visitors can explore the types and history of Korean roses, wild roses, roses from around the world, and floral artists’ rose works. A ‘Rose Market’ booth selling various rose-related products such as beverages, soaps, and accessories will also be available. Another highlight is the ‘Rose Popup Garden,’ a rose exhibition garden designed and planned directly by Jungnang residents, adding special meaning.

The festival’s main event, the ‘Grand Rose Festival,’ will take place over three days from May 19 to 21. Before and after the main event, the ‘Little Rose Festival’ and ‘Gyeomjae Rose Festival’ will be held consecutively, coloring the Jungnangcheon area with festive atmosphere.

▲ Little Rose (May 13?18, May 22?26) ▲ Grand Rose (May 19?21) ▲ Gyeomjae Rose (May 28?29)

On the first day of the festival, May 13, a spectacular ‘Rose Parade’ created directly by Jungnang-gu residents formed a procession about 1.5 km long, marking a grand start to the main event. Following this, on the Rose Music Garden stage, a variety of lively performances took place, including ▲ the ‘Rose Naming Ceremony,’ where new rose varieties were given names unique to Jungnang-gu ▲ a ‘Rose Concert’ featuring popular musicians like Jang Yoon-jeong enjoying the event with the audience ▲ a ‘Rose & Music Party’ held in collaboration with Woori Bank ▲ and the ‘Rose Song Festival,’ showcasing the talents and skills of Jungnang residents.

At the ‘Little Rose Festival,’ photo zones and various sculpture exhibitions will be set up to help visitors keep memories of the festival, while the ‘Gyeomjae Rose Festival’ will offer a variety of performances to delight both the eyes and ears.

Throughout the festival grounds, dessert cafes, traditional market food booths, small business sales and promotion booths, and the Rose Item Market will also be operated.

This year’s festival highlights are ‘residents’ and ‘regional economic revitalization.’

First, residents become the owners of the Seoul Rose Festival, creating the festival together. The Jungnang-gu promotional models, composed of various age groups, became the faces of the festival posters. Various events such as the rose parade, popup garden creation, dessert cafe operation, traditional coming-of-age ceremony, flea market, and multicultural festival were all planned with the hands of local residents.

Secondly, the Seoul Rose Festival is emerging as a festival that drives the local economy. This year, the Rose Flower Light Street, where many shops are concentrated, was set as the festival entrance. Flower decorations and lighting will be installed throughout the street to attract visitors to the local commercial district.

Additionally, during the festival period, businesses in the Jungwha-dong, Mukdong, and Myeonmok-dong areas offered price discount incentives, and local companies participated in producing Seoul Rose Festival MD products, expanding the overall economic effect in the region.

Above all, the district office is putting full effort into visitor safety management in anticipation of large crowds during the event. Safety management personnel have been expanded to about 2,900 and deployed throughout the festival grounds to strengthen order maintenance. Crowded areas will be closely monitored, and a close cooperation system with related agencies such as the police and fire departments will be established to prevent accidents.

Before the festival, on April 13, the district mayor personally visited the site to thoroughly inspect parking, traffic, facility installation, and visitor movement routes. The district office also plans to conduct on-site inspections on May 12, just before the festival, and again on May 18, before the main event.

Ryu Gyeong-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, said, “The Seoul Rose Festival is a representative spring festival attracting more than 2 million visitors annually and is renowned as the ‘most beautiful’ festival in Seoul. We are fully prepared to ensure residents and visitors can enjoy the festival safely and joyfully. We hope everyone comes to the festival with their precious family, lovers, and friends to create happy memories and take in the bright spring energy.”