"Sold Out Even Before Festival Starts..." Cherry Blossom Festival Moved Up to March

Unusual Weather Makes Blooming Time Prediction Difficult
Yeouido and Seokchon Lake Festivals Moved Up by Over a Week
Some Locations Not Hosting Due to April 10 General Election This Year

“Is it because it is too beautiful / Or because it is too much love / The peak of love, dazzling, the joy of cherry blossoms / Smiling dignifiedly / On the first day of April, the cherry blossom path / Forms a long tunnel filled with the scent of flowers / Spring visitors capture cherry blossoms and memories with their cameras” (Kim Deokseong’s ‘Cherry Blossom Love Song’)

“You / For someone who does not even move a bit / Can you burst countless pure white flower buds?” (Kim Jeongseop’s ‘April Cherry Blossoms’)

The poems sing of ‘April cherry blossoms,’ but this year’s Seoul Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in March. This is due to unpredictable weather and abnormal temperatures. Last year, the cherry blossoms bloomed early, and heavy rain with strong winds in early April caused all the petals to fall before the festival even began.

Local government officials who spent over a month preparing the festival hurriedly changed the festival’s name and programs to manage the situation, but they suffered the embarrassment of the official festival being behind schedule. Perhaps because of this, there was much deliberation in deciding the festival period this year. The ‘Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival,’ held in Yeouido, famous for the Yunjungno Cherry Blossom Road, will be held earlier than last year.

An official from Yeongdeungpo District Office said, “Because the cherry blossom blooming period is short, abnormal temperatures make weather predictions meaningless, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to forecast each year,” adding, “We plan to finalize the festival period by early next week at the latest.” Yeongdeungpo District has set the festival period from March 27 to 31, one week earlier than last year.

The Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival is held along Yeouiseo-ro (from the southern end of Seogang Bridge to the entrance of Yeoui 2 Bridge, 1.7 km) and at the National Assembly soccer field in the Han River Park beneath Yeouiseo-ro. It is one of Seoul’s representative cherry blossom festivals, attracting 3 to 4 million visitors annually.

Songpa District, which holds the ‘Lake Cherry Blossom Festival’ around Seokchon Lake, also moved its festival period 9 days earlier than last year. While last year’s festival was held from April 5 to 9, this year it will take place from March 27 to 31. The Lake Cherry Blossom Festival features 1,120 cherry trees, including king cherry trees, blooming along the 2.6 km lakeside, creating a spectacular view. According to Songpa District, around 3 million visitors come during the cherry blossom season.

Local governments refer to average temperatures in February and March, cherry blossom forecast services, and the blooming status of earlier flowers such as plum blossoms, cornelian cherries, and forsythias. They also consider the schedules of flower festivals in other regions. The ‘Jinhae Gunhangje Festival’ in Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, will be held from March 23, two days earlier than last year, and the Jeju King Cherry Blossom Festival will start on March 22, three days earlier than last year.

The upcoming National Assembly election on April 10 also has an impact. Cherry blossom festivals organized mainly by each neighborhood (dong), local merchant associations, and professional groups have been canceled or postponed due to the general election.

Jongno District, which held the Samcheong-dong Cherry Blossom Festival for the first time last year, decided not to hold it this year. Gangnam District also held cherry blossom festivals in Yeoksam-dong and Yangjaecheon last year but announced no separate events this year. Seongbuk District moved its cherry blossom festival, which was held at Seongbukcheon from April 6 to 8 last year, to April 26 to 27 after the election. The event name was also changed to ‘Flower Festival.’

Before the election, local government heads and affiliated officials are prohibited from holding meetings of professional groups, sports events, or senior citizen events. However, events like cherry blossom festivals, which cannot achieve their purpose unless held on specific days or periods, or events held or sponsored according to laws and regulations, are permitted.