Ryukyung-gi Jungnang-gu Mayor: "The 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival will be a festival where 'residents are the owners,' becoming a 'pride of Jungnang residents'... A festival loved most by residents and worthy of being Seoul's most beautiful festival"
As the most beautiful roses in Seoul are in full bloom, the Seoul Rose Festival will be held along the Jungnangcheon Stream from May 18 to 25 for eight days.
Last year, the Seoul Rose Festival attracted as many as 2.6 million visitors, demonstrating its popularity.
Jungnang-gu (District Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi) has been steadily planting and cultivating roses along Jungnangcheon and its embankments since 1999. Currently, there are 10 million rose blossoms, and the rose tunnel stretches approximately 5.45 km. This May, Jungnang will once again be dyed with roses. The festival will be intensively held for eight days from May 18 to May 25. The main festival period is two days, May 18 and 19, followed by Jungnang Rose Week from May 20 to 25.
① Establishing the Identity of the Rose Festival
This year, the Seoul Rose Festival officially changed its name to the ‘2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival.’ This is to continue the historical significance and uniqueness of Jungnang-gu’s local festival and to establish its identity as a regional festival with a tradition lasting over 100 years. The festival will be widely promoted as the Seoul Rose Festival held in Jungnang-gu to emphasize its historical significance and attract many visitors.
② A Festival Embracing Everything About Roses
At the Rose Festival, 10 million roses will be in full bloom, allowing visitors to enjoy roses at various locations such as Mukdongcheon, Surim Grand Park, Ihwa Bridge, Gyeomjae Bridge, and Myeonmokcheon. This year, 8,000 new rose bushes have been planted to offer a diverse range of roses. Notably, the 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival will feature a rose map in Jungnang Rose Park that displays the distribution of 209 species and 10 million rose blossoms. Visitors can check the rose map to find specific roses they want to see among the 10 million blooms.
A new Rose Parade will also be introduced. Residents from 16 neighborhoods and sister cities will participate, utilizing parade cars and air avatars to provide a richer spectacle compared to last year.
Additionally, a Rose Art Garden will be operated, featuring a Rose Industry Exhibition and a Rose Market selling various rose-related products such as soap and accessories. There will also be a Rose Item booth selling products using the festival’s BI (Brand Identity).
Moreover, the festival will be accompanied by splendid musical performances like roses. On May 18, a Rose Concert will feature popular singers including trot singer Kim Hee-jae, who ranked 7th in Mr. Trot, and singer Soyoumi. On May 19, the Rose Song Festival will be held with ‘Daughter of Jungnang,’ Baek Ah-hyun, the Jungnang-gu promotional ambassador, as the invited singer, adding more entertainment. The Rose Song Festival will crown the ‘Neighborhood Song King of Kings’ among residents who advance through preliminary rounds in each neighborhood. Throughout the festival, local artists known as ‘Jungnang Artists’ will also perform busking shows at various locations.
③ A Festival Created and Enjoyed Directly by Residents
The owners of the ‘Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival’ are the residents of Jungnang-gu. The festival is designed to be enjoyed and created together with the residents. The Jungnang-gu promotional models, composed of residents, will serve as poster models to promote the Rose Festival, and residents from all 16 neighborhoods will participate in the Rose Parade to jointly carry out the festival. Additionally, various forms of participation will be seen throughout the festival, including neighborhood sharing yards, volunteer activities, and diverse performances by local artists known as Jungnang Artists.
④ Growing into a Festival Driving the Local Economy
This year, as in the previous year, the Rose Flower Light Street at Exit 7 of Meokgol Station has been designated as the festival entrance. This is to guide visitors’ flow from the subway station and shopping areas to the festival site. Through a specialized street creation project, the walking environment has been improved, and rose decorations and street lighting have been installed. The Rose Flower Light Street has now become a bustling area filled with visitors both day and night.
Local restaurants are also busy preparing to welcome visitors. Businesses including general and casual restaurants and bakeries located in the area are being recruited to participate in a price discount event during the Rose Festival. During the festival, groups of two or more dining at participating restaurants can receive a 10% discount on all food prices except alcoholic beverages.
To revitalize the local dining industry, a ‘My Proud Jungnang Favorite Restaurant Introduction’ event will also be held. Participants visit three of their favorite local restaurants or dessert cafes, taste the food, and post reviews on their personal SNS (Instagram, YouTube, etc.). After screening, actual tasting costs of up to 50,000 KRW per person will be reimbursed. Restaurants receiving reviews will be selected as the 2024 Favorite Restaurants chosen by Jungnang residents and will be listed with their information on the 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival website.
⑤ An Orderly and Safe Festival
The district is making every effort to prepare safety measures so that residents and visitors can enjoy the festival safely. Anticipating large crowds, about 3,000 personnel including safety officers, volunteers, district office staff, medical staff, as well as police and fire personnel, will be stationed throughout the festival venue during the event.
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang-gu, is giving a greeting speech at the 2024 Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival Promotion Status Report Meeting held on the 12th.
More attention will also be paid to stage safety. To improve convenience for visitors watching popular singers’ performances, a large LED screen will be additionally installed in the middle of the seating area. TFS tents will be set up on the stage and seating areas to ensure safe viewing, and daytime visitors will be able to enjoy performances in cool shade. To prevent heatstroke and avoid intense sunlight, the large rose art shade previously installed at Jungnang Sports Park will be replaced with multiple small square shades to better prepare for risks such as strong winds.
District Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi stated, “We will do our best from the start to the end of the festival to ensure that residents participating in the festival can enjoy a meaningful time full of joy and happiness throughout the entire process.” He emphasized, “Furthermore, the Rose Festival will become another ‘source of pride’ for the residents who help create it, and for visitors, it will firmly promote ‘Our Jungnang.’”
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