Theme parks, tourist attractions celebrate Lunar New Year with special events

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Theme parks, tourist attractions celebrate Lunar New Year with special events
Theme parks, tourist attractions celebrate Lunar New Year with special events

The special Seollal parade at the Lotte World theme part in eastern Seoul [LOTTE WORLD]

 
The Lunar New Year is upon us, along with a lengthy holiday period that won’t come around until Chuseok in October.
 
The cold weather and the sudden rush of fine dust in the air may have scared some people into only planning indoor activities during the holiday, but rest assured — the fine dust advisory is expected to be lifted on Friday, and the weather will stay above zero until Monday. This makes it the perfect time for people to visit the Seollal-themed events organized by theme parks and the Cheong Wa Dae Foundation.
 
 
Everland and Lotte World have each announced special events for the Lunar New Year, set to begin this week and could last into next month for those who are lucky enough to get a full nine-day holiday until Feb. 2. The Cheong Wa Dae Foundation will extend its opening times by 2 hours and 30 minutes from Monday to Thursday and host different events during the daytime and nighttime.
 
For people traveling abroad during the long break, the Korea Heritage Agency has set up special events at Incheon International Airport to enjoy the Seollal vibe before they head overseas.
 

The ″K-noridaejeon″ Seollal event at Everland, Gyeonggi [EVERLAND]

The ″K-noridaejeon″ Seollal event at Everland, Gyeonggi [EVERLAND]



A taste of ‘Squid Game’ at Everland
 
Everland will hold the “K-noridaejeon” from Saturday to Feb. 2, during which visitors can try the traditional Korean games seen in the “Squid Game” (2021-) series and other K-content shows. Noridaejeon translates to gigantic game festivity.
 
The K-noridaejeon event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carnival Square. Five traditional games played most iconically in “Squid Game” can be played by visitors: ddakji chigi, throwing folded paper to flip the opponent’s piece; biseok chigi, throwing rocks to knock down another set of stones; gonggi nori, the Eastern equivalent of jacks; paengi doligi, which means spinning paengi, or top ; and jegi chagi, kicking the Korean hacky sack, jegi, until it drops to the floor.
 
The games are also available at the Everland Home Bridge Cabin Hostel for those staying overnight.
 
Restaurants will sell traditional Korean food eaten at Seollal, such as tteokguk (rice cake soup), and the souvenir shop will carry 28 new Seollal-themed items, such as hanbok (traditional Korean dress).
 

The Moomin Fireworks event at Everland, Gyeonggi [EVERLAND]

The Moomin Fireworks event at Everland, Gyeonggi [EVERLAND]

 
Everland will have a lucky draw for K-noridaejeon participants who post their pictures and videos on social media. Gifts will be given out to the winners. Visitors can also participate in a lucky roulette game on the Everland mobile app and get a chance to win tickets and other gifts.
 
The Moomin Fireworks Show will also take place every evening during the holidays. A photo time and lucky fishing event featuring Moomin takes place from Saturday to Thursday.
 
Everland is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 8 p.m. on weekends during January and February. Admission is priced from 46,000 won ($32) to 68,000 won for adults, depending on the number of attractions, and 36,000 won to 58,000 won for children and seniors.
 

The special Seollal parade at the Lotte World theme part in eastern Seoul [LOTTE WORLD]

The special Seollal parade at the Lotte World theme part in eastern Seoul [LOTTE WORLD]



Fun on land and underwater
 
Lotte World began its “Minsok Hanmadang” parade performances on Jan. 11 at the theme park’s parade course. Minsok Hanmadang translates to “folk festivity.”
 
During the parade, Lotte World’s iconic characters Lotti and Lori wear hanbok, accompanied by traditional instrumentalists and a fan dance crew. Visitors can take pictures with the performers and the two characters after the performance is over.
 
The Lotte World Aquarium will host special “waving” sessions from Monday through Thursday where aquarists wearing hanbok swim, wave and bow to the visitors. They will take place twice daily at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Baby Humboldt penguins wearing hanbok will walk past the main attractions at 11:30 a.m. every day from Monday to Feb. 2. The little parade will be followed by a quiz show where participants can get a lucky penguin feather.
 

A special Seollal performance at the Lotte World Aquarium in eastern Seoul [LOTTE WORLD]

A special Seollal performance at the Lotte World Aquarium in eastern Seoul [LOTTE WORLD]

 
New snake species will join the Lotte Aquarium in celebration of the Year of the Snake, according to the Asian zodiac calendar.


Gugak, or traditional Korean music, busking sessions will be held on Jan. 29 and 30 at the Seoul Sky lounge at the top of the Lotte Tower at 6 p.m. A special folk culture exhibition titled “Yeominrak: Enjoy with the People” will take place until April 27 at the Lotte World Folk Museum, which is located on the third floor of the Lotte World theme park.
 
Lotte World is located in eastern Seoul. Admissions cost 59,000 won for adults and 48,000 won after 4 p.m. People who have tickets to an SRT train between 2024 and 2025 can get up to 43 percent discount until Feb. 16. Other promotions are also available.
 

The Blue House at nighttime [CHEONG WA DAE FOUNDATION]

The Blue House at nighttime [CHEONG WA DAE FOUNDATION]



Fun at the Blue House
 
The Cheong Wa Dae Foundation will hold the Cheongsachorong Festival from Monday to Thursday to celebrate the year of the Blue Snake.


Cheongsachorong is the name of a Korean lantern but it is also combines the words cheongsam, which means blue snake, and chorong, meaning traditional lantern.
 
During the daytime, visitors can try traditional games such as jegi chagi and yutnori, a traditional board game played by throwing wooden sticks. Visitors can also try making their own cheongsachorong or kites, which are called yeon. People can also fly their own yeon.
 

The Cheong Wa Dae Foundation's ″Cheongsachorong Festival″ Seollal event poster [CHEONG WA DAE FOUNDATION]

The Cheong Wa Dae Foundation’s ″Cheongsachorong Festival″ Seollal event poster [CHEONG WA DAE FOUNDATION]

 
The nighttime events, which take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., allow visitors to walk around the main building, the Yeongbingwan and the grand garden. Traditional music performances will be held during the 2 hours and traditional drinks and desserts will be sold from a food truck.
 
A music performance titled “Cheongsachorong” will be held on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Chunchugwan by Gugak National High School and gugak master Jang Sa-ik. A traditional tea-brewing session will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the same day to help people understand the meaning behind Korea’s traditional tea culture.
 
Families can take part in a walk around the Blue House accompanied by professional curators. The walk takes place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. every day during the holidays.
 
Reservations for the Blue House are available online. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through February. Admission is free.
 

Traditional games offered for visitors at the Incheon International Airport by the Korea Heritage Agency [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]

Traditional games offered for visitors at the Incheon International Airport by the Korea Heritage Agency [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]



Tradition to-go
 
A traditional music performance and traditional game event will take place on Friday for people leaving Korea to enjoy the long holiday.
 
The traditional game event will take place at 9:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. and the performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The games will include gonggi nori, jegi chagi and yutnori. People taking part in the games or watching the performances will be given goodies on a first come, first served basis.
 
The Korea Heritage Agency runs the Korean Heritage Visitor Center at Terminal 2 of Incheon Airport. It allows visitors to view Korean traditional culture and try wearing hanbok. The visitor center will also hold a special event on Friday.

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]


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