Jeonnam's Representative Festival 'Muan Lotus Festival' Full of Attractions

Published 17 Jul.2023 15:07(KST)

From the 20th to 23rd at Hoesan Baengnyeonji, Illo-eup, Muan-gun

The ‘Muan Lotus Festival,’ Jeonnam’s representative festival now in its 26th year, will be held from the 20th to the 23rd of this month at Hoesan Baengnyeonji in Illo-eup, Muan-gun, under the theme “The Most Beautiful Moment of My Life! Blooming Again.”

A variety of attractions and activities have been prepared.

Jeonnam's Representative Festival 'Muan Lotus Festival' Full of Attractions

In particular, this year’s opening ceremony will feature a soil-mixing ritual where soil from the nine towns and townships of the county will be gathered together to pray for the unity of the residents and the success of the festival.

This ceremony embodies the residents’ strong will and meaning to protect the clean, ochre soil of Muan, a land where a pristine environment breathes, and pass it on to future generations.

Following the opening ceremony, a celebratory performance titled “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be held featuring popular groups such as Coyote, Wooyeon, Choi Yuna, Hyunjinwoo, and Hwayeon. The first day of the festival will conclude spectacularly with a moonlight drone show featuring 500 drones and a fireworks display decorating the midsummer night sky.

The moonlight drone show will be presented three times (Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) under the themes of the story behind the creation of Hoesan Baengnyeonji, the largest lotus pond in East Asia spanning one million pyeong, and “A Happy Journey to Muan.”

Other major performances include the TBN Gwangju Traffic Broadcasting public broadcast “Hwayangyeonhwa Concert” on Friday the 21st at 7 p.m., which will awaken the retro sensibilities of the 70s and 80s generations with artists such as Hong Kyungmin, Kim Hyunjung, Travel Sketch, and Marronnier. On Saturday the 22nd from 7:30 p.m., the “Lotus Fragrance Drama OST Concert” will feature Lee Hyunseop and Jo Eunyi.

The grand finale closing event, the Lotus Citizen Song Festival, will begin at 6:30 p.m. and feature 11 participating teams along with invited singer Lee Chanwon, known as the “Premium Cheonggukjang Voice” from Mr. Trot.

There are also diverse hands-on experiences. These include making your own shade shelter to beat the summer heat, a metaverse game where real and virtual spaces coexist, natural dyeing experiences, making Muan Buncheong pottery, mysterious lotus path boat explorations, and 29 other activities. Unique healing spaces such as the “Heat-Beat Fire Zone,” which transforms from a fire pit to an ice zone, and the Flower Tower, a media healing space of light and music, will be available. A zero-waste shop will also operate to raise awareness about the environment in the era of climate change.

Additional side events include the Ochre Valley Muan National Cooking Contest, Children’s Reading Golden Bell, Youth Drawing Contest, and lotus garden camping in collaboration with Camp Valley Co., showcasing camping gear and more.

Various events will also take place, such as the Muan Travel Topper Certification Shot Event where visitors take photos holding toppers, upload them to SNS, and receive gifts; the Lotus AR Treasure Hunt where participants find five hidden treasures around the festival site to win prizes; and the sharing of organic sweet potato ice cream “Seollego” to celebrate the festival and spread joy and warmth.

On the first floor of the Local Food Hall, visitors can enjoy a variety of local dishes made with Muan’s agricultural specialties such as lotus, onions, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins, including lotus root hamburger steak, onion perilla cold noodle soup, lotus leaf ssambap (rice wraps), lotus root seafood pancake, lotus root bibimbap, three-color tteokbokki, and sweet potato moju (traditional rice wine).

On the second floor of the Local Food Hall, the “Muan-gun Special Exhibition” displays over 1,500 types of scholar’s stones, paintings of Hoesan Baengnyeonji by Muan Middle School students, paintings by seniors participating in the Muaneup Urban Regeneration Center program, and gyubang craftworks. The Muan-gun New Vitality Plus Project Promotion Team operates a healing agriculture program, promotes and offers experiences with sweet potato products, and runs a healing rest area and sweet potato dessert caf? for tourists exhausted by the summer heat.

At Hoesan Baengnyeonji, elegant white lotuses have already begun to reveal their beautiful forms among the green lotus leaves.

Park Moonjae, chairman of the festival promotion committee, said, “We have prepared new attractions such as the Hwayangyeonhwa Gate, lotus-shaped lighting beams behind the main stage, and landscape lighting at the entrance of the Zelkova tree path and the central Pungnyu rest area. We hope many residents and tourists will relax and gain peace of mind and new energy at Hoesan Baengnyeonji, which has become a four-season tourist destination during the most beautiful time of life.”