Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Sangsa Flower Festival, Admission Fee Charged... Local Gift Certificates Refund

Published 01 Aug.2023 14:47(KST)

Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do will start charging an admission fee from the 23rd Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Lycoris Festival to be held next month.

According to the county on the 1st, the Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Lycoris Festival attracts 400,000 visitors annually and is renowned as a representative autumn flower festival in Korea.

It has been free for the past 22 years, but starting this year, an admission fee will be charged for the first time to enhance the effect of revitalizing the local economy.

Poster of the 23rd Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Sangsa Flower Festival. [Photo by Yeonggwang-gun]

The admission fee is 3,000 KRW for the general public, while residents of Yeonggwang-gun (with ID), children under 5 years old (with ID), persons with disabilities and national merit recipients (with relevant certificates), pregnant women (with pregnancy confirmation), and festival staff are admitted free of charge.

Those eligible for free admission must carry the relevant proof to enter without charge.

The 3,000 KRW admission fee will be fully refunded in the local currency, Yeonggwang Sarang Gift Certificates, which can be used throughout the festival site and the entire county. This fee is not collected by Bulgapsa Temple located on Bulgapsan but is exclusively collected by Yeonggwang-gun and the festival organizing committee during the festival period.

The 23rd Yeonggwang Bulgapsan Lycoris Festival, held this year under the theme "Into the Lycoris Flower Path, Into a Thousand Years of Love," will take place from the 15th to the 24th of next month at the Bulgapsa tourist area.

During the festival, various programs are prepared, including representative events such as Lycoris Flower Path Walk, Lycoris Media Facade, Lycoris Moonlight Night Walk, and Lycoris Wish Path; performances like Lycoris Changgeuk (traditional Korean opera) and the Provincial Gugak Orchestra; competitions including the Lycoris Flower Beauty Contest, Lycoris Dasom Song Festival, Lycoris University Song Festival, and Lycoris Citizen Song Festival; as well as various exhibitions and experiential events.

A county official stated, "The decision to charge an admission fee starting this year is not for the county’s profit but to maximize the local economic revitalization effect by refunding the full amount in local currency."

He added, "Since we are charging an admission fee, we will thoroughly prepare in advance to ensure that tourists can enjoy a satisfying festival, and we will do our best to improve safety management at the festival site and the quality of tourism services."