White Christmas Unfolding at Nowon Hwarangdae Railroad Park

'2023 Nowon Christmas Festival' Held... December 24, 12 PM to 6 PM at Hwarangdae Railroad Park, First-Ever Christmas Festival... Various Carol Performances Including Choir and Popera at Santa Banquet Hall (Main Stage) from 2 PM to 6 PM... Avatar Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5:20 PM Featuring Giant Christmas Tree Transformation

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold its first Christmas festival at Hwarangdae Railroad Park on the 24th.

To celebrate Christmas, the district planned the '2023 Nowon Christmas Festival (White&Light Christmas in Nowon)' so that families can enjoy together close to home without having to travel far. The area around Hwarangdae Railroad Park, a representative healing spot of the district, is set to transform into a cozy Santa Village.

This festival, held for the first time this year, will take place from 12 PM to 6 PM on December 24th. Various programs such as carol performances, a Christmas market, and Santa mime events are prepared.

At the ‘Santa Banquet Hall (main stage)’ installed in front of the train cafe, carol performances including choir and popera will be held from 2 PM to 6 PM. At 2 PM, the emerging popera group ‘Atti Classic’ will perform songs like ‘Song of Toast’, ‘Blessings on Christmas’, and ‘Feliz Navidad’. At 3 PM, the children’s choir ‘Dream Tree’ will perform, followed by the Nowon-gu music teachers’ choir ‘Paideia’ at 4 PM.

At 5 PM, the four-member popera group ‘Il Volare’ will perform songs such as ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, ‘White Christmas’, and ‘Oh, Happy Day’, followed by a performance by the ‘Nowon Soloist Ensemble’. Especially during these two performances, the tree lighting ceremony will begin at 5:20 PM, transforming the landmark ‘Avatar Tree’ of Hwarangdae Railroad Park into a splendid large Christmas tree. The ‘Media Train’ will broadcast Christmas-related videos to brighten the atmosphere of the event.

Nowon-gu will offer a White Christmas, which has not been seen for several years due to lack of snow. A ‘Snow Event’ will take place around the train cafe. From 12:30 PM, and then every half hour as well as at 5:20 PM and 5:50 PM, a total of seven times, snow will be simulated for 10 minutes using snow machines to create a snowy Christmas scene.

Santa Claus & Rudolph mime performances will be held throughout the venue. Starting at 1:30 PM and every half hour thereafter, two local actors (mimes) will present captivating performances. Visitors can also participate in a souvenir giveaway event. Those who take a photo with Santa and post it on SNS will receive a Santa hat, limited to the first 300 people.

On the train platform side, the ‘Santa Market’ and ‘Rudolph Shelter’ will operate. At the Santa Market, visitors can purchase Christmas decorations, knitted goods, handmade dolls, air fresheners, and other Christmas gifts. The Rudolph Shelter offers various Christmas-themed desserts such as soup, cookies, handmade candies, and macarons. In front of the park’s main gate near the entrance road to the Korea Military Academy, the ‘Rudolph Restaurant’ will sell tteokbokki, fish cakes, mini bungeoppang, takoyaki, and more.

Meanwhile, Hwarangdae Railroad Park was selected as one of the ‘Top 100 Regional Cultural Attractions’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism last October, establishing itself as a representative attraction not only in the district but across Korea. It was recognized for preserving the section of the Gyeongchun Line railroad and Hwarangdae Station, which ceased operation in 2010, and transforming it into a unique themed space full of sights and activities centered around ‘trains’. It will be actively promoted domestically and internationally until 2024.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Nowon-gu has prepared a Christmas gift for everyone who worked hard this year,” and added, “We hope families spend healing time together at Hwarangdae Railroad Park, transformed into a Santa Village.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.