Samba Returns After 3 Years!..."Passion Doesn't Fade Even After Sunset"

The season of full-fledged monsoon rains and scorching heat has returned. As the first summer vacation season since the endemic phase (periodic outbreaks of infectious diseases) approaches, many people planning outdoor activities are expected to flock to famous mountains and seas. This year, with higher-than-average temperatures and heavy rainfall forecasted, there are many variables to consider when making plans. If traveling far feels burdensome, we recommend a 'city vacation' enjoyed at theme parks within the city.

Lotte World Adventure in Songpa-gu, Seoul, is the ideal domestic representative theme park for enjoying a city vacation. It boasts excellent accessibility and offers a variety of attractions such as indoor rides and parades that can be enjoyed regardless of weather conditions like scorching sun or heavy rain, welcoming guests from home and abroad. Equipped with diverse experience facilities including skating, a symbol of winter sports, and exhibition spaces where visitors can experience traditional culture, it is perfect for spending a memorable day with family, couples, or friends.

Lotte World Adventure is hosting ‘City Vacation & Samba’ until August 27, bringing an exotic festival to the city. Samba is a world-renowned festival representing Brazil. Lotte World Adventure is reintroducing this festival domestically for the first time in three years since COVID-19. During the event period, the entire theme park is decorated as a jungle resort where a splendid samba festival takes place. On the first floor of Adventure, at the Meeting Plaza, a gigantic 5.4-meter-high media waterfall is installed to create the sensation of a refreshing tropical rainforest waterfall cascading down.

The festival consists of a main parade featuring numerous Brazilian performers and large-scale stage performances. The ‘Samba Carnival Parade’ is held twice daily at 2 PM and 8 PM during the event. The concept is that the Sun Goddess and passionate samba dancers present an exciting parade in the Amazon, where a legendary mystical bird exists. Performers use newly designed costumes with sun and temple themes, directly produced in Brazil, enhancing the event’s completeness. Three parade units?‘Sun Goddess,’ ‘Indio,’ and ‘Amazon’?and a total of eight parade floats will add grandeur. Additionally, samba costumes and decorations over 2 meters tall adorned with tens of thousands of natural feathers, powerful performances, and heart-thumping sound effects invite spectators into a world of passion.

The samba carnival parade, returning after three years, will feature its first-ever night parade to uplift the spirits of those weary from tropical nights. To highlight the samba dance and costumes, colorful lighting and fireworks will add spectacular special effects, offering a different visual experience from the daytime. There is also a large-scale performance called ‘Samba Together’ exclusively at the Lotte World Adventure Garden Stage. This special show features intense rhythmic music and a dazzling dance party concept by Brazilian performers. Visitors can enjoy various dance genres including samba, capoeira dance inspired by Brazilian traditional martial arts, lambada expressing South American passion, and salsa with dynamic steps.

Additionally, every day at 5 PM, the ‘Hot! Summer! Vacation’ dancing performance takes place along the parade route. It tells a story of a fun summer vacation following ‘Bau,’ Lotte World Adventure’s character transformed into an airplane pilot. A special performance called ‘Summer Music Cruise,’ featuring familiar pop music, is held twice daily near the Garden Stage on the first floor of Adventure every Friday through Sunday and on public holidays.

Opened in July 1989, Lotte World Adventure will celebrate its 34th anniversary next month. Parents with young children can share the memories they enjoyed here during their school days, and with over 50 indoor and outdoor attractions, various themed parades, and cultural performances, it has established itself as a ‘hot place’ in the city. Photo zones capturing diverse charms day and night are set up throughout the park, attracting domestic and international visitors, especially the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who frequently visit to post commemorative photos on social media.

The number of visitors, which was hit hard by COVID-19, is rapidly recovering. Before the pandemic, Lotte World Adventure’s annual attendance was around 6 million, with foreign tourists exceeding 1 million. According to Lotte World Adventure, last year’s annual attendance recovered to 80% of the 2019 pre-pandemic level, and from January to May this year, domestic and international attendance reached 90% of the same period in 2019. The number of overseas visitors has also risen to about 80% compared to before COVID-19.

Considering this recovery trend, Lotte World Adventure plans to introduce various new contents this summer so visitors can momentarily forget the heat and recharge their minds and bodies, in addition to the samba festival. First, the new horror content ‘Gwidam (鬼談): Secret of the Abandoned House,’ a must-have for summer, welcomes visitors. Newly opened in the outdoor space ‘Magic Island,’ this is a chilling content where visitors become ghost hunters, perform missions to free restless spirits, and escape.

The popular self-photo studio ‘Geureolsajin-gwan’ on the 4th floor of Adventure has been revamped as ‘Slick Studio.’ It has transformed into a more advanced studio incorporating new media technology including artificial intelligence (AI). Through interactive media arranged in five main zones, visitors can create their own short-form videos and photos. Additionally, 28 summer-themed goods such as hairbands with a resort vibe, samba concept fans, and umbrellas are available, along with summer season-targeted food and beverages like Jeju sea ice cream, pi?a colada, salt bread, and gelato at ‘Jjalzbbang Gelato.’

A Lotte World Adventure official said, “In the hot summer, we have prepared diverse contents so that visitors can enjoy an exotic and refreshing vacation even within the city. We hope visitors will have a richer summer vacation and break with the samba carnival parade returning after three years, the passionate stage performance ‘Samba Together,’ new horror content ‘Gwidam,’ and ‘Slick Studio,’ which will become a hotspot for MZ generation’s certification shots.”

If you want to enjoy summer vacation and holidays with a different atmosphere from theme parks, we recommend visiting Lotte World Ice Rink’s ‘Ice Garden.’ Located on the third basement floor of Lotte World Adventure, the ice rink opened in July 1989 as Seoul’s only indoor skating rink. Celebrating its 32nd anniversary in 2021, it underwent a six-month renovation and reopened under the name Ice Garden.

This place promotes itself as a ‘cool ice garden even in midsummer.’ Upon arrival, visitors are invited into a cool ice kingdom by a photo zone filled with transparent and sparkling ice decorations.

Starting from the 24th, special performances will be held at Ice Garden. Figure skating hopefuls training at Lotte World Ice Rink, ranging from elementary to high school students, will showcase their honed skills on the ice. Performances take place every Saturday and Sunday at 4:20 PM and 5:50 PM.

Lotte World Folk Museum offers various experience, exhibition, and educational programs, making it suitable for escaping the heat and studying history with children during vacation. Opened in January 1989, the museum’s permanent exhibitions allow visitors to glimpse artifacts from the prehistoric and Three Kingdoms periods, as well as traditional lifestyles of ancestors during the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties. It also operates history education and traditional play and craft experience classes.

From July 21, a thrilling experiential exhibition tour called ‘Midnight Ghost Stories’ will be offered for the summer season. This program allows visitors to explore the museum at night, where mysterious events occur. It features the story of ‘Yagwang-gwi,’ a traditional Korean ghost that steals shoes, providing a spine-chilling horror experience. Visitors will forget the heat as they perform a unique mission to find lost shoes by navigating through the chaotic museum and maze while avoiding ghosts.

In the Goryeo Room of the Folk Museum, a photo zone called ‘Countryside House Museum-vacation’ reminiscent of a nostalgic hometown house has been set up. Using ‘Halmaennial’ (grandmother + millennial) style costumes characterized by colorful floral patterns and various props, visitors can take special photos that revive childhood summer vacation memories.

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