Seoul Rose Festival: one of the city’s biggest spring events
Some links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you purchase something through my links I may make a small commission at no extra charge to you. See my disclaimer.
The Seoul Rose Festival (ì„œìš¸ìž¥ë¯¸ì¶•ì œ) is an annual event that brings in crowds every year. It’s a yearly celebration of the blooming of colourful roses in Jungnang Park and brings this Seoul neighbourhood to life. It’s home to many exciting events and is most famous for its rose tunnel that stretches to an impressive 5km.
You can enjoy the multiple types of roses, in almost every colour imaginable while you indulge in street food and purchase spring-related handmade goods.
The event is free to all ages and there really is something for everyone – assuming you like flowers. The roses are in bloom for much longer than the festival weekend so if you can’t get enough you can always go back for more flower viewing. Just be aware that the market stalls and stages are only there for the festival events.
Head on down to smell the roses, and let me know how you enjoyed it!
| Country: | South Korea (Republic of Korea) |
| Currency: | South Korean Won / KRW |
| Do you need a visa to visit as tourists? | Check here |
Want to stay in Korea longer than a tourist? Consider the H1 working holiday visa that allows a visit of 1 year! You’ll get to live and work and I can show you how to get set up as an expat.
How to get to the Seoul Rose Festival
Location: Seoul Jungnang-gu Muk-dong 361-2
Independently
By Car
Seoul is a large city so it can be easy to drive around, but it can be difficult to find appropriate parking at times. Luckily, for the rose festival, there are multiple places where you can park your vehicle right next to the festival grounds.
Don’t have your own car? If you have your international driving permit before arriving in Korea you can rent a car to get around.
By subway
The closest stations to the Seoul Rose Festival are:
- Meokgol station (Line 7 – dark green) You can take exits 5, 6 or 7. Walk towards the river for about 5 minutes.
- Junghwa Station (Line 7 – dark green) You can take exits 3 or 4. Walk towards the river for about 5 minutes.
- Taereung Station (Line 6 – orange) You can take exits 7 or 8. From here you can cross the bridge and follow the river south. You will quickly reach the festival and can walk from one end to the other.
Planning to use public transportation? Don’t forget your T Money card and to download these useful apps to navigate Korea.
On a guided tour
If you don’t have much confidence in attending the festival independently or alone, there are often group-guided tours that you could join instead.
As soon as the next year’s tours are available with confirmed dates, I will let you know in case you’d like to join one. Check back here!
Seoul Rose Festival: What is it?
The Seoul Rose Festival is an annual event every May in Seoul, Korea. It’s a time when the roses are in full bloom in Jungnang Rose Park and along the river.
It’s an annual celebration of the spring season and these flowers that are typically associated with love.
As well as having what seems like a million roses of different sizes and colours in one part of the city, there are also photo areas, 2 stages and many food and souvenir market stalls for visitors to enjoy.
Want some more Korean springtime inspiration?
- Hiking Cheonjusan Mountain during Azalea Season
- Cherry blossoms in Busan: The best places to see them
- Korea’s biggest cherry blossom festival in Jinhae. What to expect?
- Spring Season in Korea: Where to see spring flowers
Opening Dates & Times
The Seoul Rose Festival is an annual event every spring for two weeks during May.
The 2023 seasons dates are between 13th and 28th May.
The main events
| Festival Event | Dates |
|---|---|
| LITTLE ROSE FESTIVAL | 13th – 28th May |
| GRAND ROSE FESTIVAL | |
| – Happy Rose Day | Friday 19th May |
| – Romantic Rose Dayrose tunnel | Saturday 20th May |
| – Love Rose Day | Sunday 21st May |
| GYEOMJAE ROSE FESTIVAL | |
| – Gyeomjae Trot Concert | Saturday 27th May |
| – Gyeomjae Bridge Dance Festival | Sunday 28th May |
Seoul Rose Festival: Attractions
Rose Tunnel
One of the highlights of the Seoul Rose Festival is the huge rose tunnel seen above. It’s a 5.15 km (3.2 miles) long trail with multiple archway trellises with brightly coloured roses all over. Along the rose tunnel trail, you’ll see mostly red and pink roses of different sizes. It’s one of the biggest rose tunnels worldwide!
Everything about this trail feels romantic and you will see lots of couples and people trying to take the perfect photo for the ‘gram.
The path of the rose tunnel is narrow and it will be busy! Be aware that it can feel very crowded.
Rose Road Market
The Rose Road Market is a typical market where you can find things to purchase. You’ll find traditional market stalls and booths with food, handmade items and even an international exchange hall.
Luckily, since this festival is so popular each year, most of the vendors accept debit and credit cards as well as cash so you should be fine making purchases with either one.
Dance & Music Garden
Throughout the period of the Seoul Rose Festival, you will get to enjoy the rose & music party and the popular rose concert.
There are two different stages at opposite ends of the event grounds. The main, large concert stage is down by the river to the east of the festival. This is where the dance party area is with artists and music playing for most of the days during the event.
Beauty Garden
In the Beauty Garden, you will find multiple opportunities to test and purchase some beauty products and cosmetics. Plus, if you enjoy Korean traditions you’ll be excited to know that you can rent stunning Hanboks to wear and take photographs surrounded by the roses. Not to mention you can also see the clothes of the time of enlightenment as well.
Food & Picnic Garden
This is the best part of the Seoul Rose Festival for all hungry visitors as this is where the food trucks are parked just ready and waiting for your order. There are lots of tents with tables and chairs inside for people to sit and enjoy their food.
You’ll find savoury and sweet food, as well as hot food and snacks. There is something for everyone.
- Try the strawberries covered in hard sugar if you have a sweet tooth.
- Prefer savoury? Try the spiral cheese potatoes!
Selca (Selfie) Garden
In this area of the Seoul Rose Festival, you will see the ever-so-popular photo zone along with a field of bright yellow rapeseed flowers. There are roughly 8 different places to take photos throughout the selfie garden including a swing, a small pagoda, a horse carriage a giant photo frame and more.
You’ll also find a pop-up garden with a whole range of coloured roses and towards the entrance of the Jungnang Park you’ll find the Gyeongseong Sculpture Exhibition.
Final thoughts on the Seoul Rose Festival
This festival is very popular and very crowded so you should be prepared to be around a lot of people.
As far as spring festivals go, this was a fun event with something suitable for all age groups. The festival grounds are split across a vast space so it is much larger than one might expect, so you’ll also be getting a lot of steps in.
Overall, it was an enjoyable experience and probably one of the biggest spring festivals I have attended recently. I’d recommend visiting for at least one day if you’re in Seoul the next time it is on!
Want to see more festivals in Korea? Check these out:
