Event, Festival, Lifestyle, Seoul, South Korea, Travel

[KOREA] SEOUL LANTERN FESTIVAL 2016

Gallery 10 Comments

If you are planning to visit Seoul in November, make sure you don’t miss the Seoul Lantern Festival which held annually in the month of November at Cheonggyecheon Stream or Han River. In our #FoodInLoveKOREA autumn trip, we had visited the Seoul Lantern Festival 2016, which takes place along Cheonggyecheon Stream from 4th Nov through 20th Nov 2016.with the theme of “Lightened Hangang River where History Flows”.

The annual Seoul Lantern Festival, one of the representative festivals in Seoul, is held throughout the period from the first Friday of November to the third Sunday of November and covers downtown Seoul in sparkling lights, illuminating the city at night during the early winter. You can see many lanterns along the 1.2 km Cheonggyecheon Stream with various things to see stretching all the way from Cheonggye Plaza and Supyogyo Bridge.

For complete guide and list of 30 things to eat in Seoul, please read [KOREA] FOOD GUIDE - What to Eat in Seoul

Guide to the best destinations to enjoy Autumn in Seoul, please read [KOREA] AUTUMN IN SEOUL - Fall Foliage Destinations and Places to Visit

Need more info to plan your daily itinerary in Seoul? Check our itinerary guide [KOREA] ITINERARY TRAVEL GUIDE - Top Places to Visit in Seoul

Cheonggye Plaza

Han River Theme Lantern: The Historic Hangang River, Illuminated through Light

The Hangang River has great historical and cultural significance to Seoul, Korea, and Seoulites. Hangang means “large river,” and the river has been a vital part of the daily lives of locals over many years and generations. Hangang River is the lifeline of Seoul, the source of life that penetrates through Korea, and the symbol of fertility as well as good taste in the arts. This year, the Seoul Lantern Festival aims to show elements of the historic, cultural, and everyday life of the Hangang River through lanterns. The unique and colorful lanterns will be a sight to behold!

Taebak Geomnyongso

Seoul’s Amsa-dong Prehistoric Settlement Site
Neolithic Dwellings

Neolithic Period Hunting
Onjo on Top of Bukhansan Mountain

Baekje Kingdom Boats
Throwing Gold off the Docks of Gongnam

Jeongjo’s Royal Tomb Visit Procession

Painting of Soakru Pavilion by Jeong Seon
Collecting Ice from the Hangang River

The Mapo Docks

Hangang Rivers Water-sellers
Hangangcheolgyo Railroad Bridges

The Story of Hangang River

The Hangang River begins in Gangwon-do Province and flows through Chungcheong-buk-do Province, Gyeonggi-do Province, and Seoul before heading to the West Sea. This ‘Story of Hangang’ exhibit is made of traditional Korean Paper and LEDs, and features 27 of the 31 bridges that cross the Hangang River, as well as 15 others areas nearby. It also shows the great charm and touristic appeal of Seoul by featuring 15 traditional lanterns depicting special historical, cultural, and tourist attraction in the city.

Municipal Governments’ and Overseas Organizations’ Lanterns

Seoul Lantern Festival 2016 also exhibit municipal governments campaign and overseas’ lantern. One of them is the Seoul City Brand, “I SEOUL YOU”. I SEOUL YOU was a brand created and developed as a collaborative effort between Seoul and its citizens, and has design elements of Seoul’s core values of coexistence, passion, and relaxation. The red and blue dots next to the SEOUL stand for passion and relaxation respectively. The O is shaped like a traditional Korean door handle (to welcome visitors), but also as a traditional way to spell the Korean character and symbolize the coexistence of Western and Asian cultures.

Pocheon City Bidulginang Waterfall

Yangpyeong-gun County Festival and Mascots

Mt. Rushmore, USA
Qingdao, China (Flowers of Heaven and Earth)
Ruins of St. Paul, Macao
Japan Aomori Prefecture Nebuta Matsuri Festival
Philippines
Gwangjang Market

Organizations’ and Organizational Participants’ Lanterns

Many corporations are participating in Seoul Lantern Festival 2016, and there is also many lanterns that exhibit and represent the participating corporations such as VietJet Air, New Era, Union Pay, etc.

VietJet Air
New Era

Union Pay

Light Art Artists’ Lanterns

This section exhibited many work of the artist. Most of them are 3D objects or forms that have an artistic value.

Children’s Character Lantern

The last section in Seoul Lantern Festival 2016 exhibits many lanterns in form of children characters. Most of them are cartoon’s character which very popular and loved by children.

Overall, Seoul Lantern Festival is definitely a must visit when you’re going to Seoul in the month of November. Offering some beautiful and unique attractions, Seoul Lantern Festival show you different sides of Seoul and its surrounding areas beyond today and its past. There are also activities open for public participation, such as putting up a wish lantern, hanging a wish note, and more. There will also be food stalls and food trucks operating throughout the festival! Enjoy the lanterns, make a wish, and treat yourself to tasty street food at the Seoul Lantern Festival. And of course, this is one of the best and most memorable moments in our #FoodInLoveKOREA trip.

How to getting there
Cheonggye Plaza
By Subway: Take the line no.5 to Gwanghwamun Station (Exit 5), walk 2 minutes on foot.
Samilgyo Bridge / Supyogyo Bridge
By Subway: Take the line no.2 or 3 to Euljiro 3-ga Station (Exit 1), walk 6 minutes on foot.

KOREA ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE:

Korea Travel Series:

===============================

Seoul Lantern Festival

Cheonggye Plaza - Supyogyo Bridge (1.2 km)
110, Sejongdae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

Period: Nov 4th - Nov 20th, 2016

Hours of Operation: 5 PM - 11 PM

How to getting there
Cheonggye Plaza
By Subway: Take the line no.5 to Gwanghwamun Station (Exit 5), walk 2 minutes on foot
Samilgyo Bridge / Supyogyo Bridge
By Subway: Take the line no.2 or 3 to Euljiro 3-ga Station (Exit 1), walk 6 minutes on foot

Entrance Fee: No entrance fee

Length of visit: 2-3 hours

Website: https://seoullantern.raonhosting.com/en/

MAP

===============================

Follow us for latest update and more culinary experience

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Don’t forget to subscribe / follow our blog so you can get an update on your email about our new post.