A promotional poster for Seoul Grand Park's Rose Garden Festival / Courtesy of Seoul Grand Park
An early surge of warm weather has pushed some 45,000 rose plants into full bloom ahead of schedule at Seoul Grand Park, setting the stage for its annual Rose Garden Festival beginning May 30.
The nine-day event, which runs through June 7, will transform the park’s Theme Garden into a literary landscape themed after Lewis Carroll’s "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland." Featuring more than 90 distinct varieties of roses, the festival grounds will include immersive photo zones styled after the classic tale, alongside an outdoor exhibition of prize-winning photography from last year’s competition.
Beyond the visual spectacle, park organizers are leaning into experiential retail and programming to draw weekend crowds. On Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the park will host "Alice’s Atelier." The interactive workshop allows families to craft items inspired by the Mad Hatter’s tea party, including custom teacups, tea coasters and flower crowns, alongside a specialized woodworking class.
For the more competitively inclined, the park is launching the 13th Rose Garden Photo Contest. Submissions will be accepted from June 1 through June 14, with the Seoul Metropolitan Government awarding official certificates and a combined purse of 4.5 million won ($3,300) to 28 winners.
The festival also serves as the debut for a sweeping infrastructure overhaul. City officials confirmed the completion of a major renovation on a long-neglected plot on the northwest side of the Theme Garden. The project, which began in March, introduced a modernized drainage system, four shaded pavilions and an 840-square-meter lawn plaza.
The design includes a new lakeside walking path engineered to be fully accessible for visitors with mobility limitations. To ensure the space remains a draw long after the roses fade, arborists have planted 4,500 trees and 5,500 perennial flowering plants, including a dedicated hydrangea garden, designed to cycle through seasonal colors year-round.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Source: Korea Times News
