Forget showers, it's all flowers in April and May at Goyang's annual festival of blossoms

A large-scale flower festival will be held from Friday through May 10 in Goyang, Gyeonggi, the city said Thursday.

The “International Horticulture Goyang Korea 2026” festival will take place at Ilsan Lake Park, covering 250,000 square meters (62 acres).

Marking its 18th edition, the festival first launched in the spring of 1997 and has since become the city’s representative event, attracting more than 9 million visitors from Korea and abroad as of last year. This year’s theme is “Flowers, Coloring Time.”

The event will feature programs such as outdoor displays, special indoor exhibitions, performances and a flower market.

At the indoor floral pavilion hall, a global floral artist exhibition titled “Floral Odyssey” will be held, featuring works by artists Chantal Post from Belgium, Natalia Zizko from Russia, Irati Tamrit from Spain, Solomon Leong from Hong Kong and Korea's Kim Jong-kook.

Visitors will also be able to see rare flowers from 30 countries, including Colombia, Ecuador and Indonesia. Unique plants, such as the mysterious Elsa Tulip, which looks like it is coated with ice crystals, large dahlias with petals that span over 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) and giant roses 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) tall, will be on display.

At the floral business pavilion hall, new flower varieties will be introduced, showcasing around 30 from overseas and about 170 from Korea.

Themed gardens representing the past, present and future will also be created outdoors.

Among them, the main landmark is the Time Traveler’s Garden, which features a time-travel station made of flowers. Inspired by the honcheonui, a traditional Korean astronomical instrument, the installation incorporates designs resembling sundials and water clocks. The structure, 13 meters tall and 26 meters wide, features a rotating spherical floral installation that represents the passage of time.

The Bitdam Garden, set along a metasequoia tree-lined road, will house an aerial garden composed of three-dimensional structures reflecting traditional Korean aesthetics and hanging gardens that capture natural light.

Various performances and events are also planned during the festival.

On the opening day, the Goyang Civic Choir will perform at the waterfront stage, followed by a celebratory performance by trot singer Kim Da-hyun.

Performances will be held at three venues — the waterfront stage, the busking stage and the rose-colored stage — featuring genres such as pop music and trot, as well as classical singing, flute performances, cheerleading and a fashion show starring older adults.

Near the waterfront stage, visitors can also enjoy a water bicycle experience available only during the festival period.

“This year’s flower festival has seen a significant expansion of programs that allow visitors to participate,” said Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan during a press event on Thursday.

“Centered on Time Traveler’s Garden, the entire venue has been designed as a continuous narrative connecting the past, present and future. We also aimed to create an exhibition that is remembered forever by combining digital experiences with emotional content.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JEON ICK-JIN [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]