Busan’s Christmas Tree Festival 2014
Even though Christmas is over, you can still enjoy the holiday season here in Korea. The annual Christmas Tree Festival is still happening in Busan’s trendy Nampodong district. Every year they decorate Gwangbok road with thousands of lights in a celebration of Christmas cheer. For those expats feeling a lack of Christmas spirit, this might be something to check out.
The Nampodong area has seen a lot of changes over the years and has recently been reborn as a trendy shopping area. As old shops move out, they are replaced with trendy fashion shops and cafes. This pumps new life into an area once known for cameras and knock-off goods.
This year the festival’s theme is “Love & Healing” according to the Dynamic Busan site. While the lights looks the same as the other years, I am sure that the performances with ring true to the performances. Each night, there will be different performances starting at 7 pm and running until 9 pm. There will also be special weekend performances too.
The lights will start at the entrance to Gwangbok road by the Lotte Department Store and finish at the main intersection by the Gukje Market. The 17-metre Christmas Tree will be at the main intersection and that is where most of the performances will take place.
The next big event and performance will be on New Year’s Eve, so if you are looking for something to do other than drink or wait for the sunrise, this might be your event. The nampodong area has more than enough things to keep you entertained into the new year. We talked about the various places in a previous article and I can’t stress enough how delicious the heott-ddeok is.
During the festival keep your eye out for people handing out free tea. If you need something hot and are revolted at paying 5,000 won for an americano then you are in luck. A favorite place to eat in the area is just down from my favorite coffee shop. Once you walk past Blackup Coffee (by the main intersection and just down the alley from the tourist info place) you will see a traditional looking restaurant. The name is Su-hyung Naengmyeon. Now I know what you are thinking and yes they are famous for COLD noodles but you can get bibimbap and hot kalguksu but the main thing is that they come with some amazing pork. It has an amazing smoky flavour that not tasted anywhere but there.
