[Herald Economy = Senior Reporter Jong-il Park] The Jungnang District will host the 18th Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival along the Jungnang Stream from May 15 through May 23, a nine-day celebration.The Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival is one of Seoul’s signature flower events, featuring a 5.45 km (3.39-mile) rose tunnel and 232 varieties totaling 320,000 rose bushes. The festival runs May 15–23 across Jungnang Rose Park (Mookdong Bridge to Gyeomjae Bridge) and other stretches along the Jungnang Stream.
The festivities kick off with a Rose Week proclamation on May 15. From May 15–17, the three-day Grang Rose Festival at Junghwa Sports Park will offer performances, exhibitions and hands-on experiences. The celebration wraps up on May 23 with the Jungnang Artist Festival at Myeonmok Sports Park, highlighting local creatives.
On opening day, May 15, the district will also host the 18th Jungnang Seoul Rose Festival Jungnang Residents’ Walk to celebrate the start of the festival and promote a safe, welcoming event.
The event is organized by the Jungnang District Sports Council, co-hosted with local religious groups — the Jungnang District Parish Council, the Jungnang Saam Association, and the Seoul 7th District of the Catholic Church — and sponsored by Woori Bank.
Participants should gather at the Rose Festival main stage in Junghwa Sports Park by 11:00 a.m. From there they’ll start under the air arch and walk a 3 km (1.86-mile) round-trip course to the turnaround gate at Jungnang Rose Park and back to the main stage.
The walk takes about an hour. Registration was handled online on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 1,000 applicants; there will be no on-site sign-ups. The day will feature celebratory performances and a prize drawing, and all finishers will receive commemorative gifts.
A Jungnang District official said, “We organized the Jungnang Residents’ Walk to open the Rose Festival with our community. We hope families, friends and neighbors will stroll the flower-lined paths along the Jungnang Stream, soak up the spring atmosphere and make memories together.”
