From templestay.com

If you have a little free time this New Year’s weekend and are wondering how to fill it, there are several things for you to do, both in Gwangju and if you wish travel elsewhere.

There are many sunrise festivals taking place which aim to ring in the 2012 in style, located mainly on the east coast. You could travel to Ganjeolgot Lighthouse in Ulsan to enjoy the fireworks, as well as taking part in stargazing and mosaic-making workshops. One of the most famous places to gather on New Year’s Eve in Korea is Homigot, in Pohang, as it is the easternmost post on the Korean Peninsula. Revellers gather on the Sunrise Plaza and can watch the rays of the first sun of 2012 appear through the fingers of a giant outstretched metal hand in the sea, while enjoying a steaming bowl of tteokguk (a soup traditionally eaten at the New Year). Details of these and other Sunrise Festivals may be found on the Korean Tourism webpage.

From korea-fans.com

If you’d like to stay a little closer to home you could visit the Festival of Lights at Boseong Tea Plantation, a mere hour or so from Gwangju. The highlight of the festival is a Christmas tree 120 meters tall, decorated with over 120,000 lights and inscribed with a message of good luck for the Yeosu 2012 Expo. There is also a ‘Street of Lights’ in the green tea fields, a tunnel filled with lights for people to hang their wishes (and New Year’s resolutions perhaps!) as well as fireworks and performances. To get to Boseong, take an intercity bus from U-square and then a Yulpo-bound bus from Boseong Terminal. The Festival of Lights runs until January 29^th, 2012.

At the Gwangju Art and Culture Center Annex (광주문화예술회관) a National Geographic photography exhibition is currently running. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Life and Nature’ and it was set up to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of National Geographic Magazine in Korea. There are 180 photographs in total on display, including the first color underwater photography. The exhibition runs until February 26^th, 2012 and the admission fee is 10,000 won for adults and 8,000 won for kids. If you are a nature lover, it is well worth the trip. Buses 16, 18, 27, 48, 49, 51, 58, 72, 84, 85 and 95 stop right outside the Art and Culture Center. The stop is called Unam Market.

If none of these options take your fancy, then you could always ring in 2012 in a more traditional manner, by paying a visit to Soul Train downtown on New Year’s Eve to see local band ‘Feed the Boats’ in action. The show kicks off at 10.30pm and details can be found on the Facebook event page.

Happy New Year!

By Emma Dooley