Goyang Flower Festival

Goyang has been the centre of Korean commercial horticulture for decades - much of the country's cut-flower and pot-plant growing happens in this belt north-west of Seoul - and the festival, held since 1997 beside Ilsan Lake Park over about ten days from late April, reflects that. It is a horticultural exhibition rather than a field of flowers: indoor pavilions with competition displays, floral art, orchids and bonsai; outdoor beds planted for the event; growers and equipment suppliers selling; and a programme of talks. Serious gardeners come for the plant market, where nursery stock is cheaper and more varied than in Seoul garden centres. Ilsan Lake Park around it is one of the larger city parks in the country, free, with a long lakeside circuit, so the festival combines easily with a walk. It is ticketed and aimed at a domestic audience.

What you actually see

• The indoor pavilions - competition displays, floral art, orchids.
• The outdoor beds - planting laid on for the festival.
• The plant market - nursery stock at grower prices.
• Ilsan Lake Park - the free lakeside circuit around it.

When to go

Late April to early May, about ten days. Weekday mornings are calmer. The park itself is worth any spring or autumn day regardless of the festival.

Honest expectations

It is a horticultural trade show with a public face, not a landscape of flowers - visitors expecting fields are disappointed. Ticketed. English information is limited.

Nearby

Ilsan Lake Park surrounds it; Seoul is about forty minutes by metro.