Dive into Busan’s Festive Spirit

For university students looking to enjoy new and diverse activities after the Daedong-Je and before the upcoming final exams, here are some festivals in Busan that showcase the charms of this maritime city and offer a taste of youthful romance: Busan Port Festival, Centum Beer Festival, and Haeundae Sand Festival.

■Busan Port Festival

“The 17th Busan Port Festival,” a representative harbor festival of Busan, will be held from June 1st to June 2nd at the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal outdoor parking lot and the pier area of the Busan Coast Guard in Bukhang and Yeong-Do. Throughout the festival, exhibitions will showcase cultural content from key exchange countries, including Turkey, Japan, and Thailand, as well as Busan’s sister ports.

The Busan Port Tour will be conducted on the Saenuri or Jagalchi Cruises, with a total of three trips per day. Additionally, there will be boat tours around the North Port Waterfront Park, featuring Mini Boat (2 people), Moon Boat (3 people), Cinderella Boat (4 people), Car Boat (4 people), and Donut Boat (5 people), making it a great way for friends, couples, and families to enjoy the harbor’s charm.

All Busan Port tours and boat tours, except for the Jagalchi Cruise, will be free. On-site registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, making it an excellent opportunity for young people with more time than money. On June 1st, there will be spectacular programs, including performances by famous singers, a fireworks show, and a Dong-gu drone art show featuring 1,200 drones.

■Centum Beer Festival

The Centum Beer Festival, where visitors can enjoy unlimited refreshing beer, will be held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu from May 30th to June 9th. For 11 days, from 6pm to 10pm, 1,000 commemorative cups will be given out daily on a first-come, first-served basis, with 3,000 cups available on the festival’s opening day.

The festival will feature various performances by dance teams, including cover dance, musical gala show, and outdoor EDM with DJs. With a variety of food and citizen-participation activities, it is perfect for university students to enjoy an exotic early summer night in the city with friends. The entrance fee is 20,000 won.

■Haeundae Sand Festival

Although the 2024 Haeundae Sand Festival ended on May 27th, the sand sculpture exhibition will continue at Haeundae Square until June 9th. This year’s theme is “World Art Museum Tour,” featuring sand sculptures that highlight the unique characteristics of the region. The exhibition will show 12 large sand sculptures created by 12 artists from Korea, the US, Canada, China, and Russia, etc.

Compared to the 14 sand sculptures displayed last year, this year’s exhibition has increased to 20, offering a more diverse viewing experience. Notably, it features 3D displays of artworks such as Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam,” Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” against the backgrounds of the Vatican Museums, the Orsay Museum, and the Louvre Museum, the three major museums in the world. Other locally and internationally notable works include “The Birth of Venus,” “The Last Supper,” “The Gleaners,” “Guernica,” Kim Hong-Do’s “Ssireum (Korean Traditional Wrestling),” Shin Yun-Bok’s “Miindo (A Beautiful Woman),” presented in various forms such as relief and bas-relief.

Reporter Jo Ye-Na

Translated by Thadar-Soe