▲ Fire and fireworks at the Jeju Fire Festival. Photo courtesy Jeju Tourism Office

Jeju Fire Festival, one of the biggest festivals on Jeju, is now only one month away! While the festival will run for four days, the highlight is the burning of Saebyeol Oreum which will place on the third day of the festival.

The festival will be held from March 1 to March 4. This year will be the 21st festival since it started in 1997.

The first day will have the theme “The fire of wishes, the day to meet.” On this day, various ceremonies will be held at places across Jeju including Jeju City Hall Square and Samseonghyeol.

On the second day, the theme will be “Wishes of field fire, the day to dream” and on this day Saebyeol Oreum will open and various experiences and activities will be held.

The third day is the main day of the festival and it is when Saebyeol Oreum will actually be set alight. There will also be a fireworks display. The theme of this festival is “Wishes of field fire, the day to ascend to the sky.”

The fourth and final day of the festival will see a number of programs take place at the festival location.

The festival is rooted in the tradition of burning old grass and vermin from the fields for cattle and horses and this time around the festival aims to tell the story of the link between the fire and the traditional pastoral (목축) culture. Hence the various different themes.

There will be a shuttle bus leaving from the various places across Jeju although, as of yet, no details have been confirmed. We will be sure to keep you updated when we have more information!