A spectacle of around 400 maple varieties ... Hwadam Botanic Garden’s Autumn Foliage Festival opens on the 23rd

Hwadam Botanic Garden, an ecological arboretum in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, will hold its “2026 Autumn Foliage Festival” from the 23rd through the 15th of next month.
Some 400 varieties of maple trees—including Naejangdanpung, dangdanpung and Norway maple—grow across Hwadam Botanic Garden’s approximately 50,000-pyeong grounds. Visitors can enjoy the varied autumn scenery while comparing the different leaf shapes and colors of each variety.
Visitors can explore major themed areas along the forest trails, including Promise Bridge, Birch Forest, Pine Garden, Bonsai Garden and Rock Garden. The monorail offers a comfortable view of the forest ridges and clusters of maple trees.
To ensure a comfortable visit during the festival, admission will be limited to about 1,000 people per hour and 11,000 per day. Admission tickets must be reserved in advance, and monorail rides require a separate reservation. Tickets for departures from platforms 2 and 3, but not platform 1, may also be purchased on site, subject to availability.
Performances and interactive events will also take place throughout the forest trails. “Music at Hwadam Botanic Garden” performances will be held every weekend from the 24th through November 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The “Acorn Explorers Photo Event” will also be held: visitors who take photos with squirrel sculptures installed in the Moss Garden, Tammae Garden and other areas, then post them on social media with the designated hashtag, will receive a souvenir. 
Meanwhile, visitors can see “The Life of a Bird,” a special exhibition created in collaboration with the National Institute of Biological Resources, at Hwadamchae, a cultural complex. Fall souvenirs, including diffusers infused with the scent of maple trees and acorn-shaped madeleines, are also on sale at the Hwadam Botanic Garden café and the Gonjiam Resort gift shop.
[email protected] Jeong Sun-min Reporter