On the first day of the byeongo year (丙午年), the first place on the Korean Peninsula where the sun rises is Ganjeolgot in Ulju County, Ulsan. It is about five minutes earlier than Jeongdongjin in Gangneung, Gangwon, or Homigot in Pohang, North Gyeongsang. This year at Ganjeolgot, fireworks and 1,500 drones will fill the pre-dawn sky starting two hours before sunrise.
Ulju County will hold the "2026 Ganjeolgot sunrise festival" over two days from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 at Ganjeolgot Park in Seosaeng-myeon. It has prepared programs that can be enjoyed through the night from the last night of the year until the first sunrise of the new year.
In the park's outdoor exhibition space, works that reinterpret winter scenery as contemporary visual art will be installed. The nighttime landscape exhibition Red Snow, composed of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting and media art, adds the red energy of the new year to snow-covered winter scenes. It expresses the quiet of snowy landscapes by day and dynamic changes under red lighting by night. The exhibition runs from 4:30 p.m. on the 31st to 8 a.m. on the 1st.
The public art project Blooming (開化) is also being presented. Thirteen sculptures themed on the seasonal transition from winter to spring are on display and can be viewed at any time.
The sunrise festival begins with a night performance on the 31st. A year-end concert starts at 9:30 p.m., featuring popular singers such as Kim Hee-jae, Hwang Yun-seong, and Suguen, along with local artists. The show runs until midnight. After that, there will be an outdoor movie screening. From 1:10 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on the 1st, movies can be watched for free.
The Highlight of the event is the fireworks and drone light show. At 5 a.m. on the 1st, 1,500 drones will fly over Ganjeolgot, delivering new year's greetings and messages. A spectacle that will light up the pre-dawn sky with fireworks is planned.
Just before sunrise, the official sunrise event will also be held. From 7 a.m. on the 1st, a pre-ceremony performance, wish interviews, a sunrise performance, and a countdown will take place for about 45 minutes.
Food is not to be missed. From 6 p.m. on the 31st, booths selling Ulju specialties and food trucks will operate. From 6:10 a.m. on the 1st, there will also be a tteokguk sharing event. It's best to hurry, as everything runs until supplies last.
For safety during the event, some roads near Ganjeolgot will be controlled. Visitors must use designated parking lots, including Onyang Sports Park, Shinhan Heavy Industries, Jinha public parking lot and beach, the Energy Convergence Industrial Complex, and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) Saeul Headquarters.
Shuttle buses will also run between the parking lots and the event venue. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 31st, the Shinhan Heavy Industries, Jinha public parking lot, and Energy Industrial Complex routes will operate, and from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. on the 1st, a circulator shuttle will run. From 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. on the 1st, service will be concentrated on four routes. Pets are restricted from boarding the shuttle buses.
Even after the sunrise, Ganjeolgot is worth exploring. A coastal panorama blends dense pine groves and fantastically shaped rocks, and on the walking paths along the shore you can take in the sea breeze and an open view of the East Sea. The lawn plaza, lighthouse, and a large mailbox are also signature attractions.
Ulju County head Lee Sun-geol said, "I hope you will greet a hopeful new year at Ganjeolgot, the No. 1 sunrise spot in South Korea."