Light makes no sound. For three days from June 5 to 7, a firefly ecology program and the Environment Day festival "Fantasy Hwaseong" will be held in succession in Anteo Village in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, and around Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Opening on June 5, Environment Day, the two events put the light and waterways of early summer nights front and center.
Night in Anteo Village begins by turning off the flashlights. Fireflies survive their larval stage only where the water is clear and the soil is alive. The visit is a walk to see the conditions the village has kept.
Hwaseong also has a daytime face. "Fantasy Hwaseong," as its Environment Day name suggests, fills three days with the theme of early summer waterways and night light.
Protecting a single light is more troublesome than it seems. When pesticides run into the stream, the marsh snails the larvae feed on disappear first, and when one more streetlight goes on, the signals used to find a mate are buried. The years in which residents chose to dim their lights at night and leave the waterside alone have made this scene that returns each summer.
When crowds arrive, that balance wavers. The more visitors there are, the thinner the darkness the village has kept.
So this night calls for some know-how. Turning off phone screens and flashlights, avoiding bright clothing and strongly scented cosmetics, staying on the path instead of entering the grass. Keeping voices down is the same.
Seen as a case of a local community managing its own assets, the character of this festival shifts a little. Decisions not to interfere and promises not to use have accumulated into a process passed on to the next generation. The firefly is an indicator that makes those results visible every summer night.
The weather is a variable. On nights with rain or strong wind, the lights are hard to see. It is better to check the guidance from the local government and the village before visiting.
It takes time for the eyes to adjust to the dark, and only for those who wait out that time do the green points along the stream appear one by one. After three days the lights scatter and the village goes quiet.
Event Information
Dates: June 5 (Fri) - 7 (Sun), 2026
Venues: Anteo Village, Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province; around Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province
Events: Firefly ecology program, Environment Day festival "Fantasy Hwaseong"
