Travel News: New K-culture festival launched in Jeju, three wheelchair users to win trips
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The inaugural 2025 Purple Festa festival aims to be more inclusive, with wheelchair-friendly activities.
PHOTO: JEJU TOURISM ORGANIZATION
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- 2025 Purple Festa, a K-culture festival, will debut on Jeju Island, South Korea, from September 12-13 with free music, art and market events.
- Sep 12 will be dedicated to BTS fans, including dance lessons and cover performances; Sep 13 will celebrate South Korean culture.
- Three BTS fans using wheelchairs, along with a companion each, will win round-trip flights to Jeju from Singapore.
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SINGAPORE – On Sept 12 and 13, the inaugural K-culture festival 2025 Purple Festa will be held on Jeju Island, South Korea.
Hosted by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and organised by Jeju Tourism Organization (JTO), the free festival will feature activities like music performances, an art exhibition and a flea market.
Jeju Island, known for its sprawling natural landscapes and fresh seafood, has received more international attention in recent years.
Not only was the popular Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) – starring South Korean A-listers IU and Park Bo-gum – filmed there, members of K-pop supergroup BTS have often visited the island for photo shoots, variety show filmings and leisure trips.
Ms Lim Yeeun, assistant manager at JTO, believes this boost in global visibility will make the festival appealing to an international audience. She adds that the programme is designed to be inclusive.
For example, a mini concert held on the first day will include a dedicated zone for wheelchair users, and the festival’s venues – garden cafe Veke and the historic Jeju-mok Government Office, a former political administration office – are step-free for easier access.
This focus on accessibility mirrors a broader movement in the live events industry.
Members of K-pop supergroup BTS have often visited Jeju Island for photo shoots, variety show filmings and leisure trips.
PHOTO: AFP
Around the world, other events such as Britain’s Glastonbury Festival and the United States’ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival have become more inclusive over the years, adding step-free access, having dedicated viewing platforms, and allowing guide dogs.
“Being accessible to all travellers is important to JTO. We hope everyone can comfortably enjoy what Jeju has to offer because every traveller is valuable to us,” says Ms Lim.
The first day of the festival is dedicated to BTS fans, with activities such as dance lessons to learn BTS choreography and a mini open-air concert featuring the band’s cover performances.
The second day’s programme celebrates South Korean culture, with highlights including playing traditional games and trying on costumes from popular animated film KPop Demon Hunters (2025).
Organisers have launched a special programme called the Equal Sign Tour, where three BTS fans who use wheelchairs, along with a companion each, will win round-trip flights to Jeju from Singapore and a four-day tour of the island. The cost of hotel accommodation and meals will be borne by the winners.
The itinerary includes visits to Udo Island – known for its beautiful scenery and sea caves – and Saryeoni Forest Trail, where visitors can admire tall Japanese cedar trees and cypress trees on a 550m-long trail.
The tour will also take the winners to popular sites previously visited by BTS members, like the restaurant Hyewon, famous for its Jeju black pork belly.
Interested participants can apply at str.sg/bEfW. The contest closes on Aug 20 and winners will be informed via e-mail by Aug 22.
Flights will be sponsored by South Korean low-cost carrier T’way Air, which is launching a new direct route from Singapore to Jeju, starting on Aug 15. One-way airfare in August starts from $215.20, based on checks by The Straits Times.
The airline’s regional manager Sun Wonkyu says the launch is a strategic move to diversify its portfolio of international routes.
“Singapore is a major aviation hub and key tourism market in South-east Asia, and we see this new route as a strategic opportunity to attract more Singapore travellers to Jeju, while strengthening South Korea-Singapore exchanges,” he adds.
On Sept 13, the festival will be held at the Jeju-mok Government Office, a former political administration office turned tourist attraction on the island.
PHOTO: JEJU TOURISM ORGANIZATION
Currently, Scoot is the only low-cost carrier to ply the non-stop route to Jeju from Singapore.
By adding its new route to the mix, T’way Air aims “to offer travellers a fresh alternative in a market with limited competition”, says Mr Sun.
According to data from JTO, the number of foreign travellers who visited Jeju Island nearly tripled between 2023 and 2024, from 709,350 to 1.9 million. The island is most popular among travellers from China, Japan and Singapore.
