what to do

BUSAN, South Korea -- The first weekend in May brings tons of events around the city, as Cinco de Mayo fever hits town. It is also Children's Day in Korea this weekend, one of the bigger holidays every year, so plan for a lot of traffic as many families will be out celebrating because of a promising the forecast.

There's plenty of stuff to do this weekend, so check out the Haps Calendar to find out everything you need to know and where to go to make the most of your weekend. Here's a few events that caught our eye, though it's by no means all that's going on.

BUSAN, South Korea - It’s that time of year again to adorn the green and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Busan. Though there aren’t any parades, there’s a lot of activities going on this year as the big event falls on a Saturday.

Here is a look at some of the events going on around Busan and around the local area. Put on your green and head out for a night of fun and a bit o’ the Irish this Saturday. More listings will be added during the week as we find out about them, so check regularly for the latest updates.

BUSAN, South Korea - An international cruise ship that will tour Northeast Asia using Busan Port as its mother port will begin operating from February 3. The city has attracted the ship from Harmony Cruise Ltd. For the new cruise, it will use a 26,000-ton ship rented from Greece that has been renamed the Harmony Princess. The ship has nine floors, each about the size of two soccer fields. It has 383 rooms and can accommodate 1,393 people (1,000 passengers and 393 staff). It is a traditional European-style cruise ship with a swimming pool, casino, buffet, large theater, fitness club, spa and kids’ club.

Harmony Cruise said it will operate the China (Shanghai, Beijing, Hainan, Tianjin), Japan (Fukuoka, Osaka, Nagasaki, Kagoshima), Russia (Vladivostok) and Korea (Incheon, Yeosu, Jeju and more) route once a week, with Busan Port as its home base.

BUSAN, South Korea - There’s plenty to do around the city this New Year’s - from the traditional to the local bar and club scene or a quiet sunrise on the beach. Around one million visitors and locals hit the city’s festivals, which turn into the city’s largest winter gathering. The Dadaepo Sunrise Festival, the Haeundae Beach Sunrise Festival and the traditional “Bell of Hope”, “Bell of Love” and “Bell of Peace” ringing 11 times each at Yongdusan Park ring in the new year with a slew of concerts and activities for the family. 

The citizens’ bell ringing ceremony will be held in Yongdusan Park at 11 p.m. on the 31st along with a music concert, a New Year’s greeting, the lighting of the hope flame, and the singing of the Busan anthem.