My family and friends traveled to Boryeong, South Korea this past weekend to play in the mud, literally.

The Boryeong Mud Festival is an annual festival celebrating the benefits of mud, bringing millions of people to an otherwise small town. Boryeong’s mud is high in Germanium and Bentonite which provide significant benefits to the human body. Time and again the quality of the mud cosmetics have been proven by prominent research institutions, including: Korean Research Institute of Standards and Science, Korean Research Institute of Chemical Technology. In 1998, the festival started as a platform to bring awareness to the public of the quality of Boryeong mud cosmetics. This tiny local festival has come of age and has grown into a world event, easily one of South Korea’s biggest festivals. Every July, the beach from end to end becomes obscured by the sheer number of festival goers.

We decided as a group – with six children in tow – that the best way to experience the festival is to arrive as soon as it opens: 9:30am. Parents should play in the adult area early before the crowds begin to swarm and while the youngsters are still clean. Then, hit the color mud tent and paint yourself rainbow. From there, head to the children’s area where the kids can play in the muck to their heart’s content.

By now the adult crowd (aka, young people old enough to drink but not yet mature enough to have children) is thickening, but no matter, you’ve already slid down the mud slides, hammered your hubby with inflatable mud swords, played soccer and tug of war in mud patties and had your picture taken in the mud jail.

When the kids have had their fill of child friendly slides, jumpy castles and paddle boats all slicked down with Boryeong’s famous mud, simply walk a few paces to the beach where you can “wash” it all off. Consider rounding off your visit with some beach time or by chowing down on the plethora of local food within fingertip’s reach.

If you decide to stay to watch the parade, fireworks or Black Eagles air show, keep in mind that as the day grows long, the throngs of young adults become more rowdy, and the music on the stage becomes less child friendly. We left around 2pm, which was perfect for our group of 10. Enjoy!