What's On
Korea runs on a festival calendar — lanterns in spring, fireworks over Busan in autumn, village markets that appear for one week and vanish. We keep this page to the events our team would actually route an itinerary around, for the months ahead.
September 2026
Sep 4 – Sep 13, 2026
Bongpyeong · Gangwon-do
Staged each autumn in Bongpyeong, the setting of Lee Hyo-seok's classic novella "When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom," this festival honors the writer amid fields of white buckwheat blossoms. Visitors can join literary programmes such as essay and poetry events and bookmaking, and attend intimate evening literary and music performances. The blooming fields surrounding the village are the main draw.
Sep 18 – Nov 1, 2026
Icheon · Yeoju · Gwangju · Gyeonggi-do
This biennale spreads exhibitions and educational programmes across Gyeonggi's ceramic towns of Icheon, Yeoju, and Gwangju. Visitors can view contemporary and traditional ceramic works and take part in pottery-related activities across multiple venues.
Sep 19 – Sep 20, 2026
Ttukseom Hangang Park · Seoul
Held across Ttukseom Hangang Park and Seoul Forest, this outdoor festival presents street and performance art in riverside and park settings. The programme mixes Korean companies with international acts from countries such as France, Lithuania, and Chile.
Sep 19 – Oct 6, 2026
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress · Gyeonggi-do
A nighttime event set against the UNESCO-listed Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, using light, video, and performance to create immersive installations tracing the site's history. Concentrated around Hwahongmun Gate and Jangan Park, it offers interactive works and visual displays best experienced after dark.
Sep 24 – Oct 4, 2026
Andong · Gyeongsangbuk-do
This festival showcases Korea's UNESCO-listed mask dance traditions alongside masked performances from around the world. Programs include stage shows, parades, the World Maskplay Competition, and communal celebrations, offering visitors a close look at both local and international masking traditions.
October 2026
Oct 1 – Oct 4, 2026
Jeongseon · Gangwon-do
Dedicated to Jeongseon Arirang, part of the UNESCO-listed folk-song tradition, this festival blends traditional and contemporary performances with parades, exhibitions, and hands-on programmes. Local residents play an active role in its planning, giving visitors an authentic look at the region's musical heritage.
Oct 2 – Oct 5, 2026
Namsadang Performance Hall · Gyeonggi-do
Anseong is the home of the Namsadang itinerant performance troupes of the Joseon era, and this CIOFF-affiliated festival carries on their tradition and the legacy of Baudeogi, the first woman to lead such a troupe. The main draw is live Namsadang Nori acrobatics, music, and folk entertainment, alongside related stage shows.
Oct 2 – Oct 11, 2026
Ginseng Plaza · Chungcheongnam-do
Set in Geumsan, a town with over 1,500 years of ginseng cultivation, this festival lets visitors engage with ginseng in nearly every form. Hands-on options include digging fresh ginseng, red ginseng facial masks and foot baths, while the International Ginseng Trade Fair and market stalls offer roots and products at competitive prices. Food vendors across the grounds serve dishes made with ginseng and medicinal herbs.
Oct 2 – Oct 11, 2026
Donguibogam Village · Gyeongsangnam-do
Held in Sancheong at the foot of Jirisan, a mountain home to over 1,000 species of medicinal plants, this festival centers on Korea's traditional herbal medicine tradition tied to Heo Jun and his Donguibogam. Visitors can receive treatments such as acupuncture at on-site Korean medicine clinics, and the main square becomes an herbal garden with tea-tasting spots, herbal flower-pot making, and hands-on activities like preparing herbal rice puffs.
Oct 3 – Oct 18, 2026
Namgang River · Gyeongsangnam-do
Rooted in a 400-year-old custom dating to the 1592 Siege of Jinju, this lantern festival illuminates the Namgang River after sunset. Thousands of floating and standing lanterns—traditional, wish, religious, and custom designs—light up the water, accompanied by fireworks and evening performances. Food trucks serving international dishes line the riverbanks.
Oct 4 – Oct 11, 2026
Suwon Hwaseong Fortress · Gyeonggi-do
Centered on the UNESCO-listed Hwaseong Fortress, this festival brings King Jeongjo's 1795 royal procession to life through performances and cultural programmes drawn from historical records. Its highlight is Korea's largest royal parade reenactment, in which visitors can join alongside costumed participants within the fortress setting.
Oct 4, 2026
Central Seoul to Suwon · Seoul
This large-scale reenactment recreates King Jeongjo's 1795 procession from Seoul to Suwon, staged for his mother's 60th birthday. Based on the detailed records of the Wonhaeng Eulmyo Jeongni Uigwe, the parade features period costumes, ceremonial displays, and traditional performances as it moves through Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Suwon, and Hwaseong.
Oct 9 – Oct 11, 2026
Haemieupseong Walled Town · Chungcheongnam-do
Held within a 600-year-old fortress, this festival pairs the historic ramparts with light, music, and performances. Daytime programmes invite picnicking and stage shows, while after dark the walled town is illuminated for evening strolls through the grounds.
Oct 14 – Oct 18, 2026
Chuncheon · Gangwon-do
This food festival celebrates Chuncheon's two signature dishes: dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and makguksu (chilled buckwheat noodles). Booths across the venue serve both specialties, with tastings and hands-on activities that let visitors sample the local flavours.
Oct 21 – Oct 25, 2026
Anmok Coffee Street · Gangwon-do
Gangneung's reputation as a coffee city anchors this seaside festival, held among its beachfront cafes. Roasters and manufacturers host tastings, and the opening features 100 baristas brewing hand-drip coffee side by side for visitors to sample. Competitions in latte art, hand drip, and roasting run throughout, along with a stamp trail across participating cafes.
Oct 23 – Oct 25, 2026
Gwangju
This festival highlights Gwangju's role in Korea's kimchi culture, with a wide range of kimchi products to buy and dishes to taste. Programs include the large communal "Thousand People's Table," a kimchi master competition, and a hands-on kimchi-making school.
November 2026
Nov 5 – Nov 7, 2026
Jeju Olle Trail · Jeju
Held each November when Jeju's landscapes are at their best, this three-day event invites participants to walk the island's Olle coastal and rural trails. Along the way, walkers encounter concerts by the sea, traditional Jeju performances, village activities, and local dishes made from regional produce and seafood. It draws roughly 10,000 walkers annually, including a growing number from abroad.
January 2027
Jan 9 – Jan 31, 2027
Hwacheoncheon Stream · Gangwon-do
Each January, the frozen Hwacheoncheon Stream in Gangwon-do hosts one of Korea's best-known winter events, recognized by CNN as one of its Seven Wonders of Winter. Visitors drill holes in the ice to fish for sancheoneo (mountain trout), which can be eaten on-site as sashimi or grilled. Additional activities include ice and snow sledding, making it a full-day outing that draws over a million visitors annually.
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