Festivals in Chungcheongnam-do

South Chungcheong's year starts below Chilgapsan in Cheongyang, where a village builds giant ice fountains and sled runs from late December to February. Taean's tulip festival fills the coast in April and the Boryeong mud festival takes over Daecheon Beach in summer. Then comes a run of autumn festivals: the Baekje cultural festival across Gongju and Buyeo, Cheonan's world dance festival, the ginseng festival in Geumsan, the Seosan Haemieupseong Festival inside a Joseon-era walled town in late September or October, Yesan's market festival in late October and, at the turn of November, Hongseong's barbecue festival. From late summer into autumn, Namdang Port in Hongseong sells king prawns at fixed festival prices.

On now, coming up and expected

Deep-fried king prawns at the 2015 Namdang Port King Prawn Festival in Hongseong

Happening now

Sep – Nov2026

4 –8

Fri–Sun

FoodHongseongFreeUntil 8 Nov

Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival

The Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival (홍성남당항 대하축제) is a two-month seafood festival at Namdang Port on Cheonsu Bay in Seobu-myeon, Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, where the port's restaurants and stalls sell in-season daeha prawns, usually salt-grilled, with weekend shows and bare-hand prawn catching. The 31st edition runs 4 September–8 November 2026, 09:00–24:00, with free entry; prawns are sold at one festival price of ₩45,000 per kg to take away or ₩60,000 per kg in restaurants.

Happening now

Oct2026

10 –31

Sat–Sat

ArtsSeocheonFreeEnds todayAbout 3 h 20 min from Seoul

Janghang 1931 Night Tour

Janghang 1931 Night Tour is a new evening culture event, first held in 2026, at the old Janghang Station in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong, a 1930 railway station that is now a culture space called Janghang Urban Exploration Station. It runs on four evenings only, 17:00–21:00 on 10, 17, 30 and 31 October 2026, each with its own theme drawn from the port town's modern history; the last two are Friday 30 October (old-style tearoom café night) and Saturday 31 October (food night).

A gate of Hongjueupseong, the old walled town in Hongseong where the festival is held

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

29 –1

Thu–Sun

FoodHongseongFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 2 h 10 min from Seoul

Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival

The Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival (홍성글로벌바비큐페스티벌) is a four-day barbecue and meat festival held in and around Hongju-eupseong, the walled old town in the centre of Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, with grill zones, visiting barbecue teams, discounted local beef and pork, and evening concerts. Hongseong County has confirmed the fourth edition for Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November 2026.

Sunrise over Yedang Reservoir, where the festival is held, seen from Bongsusan in October 2014

Happening now

Oct2026

30 –31

Fri–Sat

FoodYesanFreeEnds todayAbout 1 h 55 min from Seoul

Yesan Apple Festival

The Yesan Apple Festival (예산사과축제) is a free two-day harvest festival for the apples of Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, held in 2026 around the Yedangho suspension bridge, a 402 m footbridge over Yedang Reservoir. The 23rd edition runs Friday 30 October (10:00–20:00) and Saturday 31 October 2026 (10:00–18:00), with a discounted growers' apple sale, apple games, music and fireworks over the lake.

Expected

Expected2026

Nov / Dec

usual window

NatureSeocheonAbout 3 h 15 min from Seoul

Seocheon Migratory Bird Festival

The Seocheon Migratory Bird Festival (서천철새여행, 'Seocheon bird journey') is a small weekend festival at the Seocheon Bird Ecology Center by the Geum River estuary barrage in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, where the county says about 500,000 birds of some 40 species winter each year. It runs guided birdwatching tours, family booths and shows.

Cheonjangho Lake frozen over in winter, with its red-towered suspension bridge, near the Alps Village festival site

Expected

Expected2026

Dec / Jan / Feb

usual window

FamilyCheongyangAbout 3 h from Seoul

Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival

The Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival (칠갑산 얼음분수축제) is a village-run winter festival at Alps Village (Cheonjang-ri) below Chilgapsan in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do, where about 90 giant ice fountains, snow sculptures of cartoon characters and snow and ice sledding make a family day out, about three hours from Seoul by bus. The 2025–26 season, its 18th, ran 24 December 2025–22 February 2026; the 2026–27 season is expected from late December 2026 (in past years the full programme opened on 1 January) to mid or late February 2027, with dates not yet announced.

Tulip beds at the 2019 festival, then held at Korea Flower Park on Anmyeondo

Expected

Expected2027

Apr / May

usual window

NatureTaeanAbout 2 h 7 min from Seoul

Taean World Tulip Festival

The Taean World Tulip Festival (태안 세계튤립꽃박람회, officially a 'world tulip flower expo') is Korea's best-known tulip show: about five weeks of millions of tulips in themed coastal gardens in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do, a little over two hours from Seoul by express bus. The 2026 edition ran 1 April–6 May at Nature World in Mageompo, Namyeon-myeon, after nine years (2017–2025) at Korea Flower Park beside Kkotji Beach on Anmyeondo; 2027 dates and venue are not announced, but early April to early May is the pattern.

Festival-goers dancing in a shower of foam at the Boryeong Mud Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

NatureBoryeongAbout 2 h 50 min from Seoul

Boryeong Mud Festival

The Boryeong Mud Festival is a 17-day summer event at Mud Plaza on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, about 2 h 40 m by train from Seoul. The 29th edition ran 24 July–9 August 2026; the 30th is expected in late July 2027.

Lights along the Geumgang River below Gongsanseong Fortress at night during the 70th Baekje Cultural Festival in Gongju

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

TraditionBuyeo and GongjuFreeAbout 2 h 20 min from Seoul

Baekje Cultural Festival

The Baekje Cultural Festival is a nine- or ten-day heritage festival held at the same time in Buyeo and Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, the two former capitals of the Baekje kingdom. The 72nd edition ran 3–11 October 2026 with free admission; Buyeo events ran 10:00–22:00 and Gongju 11:00–22:00.

Dancers in bright costumes in the street parade of the 2014 Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

ArtsCheonanFreeAbout 40 min from Seoul

Cheonan World Dance Festival

Cheonan World Dance Festival (천안흥타령춤축제) is a free five-day dance festival in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, an hour south of Seoul, built around an international dance competition and an evening street parade. The 2026 edition ran 1–5 October at Cheonan Stadium and Cheonan Samgeori Park and drew 992,000 visitors; 2027 is expected in late September or early October.

Visitors filling the festival streets of the 2009 Geumsan Ginseng Festival, seen from above

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

FoodGeumsanAbout 1 h 50 min from Seoul

Geumsan World K-Insam Festival

Geumsan World K-Insam Festival (금산세계인삼축제) is a free ten-day ginseng festival held each autumn at the World K-Insam Expo Square in Geumsan, Chungcheongnam-do, about 50 minutes by bus from Daejeon. The 2026 edition ran 2–11 October (10:00–21:00) and drew 1.17 million visitors; 2027 is expected in early October.

The main gate of Haemieupseong Fortress in Seosan, the festival's venue

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

TraditionSeosanFreeAbout 1 h 35 min from Seoul

Seosan Haemieupseong Festival

The Seosan Haemieupseong Festival is a free history festival of three or four days inside Haemieupseong, a walled Joseon-era fortress town completed in 1421 in Haemi-myeon, Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, with royal procession re-enactments, martial-arts shows, hands-on Joseon activities and night media art on the walls. The 23rd edition ran 9–11 October 2026; the 2027 dates are not announced, but the festival is usually held in late September or early to mid October.

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodYesanFreeAbout 1 h 55 min from Seoul

Yesan Market Samguk Festival

The Yesan Market Samguk Festival (예산장터 삼국축제) is a free four-day food festival in and around Yesan Permanent Market in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, built on three things whose Korean names start with "guk": gukbap (rice soup), guksu (noodles) and gukhwa (chrysanthemums). The 10th edition runs 22–25 October 2026, 10:00–20:00 daily.

Listed · not checkedAlso listed, not checked yet6 more festivals listed by the Korea Tourism Organization

These come straight from the Korea Tourism Organization’s public festival database. We have not checked them against the organizer, so dates and details can be wrong or out of date. Confirm on the official page before you book.

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