Chungcheongnam-do in September Festivals, dates and what's on

Chungcheongnam-do has 5 festivals in September: Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival (4 Sep – 8 Nov 2026), Baekje Cultural Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Cheonan World Dance Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Geumsan World K-Insam Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027), and Seosan Haemieupseong Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027). 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.

Typical September weather (average high/low): Buyeo and Gongju 27/16 °C (80/61 °F); Cheonan 26/15 °C (79/59 °F); Geumsan 26/15 °C (79/59 °F). Source: KMA normals.

At a glance

Festival	Dates	Admission	Nearest station	Status
Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival홍성남당항 대하축제	4 Sep – 8 Nov 2026	Free entry	Hongseong Station	Happening now
Baekje Cultural Festival백제문화제	Expected Sep/Oct 2027	Free entry	Buyeo Intercity Bus Terminal (no railway station in Buyeo); Gongju Bus Terminal for the Gongju program	Expected
Cheonan World Dance Festival천안흥타령춤축제	Expected Sep/Oct 2027	Free entry	Cheonan Station	Expected
Geumsan World K-Insam Festival금산세계인삼축제	Expected Sep/Oct 2027	Free + paid activities	Daejeon Station (nearest rail; Geumsan has no railway)	Expected
Seosan Haemieupseong Festival서산해미읍성축제	Expected Sep/Oct 2027	Free entry	See festival page	Expected

Dates marked “expected” follow the organizer's usual pattern and are replaced when the official announcement comes. Each festival page lists the sources.

Weather in September

Festival town	Average high	Average low	Rain	Measured at
Buyeo and Gongju	27 °C 80 °F	16 °C 61 °F	146 mm	Buyeo
Cheonan	26 °C 79 °F	15 °C 59 °F	146 mm	Cheonanabout 15 km away
Geumsan	26 °C 79 °F	15 °C 59 °F	131 mm	Geumsan

What to wear. Comfortable: light layers.

Monthly averages, not a forecast. Source: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, via the KMA-sourced climate tables for Buyeo, Cheonan, Geumsan. Where a festival town has no station with published normals, the nearest one is used and its distance shown.

The festivals

All festivals in Chungcheongnam-do

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.

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.

September across Korea

All 39 festivals in September

September starts in the mountains: Muju's firefly festival takes visitors on guided night walks to see fireflies in a protected habitat in the first half of the month, and Bongpyeong in Pyeongchang holds the Hyoseok Culture Festival among white buckwheat fields for ten days. Hanwha's Seoul International Fireworks Festival over the Han River falls on a Saturday between early September and mid-October. In odd-numbered years the Cheongju Craft Biennale opens in early September (2 September–31 October in 2027), and in even-numbered years Gyeonggi's ceramics biennale opens in Icheon, Gwangju and Yeoju. Namdang Port in Hongseong sells king prawns from late August or early September into October or November. The main autumn season starts late in the month: Andong's mask-dance festival, the Baekje cultural festival in Gongju and Buyeo, Cheonan's world dance festival, Geumsan's ginseng festival, the Jeongseon Arirang Festival and Suwon's Hwaseong fortress festival all open between the third week of September and the first week of October, and several overlap the Chuseok holiday.

Tip. Chuseok (the harvest holiday) moves each year; festivals that overlap it are busier, and intercity transport sells out.

Questions travelers ask

Is there a festival in Chungcheongnam-do in September?

When is Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival 2026?

4 Sep – 8 Nov 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Hongseong Station. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.

When is Baekje Cultural Festival 2027?

Expected Sep/Oct 2027. Expected. Free entry. Nearest station: Buyeo Intercity Bus Terminal (no railway station in Buyeo); Gongju Bus Terminal for the Gongju program. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

When is Cheonan World Dance Festival 2027?

Expected Sep/Oct 2027. Expected. Free entry. Nearest station: Cheonan Station. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

What is the weather like in Chungcheongnam-do in September?

Buyeo and Gongju: Average high 27 °C (80 °F), low 16 °C (61 °F), 146 mm of rain (Buyeo station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers. Cheonan: Average high 26 °C (79 °F), low 15 °C (59 °F), 146 mm of rain (Cheonan station, about 15 km away, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers. Geumsan: Average high 26 °C (79 °F), low 15 °C (59 °F), 131 mm of rain (Geumsan station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.

How do I get to Chungcheongnam-do?

Daecheon Station by Saemaeul train from Yongsan; Cheonan-Asan by KTX in 40 minutes; Buyeo by bus from Seoul Nambu Terminal.

What else is on in Korea in September?

39 festivals across Korea fall in September, including Andong Maskdance Festival, Busan International Film Festival, Yeongdo Bridge Festival. Chuseok (the harvest holiday) moves each year; festivals that overlap it are busier, and intercity transport sells out.