Daejeon, an hour from Seoul by KTX, holds a free science festival at the Daejeon Convention Center and Expo Science Park in mid-April. It is also the bus gateway to festivals in nearby towns that have no railway: Geumsan, about 50 minutes away, holds its ginseng festival from late September to mid-October, and Muju, about 45 minutes away, its firefly festival in late August or early September. Sejong, next door, opens its Hangeul Festival on Hangeul Day, 9 October; Gongju shares the Baekje Cultural Festival with Buyeo from late September to mid-October; and Cheongju hosts the Craft Biennale every two years from early September. All three are nearby.
On now, coming up and expected
The Daejeon Science Festival is a free science fair run by Daejeon city with the Ministry of Science and ICT at Daejeon Convention Center and Expo Science Park, about an hour from Seoul by KTX. The 2026 edition ran 17–19 April, 10:00–18:00, together with the national Korea Science Festival; 2027 dates are not set.
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 We have not checked them against the organizer, so dates and details can be wrong or out of date.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.