Gangwon in May Festivals, dates and what's on

Gangwon has 3 festivals in May: Naora Show (25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Chuncheon Mime Festival (expected May 2027), and Gangneung Danoje Festival (expected May/Jun 2027). The Naora Show (나오라쇼, "Night of Light Show") is a free evening show at the Ganhyeon Tourist Area below Sogeumsan Grand Valley in Wonju, Gangwon: a media façade projected onto a river cliff about 250 m wide and 70 m high, with a music fountain that shoots up to 60 m.

Typical May weather in Gangneung: average high 23 °C (73 °F), low 13 °C (56 °F), 79 mm of rain (Gangneung station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).

At a glance

FestivalDatesAdmissionNearest stationStatus
Naora Show나오라쇼25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026Free entrySeowonju StationHappening now
Chuncheon Mime Festival춘천마임축제Expected May 2027Free + paid activitiesNamchuncheon Station (festival theatre); Chuncheon Station (Jungang-ro and night events)Expected
Gangneung Danoje Festival강릉단오제Expected May/Jun 2027Free entryGangneung StationExpected

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 May

Festival townAverage highAverage lowRainMeasured at
Gangneung23 °C 73 °F13 °C 56 °F79 mmGangneung

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 Gangneung. Where a festival town has no station with published normals, the nearest one is used and its distance shown.

The festivals

All festivals in Gangwon
Happening now
Apr – Oct2026
25 –31
Sat–Sat
LightsWonjuFreeEnds todayAbout 50 min from Seoul

Naora Show

The Naora Show (나오라쇼, "Night of Light Show") is a free evening show at the Ganhyeon Tourist Area below Sogeumsan Grand Valley in Wonju, Gangwon: a media façade projected onto a river cliff about 250 m wide and 70 m high, with a music fountain that shoots up to 60 m. The 2026 season runs 25 April–31 October on Saturdays and public holidays only (none in July and August), 19:50–21:00, so the last 2026 shows are on Saturday 24 and Saturday 31 October; the 2027 season is expected from late April.

Expected
Expected2027
May / Jun
usual window
ArtsChuncheonAbout 1 h 20 min from Seoul

Chuncheon Mime Festival

The Chuncheon Mime Festival (춘천마임축제) is an eight-day festival of mime, physical theatre, circus and street performance held across Chuncheon, Gangwon, every late May since 1989. It opens with a free water party on a closed city-centre street and ends with Dokkaebi Nanjang, an overnight show-and-party that runs from 14:00 to 05:00.

Masked performers staging the Gwanno mask drama, a Gangneung Danoje tradition, in front of an audience Expected
Expected2027
May / Jun
usual window음력 기준
TraditionGangneungFreeAbout 2 h from Seoul

Gangneung Danoje Festival

Gangneung Danoje is Korea's oldest surviving community festival, a UNESCO-listed eight-day event on the Namdaecheon riverside in Gangneung, Gangwon, built around Dano (5th day of the 5th lunar month). The 2026 edition ran 15–22 June; 2027 is expected 5–12 June, with Dano on 9 June.

May across Korea

All 20 festivals in May

Early May is a cluster of long public holidays, and several festivals are built around it: Boseong's tea fields and Damyang's bamboo forest hold their festivals over the first week, the Jeonju International Film Festival and the Namwon Chunhyang Festival run from the last days of April into early May, the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival closes on or just after Children's Day, and potters show and sell wood-fired tea bowls at the Mungyeong Chasabal Festival in the Mungyeong Saejae Open Set. The Gochang Green Barley Field Festival runs into early or mid May. The Yeon Deung Hoe lantern parade in Seoul lands in May in most years. In Busan, sand sculptures go up on Haeundae Beach in mid to late May, and the Gwangalli Eobang Festival recreates a Joseon fishing village on a weekend in May or June. From the fourth Sunday of the month, the Chuncheon Mime Festival fills Chuncheon with mime and street theatre for eight days. Gangneung's Danoje, Korea's oldest surviving festival, begins in late May or June depending on the lunar date.

Tip. Children's Day (5 May) and Buddha's Birthday can fall in the same week; expect full trains to the south-west.

Questions travelers ask

Is there a festival in Gangwon in May?

Gangwon has 3 festivals in May: Naora Show (25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Chuncheon Mime Festival (expected May 2027), and Gangneung Danoje Festival (expected May/Jun 2027). The Naora Show (나오라쇼, "Night of Light Show") is a free evening show at the Ganhyeon Tourist Area below Sogeumsan Grand Valley in Wonju, Gangwon: a media façade projected onto a river cliff about 250 m wide and 70 m high, with a music fountain that shoots up to 60 m.

When is Naora Show 2026?

25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Seowonju Station. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.

When is Chuncheon Mime Festival 2027?

Expected May 2027. Expected. Free + paid activities. Nearest station: Namchuncheon Station (festival theatre); Chuncheon Station (Jungang-ro and night events). The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

When is Gangneung Danoje Festival 2027?

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

What is the weather like in Gangneung in May?

Average high 23 °C (73 °F), low 13 °C (56 °F), 79 mm of rain (Gangneung station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.

How do I get to Gangwon?

KTX from Seoul Station to Gangneung in about 2 hours; Hwacheon by intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal.

What else is on in Korea in May?

20 festivals across Korea fall in May, including Boseong Green Tea Festival, Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour, Damyang Bamboo Festival. Children's Day (5 May) and Buddha's Birthday can fall in the same week; expect full trains to the south-west.