Gangwon in September Festivals, dates and what's on

Gangwon has 3 festivals in September: Naora Show (25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Hyoseok Culture Festival (expected Sep 2027), and Jeongseon Arirang Festival (expected Sep/Oct 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 September weather in Pyeongchang: average high 19 °C (67 °F), low 10 °C (51 °F), 250 mm of rain (Daegwallyeong (Pyeongchang) station, about 30 km away, KMA 1991–2020 normals).

At a glance

Festival	Dates	Admission	Nearest station	Status
Naora Show나오라쇼	25 Apr – 31 Oct 2026	Free entry	Seowonju Station	Happening now
Hyoseok Culture Festival효석문화제	Expected Sep 2027	Free entry	Pyeongchang Station	Expected
Jeongseon Arirang Festival정선아리랑제	Expected Sep/Oct 2027	Free entry	Jeongseon Station	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
Pyeongchang	19 °C 67 °F	10 °C 51 °F	250 mm	Daegwallyeong (Pyeongchang)about 30 km away

What to wear. Rainy: a rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that can get wet.

Monthly averages, not a forecast. Source: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, via the KMA-sourced climate tables for Daegwallyeong (Pyeongchang). 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.

A buckwheat field in Bongpyeong, the festival's setting

Expected

Expected2027

Sep

usual window

NaturePyeongchangFreeAbout 1 h 31 min from Seoul

Hyoseok Culture Festival

The Hyoseok Culture Festival (효석문화제) is a ten-day festival in Bongpyeong, Pyeongchang, Gangwon, held every September since 1999 among white buckwheat fields in the village that is the setting of Lee Hyo-seok's story "When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom". The 2026 edition ran 4–13 September, 10:00–17:00, with free entry (KTO); the 2027 dates are not announced, but ten days in early to mid September are expected.

Aerial view of the Arirang Center in Jeongseon-eup, the town where the festival is held, with mountains behind

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

MusicJeongseonFreeAbout 2 h 46 min from Seoul

Jeongseon Arirang Festival

The Jeongseon Arirang Festival (정선아리랑제) is a free four-day festival of Jeongseon Arirang, the Gangwon county's own form of Arirang, Korea's UNESCO-listed folk song, held around Jeongseon Public Stadium in Jeongseon-eup every year since 1976. The 51st edition ran 1–4 October 2026 with a mass Arirang chorus, drones and fireworks on opening night, a street parade and national singing contests; the 2027 edition is expected in late September or early October, with dates not yet announced.

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 Gangwon in September?

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 Hyoseok Culture Festival 2027?

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

When is Jeongseon Arirang Festival 2027?

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

What is the weather like in Pyeongchang in September?

Average high 19 °C (67 °F), low 10 °C (51 °F), 250 mm of rain (Daegwallyeong (Pyeongchang) station, about 30 km away, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Rainy: a rain jacket or umbrella and shoes that can get wet.

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 September?

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