Gyeongsangnam-do has 9 festivals in October: Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo (22 Sep – 1 Nov 2026), Tripitaka Koreana Cultural Festival (9 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival (31 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Miryang Spicy Food Festival (31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Hwangmaesan Silver Grass Festival (expected Oct 2027), Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival (expected Oct 2027), Jirisan Walking Festival (expected Oct 2027), MAMF (Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival, expected Oct 2027), and Geoje Island Flower Festival (2026 edition cancelled). The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo is a 41-day dinosaur exhibition and show park at Danghangpo Tourist Site in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do, a county known for its dinosaur footprint fossils. Sometimes held in October, but not this time: Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival (6–10 Nov 2026).
Typical October weather in Jinju: average high 22 °C (72 °F), low 9 °C (48 °F), 68 mm of rain (Jinju station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).
| Festival | Dates | Admission | Nearest station | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo경남고성공룡세계엑스포 | 22 Sep – 1 Nov 2026 | Paid admission | Goseong Intercity Bus Terminal (Goseong has no railway station) | Happening now |
| Tripitaka Koreana Cultural Festival대장경기록문화축제 | 9 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 | From ₩5,000 | Seobu Bus Terminal Station (Daegu), then intercity bus | Happening now |
| Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival마산가고파국화축제 | 31 Oct – 8 Nov 2026 | Free entry | Masan Station | Happening now |
| Miryang Spicy Food Festival밀양 매운맛 축제 | 31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 | Free entry | Miryang Station | Happening now |
| Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival김해분청도자기축제 | 6–10 Nov 2026 | Free + paid activities | See festival page | Upcoming |
| Hwangmaesan Silver Grass Festival황매산 억새축제 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | See festival page | Expected |
| Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival진주남강유등축제 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free + paid activities | Jinju Station | Expected |
| Jirisan Walking Festival지리산걷기축제 ‘지리산소풍’ | Expected Oct 2027 | Paid admission | See festival page | Expected |
| MAMF (Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival)문화다양성축제 MAMF(맘프) | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | Changwon Jungang Station | Expected |
| Geoje Island Flower Festival거제섬꽃축제 | 2026 edition cancelled | Free entry | Gohyeon Bus Terminal (no railway on Geoje) | Cancelled |
Dates marked “expected” follow the organizer's usual pattern and are replaced when the official announcement comes. Each festival page lists the sources.
| Festival town | Average high | Average low | Rain | Measured at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jinju | 22 °C 72 °F | 9 °C 48 °F | 68 mm | Jinju |
What to wear. Mild days, cold evenings: a jacket for after dark.
Monthly averages, not a forecast. Source: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, via the KMA-sourced climate tables for Jinju. Where a festival town has no station with published normals, the nearest one is used and its distance shown.
The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo is a 41-day dinosaur exhibition and show park at Danghangpo Tourist Site in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do, a county known for its dinosaur footprint fossils. The 10th edition runs 22 September–1 November 2026, 09:00–18:00 (until 22:00 on night-opening days); gate tickets are ₩19,000 for adults and ₩13,000 for children, and parking is free.
The Tripitaka Koreana Cultural Festival (대장경기록문화축제) is Hapcheon County's autumn festival at the Tripitaka Koreana Theme Park in Gaya-myeon, Gyeongsangnam-do, about 5 km from Haeinsa Temple, where the 81,258 Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks are kept. The 2026 edition runs 9 October–1 November, 09:00–18:00, with autumn-flower sculptures, chrysanthemum bonsai, Tripitaka exhibitions and family craft workshops.
The Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival (마산가고파국화축제) is Changwon's free autumn flower festival on the Masan Port waterfront, where about 100,000 chrysanthemum plants are shaped into themed sculptures and displays at 3·15 Haeyang Nuri Park and Hapo Waterfront Park. The 26th edition runs 31 October–8 November 2026, 10:00–22:00, with multimedia fireworks on opening day and a sea nakhwa fire show at 19:00 on 4 November.
The Miryang Spicy Food Festival (밀양 매운맛 축제) is a free two-day festival of spicy food and heat challenges on the Miryang River riverside in Samun-dong, Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do, the city where Samyang Foods runs its Buldak noodle export plants. The first edition is on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, 11:00–21:00, with spicy food zones, a chef's table, a One Chip Challenge and a brand zone that includes Samyang.
The Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival (김해분청도자기축제) is a sale and showcase of buncheong stoneware by Gimhae potters, held every autumn since 1996. The 31st edition runs 6–10 November 2026, 10:00–20:00 (closing at 18:00 on Monday and Tuesday), and for the first time leaves its home in Jillye-myeon for Lotte Garden Park beside Lotte Premium Outlets Gimhae in Jangyu.
The Hwangmaesan Silver Grass Festival (황매산 억새축제) is a free nine-day festival in Hwangmaesan County Park in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, where about 60 ha of silver grass covers the Hwangmae Plain at about 900 m. The fifth edition runs 17–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00, with weekend performances and weekday activities; the next is expected in October 2027.
Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival fills the Namgang River below Jinjuseong Fortress in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, with floating and riverside lanterns for sixteen October nights. The 2026 edition ran 3–18 October (lanterns lit 18:00–24:00); 2027 is expected 2–17 October.
The Jirisan Walking Festival, or 'Jirisan Picnic' (지리산소풍), is a one-day group walk on the Jirisan Dulle-gil, the trail that circles Jirisan; it began in 2011 and moves between the counties around the mountain. The 2026 edition is on Saturday 24 October in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do: an approximately 12 km loop from Sancheong County Citizens' Park, 09:00–17:00, with check-in from 08:30.
MAMF (Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival, 문화다양성축제 맘프) is billed as Korea's largest cultural diversity festival: three free days of stage shows, world food and a street parade by migrant communities from more than 20 countries around Yongji Culture Park, Seongsan Art Hall and Jungang-daero in central Changwon. The 21st edition runs Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, 10:00–20:30, with Uzbekistan as guest country and the Cultural Diversity Parade on Sunday 25 October.
The Geoje Island Flower Festival (거제섬꽃축제) is a free autumn chrysanthemum festival at the Geoje Agricultural Development Center and the neighbouring Geoje Botanical Garden in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do; about 300,000 people came in 2025. The 20th edition, planned for 30 October–8 November 2026, was cancelled after record August rain flooded the grounds.
October is the busiest month on the calendar, and the festival to plan a trip around is the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival: sixteen nights of floating lanterns on the Namgang River below Jinju's fortress from the first Saturday of the month. The first half of October also brings the Busan International Film Festival, the Busan International Rock Festival on the first weekend, the Silla Culture Festival in Gyeongju, Anseong's Baudeogi festival of namsadang folk performance, Sejong's Hangeul festival from Hangeul Day (9 October), Yeongju's Punggi ginseng festival and fortress festivals at Seosan's Haemieupseong and Gochang's Moyangseong. Mid-month adds Jarasum Jazz, Icheon's rice festival, pine mushrooms and salmon in Yangyang, and silver grass on Haneul Park in Seoul and on Hwangmaesan. In the second half, the chrysanthemum shows open at Hampyeong and Iksan, Gangneung holds its coffee festival, Wonju fills its old downtown with dumpling stalls, and Busan marks UN Day (24 October) with the UN Peace Festival beside the UN Memorial Cemetery.
Tip. October weekends sell out hotels in Jinju and Busan a month ahead; the weekdays in between are the best time to visit.
Gyeongsangnam-do has 9 festivals in October: Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo (22 Sep – 1 Nov 2026), Tripitaka Koreana Cultural Festival (9 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival (31 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Miryang Spicy Food Festival (31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Hwangmaesan Silver Grass Festival (expected Oct 2027), Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival (expected Oct 2027), Jirisan Walking Festival (expected Oct 2027), MAMF (Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival, expected Oct 2027), and Geoje Island Flower Festival (2026 edition cancelled). The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo is a 41-day dinosaur exhibition and show park at Danghangpo Tourist Site in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do, a county known for its dinosaur footprint fossils. Sometimes held in October, but not this time: Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival (6–10 Nov 2026).
22 Sep – 1 Nov 2026. Happening now. Paid admission. Nearest station: Goseong Intercity Bus Terminal (Goseong has no railway station). Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
9 Oct – 1 Nov 2026. Happening now. From ₩5,000. Nearest station: Seobu Bus Terminal Station (Daegu), then intercity bus. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
31 Oct – 8 Nov 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Masan Station. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
Average high 22 °C (72 °F), low 9 °C (48 °F), 68 mm of rain (Jinju station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Mild days, cold evenings: a jacket for after dark.
KTX to Changwon Jungang for Jinhae; KTX-Sancheon to Jinju in about 3 h 30 m, or a bus from Busan Sasang in 1 h 30 m.
106 festivals across Korea fall in October, including Andong Maskdance Festival, Anseong Namsadang Baudeogi Festival, Baekje Cultural Festival. October weekends sell out hotels in Jinju and Busan a month ahead; the weekdays in between are the best time to visit.