Jeollanam-do in October Festivals, dates and what's on

Jeollanam-do has 11 festivals in October: Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (4 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Namdo K-Garden Festival (11 Sep – 31 Oct 2026), National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan, Yeosu (9 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Hampyeong Grand Chrysanthemum Festival (23 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival (24 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Haenam Minam Festival (30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Mokpo National Heritage Night (30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Wolchulsan Chrysanthemum Festival (30 Oct – 15 Nov 2026), Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival (expected Oct 2027), Suncheon Naganeupseong Folk Culture Festival (expected Oct 2027), and Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival (2027 dates to be announced · usually Oct). The Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (고흥 녹동항 드론쇼) is a free drone light show over Nokdong Port in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, with Sorok Bridge behind it, held every Saturday at 21:00 from 4 April to 31 October 2026 (900 drones, busking from 20:00) and on the last Friday of each month in Goheung-eup. Sometimes held in October, but not this time: Jirisan Piagol Autumn Foliage Festival (7–8 Nov 2026).

At a glance

FestivalDatesAdmissionNearest stationStatus
Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show고흥 녹동항 드론쇼4 Apr – 31 Oct 2026Free entrySuncheon Station (KTX), then bus to NokdongHappening now
Namdo K-Garden Festival남도 K-가든 페스티벌11 Sep – 31 Oct 2026Free entryYeosu EXPO StationHappening now
National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan, Yeosu국가유산 미디어아트 여수 진남관9 Oct – 8 Nov 2026Free entryYeosu EXPO StationHappening now
Hampyeong Grand Chrysanthemum Festival대한민국 국향대전23 Oct – 8 Nov 2026Free entryHampyeong Station (Honam Line, Saemaeul and Mugunghwa trains)Happening now
Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival강진만 춤추는 갈대축제24 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Free entryGangjin Station (Mokpo–Boseong line, opened September 2025)Happening now
Haenam Minam Festival해남미남축제30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Free + paid activitiesGwangju Songjeong Station (KTX), then bus via Gwangju U-SquareHappening now
Mokpo National Heritage Night목포 국가유산야행30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Free entryMokpo StationHappening now
Wolchulsan Chrysanthemum Festival월출산 국화축제30 Oct – 15 Nov 2026Free entryGwangju Songjeong Station (KTX), then a bus from Gwangju U-SquareHappening now
Jirisan Piagol Autumn Foliage Festival지리산 피아골 단풍축제7–8 Nov 2026Price not publishedGuryegu StationUpcoming
Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival세계문화유산 화순 고인돌 가을꽃 축제Expected Oct 2027Paid admissionSotae Station (Gwangju Metro Line 1), then bus 218 or taxiExpected
Suncheon Naganeupseong Folk Culture Festival순천 낙안읍성 민속문화축제Expected Oct 2027Paid admissionSuncheon StationExpected
Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival섬진강국제실험예술제2027 dates to be announced · usually OctFree entryGuryegu StationDates TBA

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

The festivals

All festivals in Jeollanam-do
Nokdong Coastal Ferry Terminal at Nokdong Port in Goheung, where the drone show is held Happening now
Apr – Oct2026
4 –31
Sat–Sat
LightsGoheungFreeEnds todayAbout 4 h 40 min from Seoul

Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show

The Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (고흥 녹동항 드론쇼) is a free drone light show over Nokdong Port in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, with Sorok Bridge behind it, held every Saturday at 21:00 from 4 April to 31 October 2026 (900 drones, busking from 20:00) and on the last Friday of each month in Goheung-eup. As of 19 October 2026 the season's last shows are Saturday 24 October, Friday 30 October (Goheung-eup) and Saturday 31 October; the 2027 season is expected from April.

Happening now
Sep – Oct2026
11 –31
Fri–Sat
NatureYeosuFreeEnds todayAbout 3 h from Seoul

Namdo K-Garden Festival

The Namdo K-Garden Festival is a provincial garden festival that Jeollanam-do started in 2025 and moves between counties; the 2026 edition is a free night garden show of about 40 gardens on Yeomun Culture Street and Yeoseo Mikwan Plaza in central Yeosu. It runs every day from 11 September to 31 October 2026, 15:00–21:00, with the gardens lit after dark.

Jinnamgwan, the long 1599 naval hall in Yeosu and a National Treasure, seen across its lawn Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
9 –8
Fri–Sun
LightsYeosuFreeUntil 8 NovAbout 3 h from Seoul

National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan, Yeosu

National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan is a free evening light show in Yeosu's old harbour district: projections and media façades on Jinnamgwan, a 1599 naval hall and National Treasure, on the Gosodae memorial site and on the turtle-ship replica in Yi Sun-sin Square tell the story of Admiral Yi Sun-sin. It runs 9 October–8 November 2026, 19:30–21:30 nightly except Tuesdays and special closure days around the 19 October Yeosu–Suncheon memorial, with an AI 'Yi Sun-sin', a stamp tour and weekend flea markets.

Chrysanthemum displays around a pond at Hampyeong Expo Park during the 2012 festival Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
23 –8
Fri–Sun
NatureHampyeongFreeUntil 8 NovAbout 3 h from Seoul

Hampyeong Grand Chrysanthemum Festival

The Hampyeong Grand Chrysanthemum Festival (대한민국 국향대전) fills Hampyeong Expo Park in Hampyeong, Jeollanam-do, with giant chrysanthemum sculptures, bonsai halls and autumn flower fields. The 2026 edition, themed 'Chrysanthemum Garden of Myths', runs 23 October–8 November, 10:00–18:00.

A boardwalk through the reed beds of Gangjin Bay Ecological Park, the festival's venue Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
24 –1
Sat–Sun
NatureGangjinFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 4 h 27 min from Seoul

Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival

The Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival (강진만 춤추는 갈대축제) is a free nine-day autumn festival in the reed beds of Gangjin Bay Ecological Park in Gangjin, Jeollanam-do, where the Tamjin River estuary meets the sea. The 11th edition runs 24 October–1 November 2026, 10:00–19:00 daily, with guided eco walks, children's programs and weekend concerts (Song Ga-in on 25 October).

The Duryunsan cable car in Haenam, close to the provincial park lawn where the festival is held Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
30 –1
Fri–Sun
FoodHaenamEnds tomorrowAbout 4 h 46 min from Seoul

Haenam Minam Festival

The Haenam Minam Festival (해남미남축제; 'minam', 味南, means 'taste of the south') is a three-day food festival of Haenam's farm and sea produce, held in Duryunsan Provincial Park on the road to Daeheungsa Temple in Haenam, Jeollanam-do. Haenam County has announced the 2026 edition for Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, with Haenam rice as its theme and, this year, no opening ceremony, township parade or VIP seating.

Mokpo Modern History Museum 1 in the old town, one of the festival's venues Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
30 –1
Fri–Sun
TraditionMokpoFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 3 h 5 min from Seoul

Mokpo National Heritage Night

Mokpo National Heritage Night (목포 국가유산야행) is a free three-evening festival in the old town of Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, where the modern-history district around the Modern History Museums, Gyeongdong Cathedral and the Mokpo-jin fort site stays open after dark with lighting, media art, walking tours, a parade, concerts and a food-truck night market. The 2026 edition, themed on Mokpo's port opening in 1897, runs Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 18:00–22:00 each night, with no booking listed.

The granite ridges of Wolchulsan National Park in Yeongam, the mountain at whose foot the festival is held Happening now
Oct – Nov2026
30 –15
Fri–Sun
NatureYeongamFreeUntil 15 NovAbout 4 h 27 min from Seoul

Wolchulsan Chrysanthemum Festival

The Wolchulsan Chrysanthemum Festival (월출산 국화축제) is a free autumn flower show at Wolchulsan Gichan Land, a park at the foot of Wolchulsan in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do, where more than 200,000 chrysanthemums of 23 varieties are set out as bonsai, flower sculptures, a flower tunnel and garden paths. The 2026 edition runs 30 October–15 November, 10:00–18:00.

Upcoming
Nov2026
7 –8
Sat–Sun
NatureGuryeStarts in 7 daysAbout 3 h 13 min from Seoul

Jirisan Piagol Autumn Foliage Festival

The Jirisan Piagol Autumn Foliage Festival (지리산 피아골 단풍축제) is a two-day weekend festival in Piagol, a valley on the Gurye side of Jirisan National Park in Jeollanam-do whose autumn leaves are among the 'ten views of Jirisan'. Gurye County's site gives Saturday–Sunday 7–8 November 2026 for the 50th edition, at Piagol Maple Park in Toji-myeon, opening with a commemorative tree planting at 10:00 and the traditional foliage rite at 11:00 on 7 November.

Dolmens scattered across the Hwasun Dolmen Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the festival's venue Expected
Expected2027
Oct
usual window
NatureHwasunAbout 3 h 30 min from Seoul

Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival

The Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival (세계문화유산 화순 고인돌 가을꽃 축제) plants themed autumn flower gardens among the UNESCO World Heritage dolmens of Hwasun, Jeollanam-do. The 2026 edition runs 16–25 October, 09:00–18:00, with about 270,000 plants on about 4 ha and DM ("DolMen") concerts on 17, 18 and 25 October.

Thatched-roof houses inside the walls of Naganeupseong Folk Village in Suncheon, seen from above Expected
Expected2027
Oct
usual window
TraditionSuncheonAbout 3 h 5 min from Seoul

Suncheon Naganeupseong Folk Culture Festival

The Suncheon Naganeupseong Folk Culture Festival is a weekend of Joseon-era reenactments, folk games and traditional music inside Naganeupseong, a walled town in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, where about 230 people still live in thatched houses. The 31st edition runs 24–25 October 2026, 11:00–17:00, opening with the Nagan magistrate's arrival procession.

The Seomjingang River winding between hills in Gokseong County, where the festival is held Dates TBA
Dates TBA2027
Oct
usual window
ArtsGokseongFreeAbout 2 h 40 min from Seoul

Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival

The Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival (SIEAF, 섬진강국제실험예술제) is a free festival of performance, installation and experimental art staged outdoors along the Seomjin River in Gokseong, Jeollanam-do. The 2026 edition officially runs 22 September–30 October, but the public programme sits on a few set days: the opening show at the Amnok Resort Area on Friday 23 October (17:00–21:00), a forest concert in Okgwa on 24 October (11:00–16:00) and a flower parade on 25 October (13:00–17:00).

Listed · not checkedAlso listed, not checked yet2 more festivals listed by the Korea Tourism Organization

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.

All listed festivals →

October across Korea

All 106 festivals in October

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.

Questions travelers ask

Is there a festival in Jeollanam-do in October?

Jeollanam-do has 11 festivals in October: Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (4 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Namdo K-Garden Festival (11 Sep – 31 Oct 2026), National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan, Yeosu (9 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Hampyeong Grand Chrysanthemum Festival (23 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Gangjin Bay Dancing Reed Festival (24 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Haenam Minam Festival (30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Mokpo National Heritage Night (30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026), Wolchulsan Chrysanthemum Festival (30 Oct – 15 Nov 2026), Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival (expected Oct 2027), Suncheon Naganeupseong Folk Culture Festival (expected Oct 2027), and Seomjingang International Experimental Art Festival (2027 dates to be announced · usually Oct). The Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (고흥 녹동항 드론쇼) is a free drone light show over Nokdong Port in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, with Sorok Bridge behind it, held every Saturday at 21:00 from 4 April to 31 October 2026 (900 drones, busking from 20:00) and on the last Friday of each month in Goheung-eup. Sometimes held in October, but not this time: Jirisan Piagol Autumn Foliage Festival (7–8 Nov 2026).

When is Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show 2026?

4 Apr – 31 Oct 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Suncheon Station (KTX), then bus to Nokdong. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.

When is Namdo K-Garden Festival 2026?

11 Sep – 31 Oct 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Yeosu EXPO Station. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.

When is National Heritage Media Art at Jinnamgwan, Yeosu 2026?

9 Oct – 8 Nov 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Yeosu EXPO Station. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.

How do I get to Jeollanam-do?

KTX from Yongsan to Suncheon or Gwangju Songjeong, then local buses; Jindo by express bus from Seoul.

What else is on in Korea in October?

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.