Jeonbuk in May Festivals, dates and what's on

Jeonbuk has 4 festivals in May: Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade (18 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Gochang Green Barley Field Festival (expected Apr/May 2027), Jeonju International Film Festival (expected Apr/May 2027), and Namwon Chunhyang Festival (expected Apr/May 2027). The Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade (노상놀이야) is a free, one-hour folk parade along Taejo-ro, the main street of Jeonju Hanok Village, led by the giant dragon banners of Jeonju Gijeop-nori and pungmul drummers, with comic street plays on the way and a closing communal play in front of Gyeonggijeon Shrine.

Typical May weather in Jeonju: average high 25 °C (77 °F), low 13 °C (55 °F), 83 mm of rain (Jeonju station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).

At a glance

FestivalDatesAdmissionNearest stationStatus
Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade전주한옥마을 전통연희 퍼레이드18 Apr – 31 Oct 2026Free entryJeonju StationHappening now
Gochang Green Barley Field Festival고창청보리밭축제Expected Apr/May 2027Free + paid activitiesJeongeup Station (KTX)Expected
Jeonju International Film Festival전주국제영화제Expected Apr/May 2027Free + paid activitiesJeonju StationExpected
Namwon Chunhyang Festival춘향제Expected Apr/May 2027Free + paid activitiesNamwon 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
Jeonju25 °C 77 °F13 °C 55 °F83 mmJeonju

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

The festivals

All festivals in Jeonbuk
Jeonju Hanok Village, where the parade runs, in 2022 Happening now
Apr – Oct2026
18 –31
Sat–Sat
TraditionJeonjuFreeEnds todayAbout 1 h 55 min from Seoul

Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade

The Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade (노상놀이야) is a free, one-hour folk parade along Taejo-ro, the main street of Jeonju Hanok Village, led by the giant dragon banners of Jeonju Gijeop-nori and pungmul drummers, with comic street plays on the way and a closing communal play in front of Gyeonggijeon Shrine. The 2026 season runs every Saturday, 15:00–16:00, from 18 April to 31 October, so the last two dates are 24 and 31 October; the 2027 season had not been announced as of 19 October 2026.

Green barley fields at Hakwon Farm during the 2018 Gochang Green Barley Field Festival, with a horse-drawn carriage on the horizon Expected
Expected2027
Apr / May
usual window
NatureGochangAbout 3 h 46 min from Seoul

Gochang Green Barley Field Festival

The Gochang Green Barley Field Festival (고창청보리밭축제) is a three-week spring festival at Hakwon Farm in Gongeum-myeon, Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk State, where paths run through about 770,000 m² of rolling green barley, with yellow canola among it from late April. The 23rd edition ran 18 April–10 May 2026, 09:00–18:00; 2027 dates are not announced, but the pattern points to mid-April to early May 2027.

Jeonju's Film Street under its sail canopies, the festival's main hub Expected
Expected2027
Apr / May
usual window
ArtsJeonjuAbout 1 h 40 min from Seoul

Jeonju International Film Festival

The Jeonju International Film Festival (JEONJU IFF) is a ten-day festival of independent and experimental cinema, held since 2000 around Jeonju Film Street in Gosa-dong, in the old city centre near Jeonju Hanok Village. The 27th edition ran 29 April–8 May 2026 with 236 films from 54 countries; 2027 dates had not been announced as of 19 October 2026, but recent editions have run from the last days of April into early May.

A view of the 2009 Chunhyang Festival in Namwon Expected
Expected2027
Apr / May
usual window
TraditionNamwonAbout 2 h from Seoul

Namwon Chunhyang Festival

The Namwon Chunhyang Festival (춘향제) is a seven-day festival of traditional performance at Gwanghallu Garden and the Yocheon riverside in Namwon, Jeonbuk State, built around Korea's best-known love story and first held in 1931. The 96th edition ran 30 April–6 May 2026 and drew about 1.51 million visits; the 97th is expected in late April–early May 2027, dates not yet announced.

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 Jeonbuk in May?

Jeonbuk has 4 festivals in May: Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade (18 Apr – 31 Oct 2026), Gochang Green Barley Field Festival (expected Apr/May 2027), Jeonju International Film Festival (expected Apr/May 2027), and Namwon Chunhyang Festival (expected Apr/May 2027). The Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade (노상놀이야) is a free, one-hour folk parade along Taejo-ro, the main street of Jeonju Hanok Village, led by the giant dragon banners of Jeonju Gijeop-nori and pungmul drummers, with comic street plays on the way and a closing communal play in front of Gyeonggijeon Shrine.

When is Jeonju Hanok Village Traditional Performing Arts Parade 2026?

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

When is Gochang Green Barley Field Festival 2027?

Expected Apr/May 2027. Expected. Free + paid activities. Nearest station: Jeongeup Station (KTX). The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

When is Jeonju International Film Festival 2027?

Expected Apr/May 2027. Expected. Free + paid activities. Nearest station: Jeonju Station. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

What is the weather like in Jeonju in May?

Average high 25 °C (77 °F), low 13 °C (55 °F), 83 mm of rain (Jeonju station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.

How do I get to Jeonbuk?

KTX from Yongsan to Jeonju in about 1 h 40 m; Muju by intercity bus from Seoul Nambu Terminal.

What else is on in Korea in May?

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