Seoul in May Festivals, dates and what's on

Seoul has 3 festivals in May: Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027), Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival, expected Apr/May 2027), and Hangang Festival (Spring, expected May 2027). The Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (창덕궁 달빛기행) is a ticketed, guided night walk by lantern light through Changdeokgung Palace and its Secret Garden in central Seoul, with a daegeum flute solo, court dance, and tea with traditional sweets.

Typical May weather in Seoul: average high 24 °C (74 °F), low 14 °C (56 °F), 104 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).

At a glance

Festival	Dates	Admission	Nearest station	Status
Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour창덕궁 달빛기행	Expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027	Paid admission	Anguk Station, Exit 3	Expected
Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival)연등회	Expected Apr/May 2027	Free entry	Jonggak Station, Exit 2	Expected
Hangang Festival (Spring)한강페스티벌 봄	Expected May 2027	Free + paid activities	Sinbanpo Station, Exit 1	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 May

Festival town	Average high	Average low	Rain	Measured at
Seoul	24 °C 74 °F	14 °C 56 °F	104 mm	Seoul

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

The festivals

All festivals in Seoul

The Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace at night in April 2013

Expected

Expected2027

Apr / May / Sep / Oct

usual window

TraditionSeoul

Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour

The Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (창덕궁 달빛기행) is a ticketed, guided night walk by lantern light through Changdeokgung Palace and its Secret Garden in central Seoul, with a daegeum flute solo, court dance, and tea with traditional sweets. It runs in spring and autumn: the autumn 2026 season ended on 17 October, and no 2027 dates had been announced as of 19 October 2026 (recent spring seasons have started in mid-April).

Rows of lotus lanterns over the courtyard of Jogyesa Temple in Seoul before Buddha's Birthday, with monks walking beneath

Expected

Expected2027

Apr / May

usual window음력 기준

TraditionSeoulFree

Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival)

Yeon Deung Hoe is Seoul's Buddhist lantern festival for Buddha's Birthday (8th day of the 4th lunar month). Its centrepiece is a free Saturday-evening parade of about 100,000 lanterns from Heunginjimun along Jongno to Jogyesa Temple, with lantern exhibitions at Jogyesa, Cheonggyecheon and Bongeunsa.

Sebitseom, the floating islands at Banpo Hangang Park, lit up at night

Expected

Expected2027

May

usual window

NatureSeoul

Hangang Festival (Spring)

The spring run of the Hangang Festival is Seoul's city-run family festival in the Han River parks, held in early to mid May. The 2026 run was on 2–10 May in Ichon, Yeouido and Banpo Hangang Parks, with a free children's theatre and a stroller parade (₩5,000 per team) at Ichon on 9–10 May, and yacht, kayak, small-boat and cruise rides (₩12,500–60,000) from Banpo and Yeouido.

Listed · not checkedAlso listed, not checked yet1 more festival 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.

12–14 May 2027비건·할랄뷰티페어강남구

All listed festivals →

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 Seoul in May?

When is Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour 2027?

Expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027. Expected. Paid admission. Nearest station: Anguk Station, Exit 3. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

When is Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) 2027?

Expected Apr/May 2027. Expected. Free entry. Nearest station: Jonggak Station, Exit 2. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

When is Hangang Festival (Spring) 2027?

Expected May 2027. Expected. Free + paid activities. Nearest station: Sinbanpo Station, Exit 1. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.

What is the weather like in Seoul in May?

Average high 24 °C (74 °F), low 14 °C (56 °F), 104 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.

How do I get to Seoul?

Incheon Airport to central Seoul by AREX express train: 43–51 minutes to Seoul Station.

What else is on in Korea in May?

20 festivals across Korea fall in May, including Boseong Green Tea Festival, Chuncheon Mime Festival, 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.