Seoul has 13 festivals in October: Nowon Moonlight Walk (16 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Namsan Night Festival (23 Oct – 14 Nov 2026), Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027), Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Seoul International Fireworks Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Seoul Music Festival (expected Sep/Oct/Nov 2027), Hanbok Culture Week (expected Oct 2027), Hangang Festival (Autumn, expected Oct 2027), K-Wave Dance Festival (expected Oct 2027), Seoul Design Week (expected Oct 2027), Seoul Silver Grass Festival (expected Oct 2027), Yeongdeungpo Seonyudo Garden Festival (expected Oct 2027), and Seoul Petlympic (2027 dates to be announced · usually Sep/Oct). The Nowon Moonlight Walk is a free public-art light festival along Danghyeoncheon stream in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, where about 30 light sculptures by Korean artists line the stream path after dark.
Typical October weather in Seoul: average high 20 °C (68 °F), low 11 °C (51 °F), 52 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).
| Festival | Dates | Admission | Nearest station | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nowon Moonlight Walk노원달빛산책 | 16 Oct – 8 Nov 2026 | Free entry | Junggye Station, Exit 1 | Happening now |
| Namsan Night Festival남산 나이트 페스티벌 | 23 Oct – 14 Nov 2026 | Free entry | Hoehyeon Station, Exit 4 | Happening now |
| Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour창덕궁 달빛기행 | Expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027 | Paid admission | Anguk Station, Exit 3 | Expected |
| Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour경복궁 별빛야행 | Expected Sep/Oct 2027 | Paid admission | Gyeongbokgung Station, Exit 5 | Expected |
| Seoul International Fireworks Festival서울세계불꽃축제 | Expected Sep/Oct 2027 | Free + paid activities | Yeouinaru Station, Exits 2 and 3 | Expected |
| Seoul Music Festival서울뮤직페스티벌 | Expected Sep/Oct/Nov 2027 | Free entry | Nodeul Station, Exit 2 | Expected |
| Hanbok Culture Week한복문화주간 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | Ichon Station, Exit 2 | Expected |
| Hangang Festival (Autumn)한강페스티벌 가을 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free + paid activities | Sinsa Station, Exit 5 | Expected |
| K-Wave Dance FestivalK-웨이브 댄스 페스티벌 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | Itaewon Station, Exit 1 | Expected |
| Seoul Design Week서울디자인위크 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free + paid activities | Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 1 | Expected |
| Seoul Silver Grass Festival서울억새축제 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | World Cup Stadium Station, Exit 1 | Expected |
| Yeongdeungpo Seonyudo Garden Festival영등포선유도원축제 | Expected Oct 2027 | Free entry | Seonyudo Station, Exit 2 | Expected |
| Seoul Petlympic서울 펫림픽 | 2027 dates to be announced · usually Sep/Oct | Free + paid activities | World Cup Stadium Station, Exit 1 | Dates TBA |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 20 °C 68 °F | 11 °C 51 °F | 52 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 Nowon Moonlight Walk is a free public-art light festival along Danghyeoncheon stream in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, where about 30 light sculptures by Korean artists line the stream path after dark. The 7th edition, 'New Moon', runs 16 October–8 November 2026, lit daily from 17:30 to 22:00.
The Namsan Night Festival is a free, booking-only evening festival run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in Namsan Park, in the centre of Seoul, on Fridays and Saturdays from 23 October to 14 November 2026. It has three parts: Campnic picnic pitches with live music and open-air films on the lawn of Baekbeom Square (17:00–22:00 on six evenings to 7 November), guided Autumn Foliage Walks of 3.8–4.2 km on 23–24 October and 6–7 November, and a silent-disco Palgak Club by N Seoul Tower on 14 November.
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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).
The Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour (경복궁 별빛야행) is a ticketed, guided night tour of the northern part of Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul, with a modern 12-dish royal meal in the palace kitchen, live traditional music and, in 2026, a short changgeuk opera about King Gojong at Jibokjae. The 2026 season runs 2 September–24 October, Wednesday to Sunday, in two sessions (18:20–20:10 and 19:30–21:20), and foreign visitors have their own sessions on 21–24 October, sold through Creatrip.
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival is a free one-night fireworks show over the Han River at Yeouido Hangang Park, staged by Hanwha with invited teams from abroad. The 22nd edition was on Saturday 5 September 2026, with shows by teams from the UK, the US and Korea from 20:00 to about 21:10; the 2027 date has not been announced.
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The Seoul Music Festival (서울뮤직페스티벌) is a free concert festival run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Nodeul Island in the Han River; the 2026 edition is a single day, Saturday 24 October, from 12:00 to 21:00. The main concert, 17:00–21:00, is curated with the Korean Music Awards and features Paul Kim, Kwon Jin-ah, Okdal, Nerd Connection, Chudahye Chagis and the Kim Chang-wan Band.
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Hanbok Culture Week (한복문화주간) is a free nationwide week of events celebrating hanbok, Korea's traditional dress, held each October around Hanbok Day (21 October). The ninth edition runs 19–25 October 2026 at about 410 sites, with the Hanbok Day commemorative event and fashion show at the National Museum of Korea's Open Yard in Seoul on 21 October, 17:00–18:30 (Ichon Station, Exit 2).
The Hangang Festival (Autumn) is the October run of Seoul's city-run festival in the Han River parks. The 2026 autumn run is on now, 17–25 October, in seven parks: exercise classes, a cooking session and a free musical gala at Jamwon Hangang Park on 17–18 October (Line 3, Sinsa Station, Exit 5), then a street-food contest of 20 young chef teams at Ttukseom Hangang Park on 23–25 October.
The K-Wave Dance Festival (K-웨이브 댄스 페스티벌) is a free two-day dance festival in Seoul, run since 2023 by the Korea Contemporary Dance Promotion Association, that mixes ballet, contemporary and traditional dance with K-pop random play, a world dance parade and foreign volunteer performers. The 2026 edition ran on 3–4 October, 12:00–21:00, on a 480 m car-free stretch of Itaewon-ro from the Noksapyeong Station intersection to Itaewon Station Exit 1 (Line 6), and the organisers estimated about 60,000 visitors.
Seoul Design Week (서울디자인위크) is the Seoul city government's yearly design festival, run by the Seoul Design Foundation at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and at about 150 design spots across the city. The 13th edition runs 14–25 October 2026: the free exhibitions at DDP are open 10:00–20:00 (until 18:00 on 25 October) and the outdoor DDP Design Market returns on 23–25 October, while the paid DDP Design Fair (₩15,000 on site) ended on 18 October.
The Seoul Silver Grass Festival is a free week-long festival in Haneul Park, a hilltop park in World Cup Park in western Seoul planted with about 94,000 m² of silver grass. The 25th edition runs 17–23 October 2026, 10:00–21:00 daily, with light shows every 30 minutes from 19:00 to 20:30.
The Yeongdeungpo Seonyudo Garden Festival is a free autumn festival of nature and the arts in Seonyudo Park, an island park in the Han River in western Seoul built on a former water treatment plant. The third edition runs 24–25 October 2026, 12:00–20:00, according to the Korea Tourism Organization, with a guided bird walk, outdoor yoga, street-arts performances and a resident-run flea market that spills onto the walking street by Seonyudo Station.
Seoul Petlympic is a two-day dog-sports festival run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Peace Plaza in World Cup Park, Mapo-gu, where owners and their dogs try beginner events such as a sit-stay, a recall sprint, a cone slalom and a 15 m team sprint, or walk a 4 km Dog Trail through Peace Park. The second edition runs 24–25 October 2026, 10:00–17:00.
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.
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.
Seoul has 13 festivals in October: Nowon Moonlight Walk (16 Oct – 8 Nov 2026), Namsan Night Festival (23 Oct – 14 Nov 2026), Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour (expected Apr/May/Sep/Oct 2027), Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Seoul International Fireworks Festival (expected Sep/Oct 2027), Seoul Music Festival (expected Sep/Oct/Nov 2027), Hanbok Culture Week (expected Oct 2027), Hangang Festival (Autumn, expected Oct 2027), K-Wave Dance Festival (expected Oct 2027), Seoul Design Week (expected Oct 2027), Seoul Silver Grass Festival (expected Oct 2027), Yeongdeungpo Seonyudo Garden Festival (expected Oct 2027), and Seoul Petlympic (2027 dates to be announced · usually Sep/Oct). The Nowon Moonlight Walk is a free public-art light festival along Danghyeoncheon stream in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul, where about 30 light sculptures by Korean artists line the stream path after dark.
16 Oct – 8 Nov 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Junggye Station, Exit 1. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
23 Oct – 14 Nov 2026. Happening now. Free entry. Nearest station: Hoehyeon Station, Exit 4. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
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.
Average high 20 °C (68 °F), low 11 °C (51 °F), 52 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Comfortable: light layers.
Incheon Airport to central Seoul by AREX express train: 43–51 minutes to Seoul Station.
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.