Festivals built around a program or a craft rather than a harvest: film at the Busan International Film Festival in autumn, the Jeonju International Film Festival around the start of May and Jecheon's music-and-film festival in late summer; musicals in Daegu in June and July; mime and street theatre in Chuncheon in late May; international dance companies in Cheonan and the K-Wave Dance Festival in Seoul; sand sculptures on Haeundae Beach; and crafts at the Cheongju Craft Biennale in odd-numbered years, Gyeonggi's ceramics biennale in even-numbered years, Gangjin's celadon festival in late February and Gimhae's buncheong pottery fair. Autumn adds Pohang's steel art festival, art and music along the DMZ, Gwangju's Chungjang street festival, Changwon's MAMF, where migrant communities share their music, food and dance, and a garden festival in Seonyudo Park; in winter, the ASSITEJ festival brings children's theatre to Daehak-ro in Seoul.
On now, coming up and expected
The Jeju Biennale (제주비엔날레) is Jeju Island's contemporary art biennale, run by Jeju Museum of Art. The 5th edition, 'Iyahong: The Art of Metamorphosis', runs 25 August–15 November 2026 with 69 artists and teams at Jeju Museum of Art on the 1100 Road, the Obaekjanggun Gallery in Jeju Stone Park and three galleries in Jeju City's old town; in October and November the venues open 10:00–18:00.
The Gwangju Biennale (광주비엔날레) is Korea's oldest contemporary art biennale, held since 1995, with its main exhibition at the Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall in Buk-gu, Gwangju, and pavilions in museums and historic houses around the city. The 16th edition, 'You Must Change Your Life', directed by Ho Tzu Nyen, runs 5 September–15 November 2026, 10:00–18:00, closed on Mondays.
The Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale (경기도자비엔날레) is Korea's international ceramic art biennale, held in three museums in Icheon, Gwangju and Yeoju, ceramics towns south-east of Seoul. The 13th edition, 'Earth Makes', runs 18 September–1 November 2026, 10:00–18:00 every day (last entry 17:00), with the main exhibition at Icheon Cerapia.
Janghang 1931 Night Tour is a new evening culture event, first held in 2026, at the old Janghang Station in Seocheon County, South Chungcheong, a 1930 railway station that is now a culture space called Janghang Urban Exploration Station. It runs on four evenings only, 17:00–21:00 on 10, 17, 30 and 31 October 2026, each with its own theme drawn from the port town's modern history; the last two are Friday 30 October (old-style tearoom café night) and Saturday 31 October (food night).
The DMZ OPEN Festival (DMZ OPEN 페스티벌) is Gyeonggi Province's multi-week season of art, music and talks about the Demilitarized Zone, centred on Imjingak Peace Nuri in Paju and the former US Army base Camp Greaves across the Imjin River. The 2026 edition runs 12 October–29 November, with the exhibition "Staging" (26 works by 14 artists), the International Music Festival in Goyang on 23–25 October and a forum on 28 October.
The Pohang Steel Art Festival (포항스틸아트페스티벌, PSAF) is a free public-art festival in Pohang, Korea's steel city in Gyeongsangbuk-do, showing sculpture, photography and architecture made with or about steel. The 2026 edition runs 24 October–15 November 2026 at Dongbin Culture Warehouse 1969, Songdo Beach, Art436 and downtown Pohang; KTO lists 10:00–21:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 10:00–18:00 on Sunday.
The Suseong International Biennale (수성국제비엔날레) is a free architecture and landscape biennale run by Suseong-gu, the Daegu district around Suseongmot Lake. The 2nd edition, 'Living Ground', runs 27 October–22 November 2026 on Sanghwa Hill by the lake, open 12:00–21:00 on weekdays and 10:00–21:00 at weekends, with an opening programme on 27 October from 14:00.
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 Cheongju Craft Biennale (청주공예비엔날레) is an international contemporary-craft exhibition held every two years since 1999 and, since 2011, at the Culture Factory, a converted tobacco plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong. The 15th edition is planned for 2 September–31 October 2027, according to the organizer's 2027 competition notice; the 2025 edition ran 60 days, 10:00–19:00 and closed on Mondays, and drew more than 400,000 visitors.
The ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival (서울 아시테지 겨울축제) is a winter-holiday festival of Korean theatre for children and teenagers, held every year since 2005 in the Daehak-ro theatre district of Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The 22nd edition ran 26 December 2025–4 January 2026 with seven main shows; dates for 2026–27 had not been announced by 18 October 2026, but the last two editions ran ten days from late December into early January.
The Gangjin Celadon Festival (강진청자축제) is a ten-day pottery festival around the Goryeo Celadon Museum in Daegu-myeon, Gangjin, Jeollanam-do, the heartland of Goryeo-era celadon kilns. Held since 1973 and once a summer event, it has run in late February since 2023: the 54th edition was 21 February–2 March 2026, 10:00–18:00, and the 55th is expected in late February 2027 (dates not yet announced).
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.
The Chuncheon Mime Festival (춘천마임축제) is an eight-day festival of mime, physical theatre, circus and street performance held across Chuncheon, Gangwon, every late May since 1989. It opens with a free water party on a closed city-centre street and ends with Dokkaebi Nanjang, an overnight show-and-party that runs from 14:00 to 05:00.
The Haeundae Sand Festival (해운대 모래축제) is Haeundae-gu's free sand-sculpture festival on Haeundae Beach in Busan, first held in 2005. The 21st edition ran 15–18 May 2026 (programmes 10:00–21:00), with 17 sculptures by 11 artists that stayed on the sand until 14 June.
The Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF) is an 18-day festival of Korean and overseas musicals staged in theatres across Daegu each June and July, with an outdoor opening gala at Kolon Outdoor Music Hall in Duryu Park and an awards night at the end. The 20th edition ran 19 June–6 July 2026 with 34 productions from seven countries; 2027 dates had not been announced as of 19 October 2026, but the last three editions opened on the third Friday of June.
The Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF) is Korea's festival of music films and live music, held every year since 2005 in Jecheon, North Chungcheong. The 22nd edition ran 3–8 September 2026 with 189 films from 45 countries in downtown cinemas and two nights of K-pop concerts on the Jecheon Arts Center's Summer Plaza; Asia Kyungje reported that the festival plans to move back to August in 2027, but no dates had been announced as of 19 October 2026.
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is a ten-day film festival centred on the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City, Haeundae-gu, with Community BIFF events in Nampo-dong, the old cinema district where it began in 1996. The 31st edition ran 6–15 October 2026 with 247 invited films from 59 countries; 2027 dates had not been announced as of 19 October 2026 (recent editions opened between mid-September and early October).
Cheonan World Dance Festival (천안흥타령춤축제) is a free five-day dance festival in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, an hour south of Seoul, built around an international dance competition and an evening street parade. The 2026 edition ran 1–5 October at Cheonan Stadium and Cheonan Samgeori Park and drew 992,000 visitors; 2027 is expected in late September or early October.
The Chilgok Transmedia Festival is a free art festival in Waegwan, the main town of Chilgok County near Daegu, run by the county's culture and tourism foundation since 2023. The 4th edition, on the friendship between the poet Ku Sang and the painter Lee Jung-seop, sets media art in 11 spaces along a walking route from Waegwan Station to the Gusang Literature Museum, 15 September–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00, closed on Mondays.
The Chungjang Festival of Memories (추억의 충장축제) is a free five-day street festival of nostalgia in downtown Gwangju, held since 2004 on Geumnam-ro, Chungjang-ro, the Art Street and 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu. The 23rd edition ran 7–11 October 2026, 14:00–22:00, with three days of street parades, including 12 teams from 6 countries.
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.
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.
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 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.
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).