Festivals tied to a natural event: sansuyu, plum and cherry blossom, canola on Jeju, azaleas on Biseulsan, green barley at Gochang, tulips on the Taean coast, a sea road exposed by the tide, mud on a beach, fireflies in a valley, buckwheat flowers in Bongpyeong, silver grass on a Seoul hilltop and on Hwangmaesan, reeds on Gangjin Bay, chrysanthemums in Hampyeong, Masan, Iksan, Yeoncheon and Incheon's Dream Park and flowers around Hwasun's dolmens in autumn, walks on Jeju's Olle trails, snow in the Daegwallyeong highlands and on Taebaeksan, and fish under river ice at Hwacheon, Hongcheon and Pyeongchang. Their dates follow the weather and the lunar calendar more than any other category, so check the expected window rather than assuming last year's dates.
On now, coming up and expected
The Semiwon Water Lily Festival (세미원 수련문화제) is a two-month autumn festival at Semiwon, Gyeonggi-do's first designated local garden, on the Han River at Yangsu-ri in Yangpyeong, where Victoria, Australian and tropical water lilies take over from the summer lotuses. The 2026 edition runs 1 September to 31 October, 09:00–18:00 daily, with Saturday janggu-and-guitar performances, lotus-themed exhibitions and craft classes.
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.
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.
The Iksan Ten Million Chrysanthemum Festival is a free ten-day flower show in downtown Iksan, Jeonbuk State, filling Jungang Sports Park, Sinheung Neighbourhood Park and the Iksan Station area with giant chrysanthemum sculptures, bonsai and lit night gardens. The 23rd edition runs 23 October–1 November 2026, 10:00–21:00, with fireworks on 31 October and the displays left up until 8 November.
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.
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 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.
The Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival (마산가고파국화축제) is Changwon's free autumn flower festival on the Masan Port waterfront, where about 100,000 chrysanthemum plants are shaped into themed sculptures and displays at 3·15 Haeyang Nuri Park and Hapo Waterfront Park. The 26th edition runs 31 October–8 November 2026, 10:00–22:00, with multimedia fireworks on opening day and a sea nakhwa fire show at 19:00 on 4 November.
The Jeju Olle Walking Festival is a three-day group walk on Jeju Island's Olle trail, with village performances, traditional games and local lunches along the route. The 16th edition runs 5–7 November 2026 on Courses 19 and 20 on the north-east coast, opening at Jocheon Stadium near Jocheon Manse Hill and covering about 13 km, 11.5 km and 12.9 km on successive days.
The Jeju Garden Culture Expo (2026 대한민국 제주정원문화박람회) is a free five-day garden show in the Baramoru Park area of Jeju Innovation City in Seogwipo, hosted by the Korea Forest Service, Jeju Province and Seogwipo City, and described by the Korea Tourism Organization as the first garden culture expo held in Jeju. It runs 6–10 November 2026, 09:00–19:00 daily, with Korea Garden Show designer gardens, residents' and corporate gardens, garden concerts and talks, and a garden market.
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.
The Daegwallyeong Snow Festival (대관령눈꽃축제) is a ten-day snow-sculpture and sledding festival run by local residents beside the Songcheon stream in Hoenggye, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, about 2 h 10 min by direct bus from Dong Seoul. Held since 1993, it last ran 13–22 February 2026, and the 35th edition is planned for 30 January–9 February 2027, 09:30–17:30.
The Seocheon Migratory Bird Festival (서천철새여행, 'Seocheon bird journey') is a small weekend festival at the Seocheon Bird Ecology Center by the Geum River estuary barrage in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, where the county says about 500,000 birds of some 40 species winter each year. It runs guided birdwatching tours, family booths and shows.
The Hangang Festival (Winter) is the Seoul city government's year-end run of its Han River parks festival, built around the Romantic Hangang Christmas Market, photo and rest domes, kite flying and the Hangang sledding parks. The 2026 run is planned for 19–27 December in the city's April 2026 schedule, with a winter rest area and kite festival at Yeouido and the Christmas market at Ttukseom, but the programme was not out as of 18 October 2026.
The Hongcheon River Kkongkkong Festival (홍천강 꽁꽁축제) is a January ice-fishing festival on the frozen Hongcheon River in Hongcheon-eup, Gangwon, where visitors fish for trout raised on feed mixed with six-year-old ginseng; Hongcheon is about 1 h 07 m by intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal. The 14th edition ran 9–25 January 2026; 2027 dates have not been announced, and the festival usually opens on a Friday or Saturday between 5 and 18 January.
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (얼음나라화천 산천어축제) is Korea's largest winter festival: three weeks of ice fishing for mountain trout through holes in the frozen Hwacheon stream in Hwacheon, Gangwon, about 3 h 30 m by direct bus from Seoul. The 2026 edition ran 10 January–1 February; 2027 is expected 9–31 January.
The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is a month-long ice-fishing event on the frozen Odaecheon stream at Jinbu, Pyeongchang, Gangwon, about 1 h 40 min from Seoul by KTX. The 17th edition ran 9 January–9 February 2026, 09:00–17:00; ice fishing cost ₩25,000, tent fishing ₩39,000 and bare-hand catching ₩20,000.
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The Taebaeksan Snow Festival (태백산눈축제) is a free winter festival of large snow sculptures, sledding and a snow-flower hike, held since 1994 around Dangol Plaza in Taebaeksan National Park, Taebaek, Gangwon, about 2 h 50 m by bus from Dong Seoul. The 33rd edition ran 31 January–8 February 2026, 10:00–17:00, with the sculptures lit until 22:00.
The Gurye Sansuyu Flower Festival is a free nine-day spring festival in the sansuyu (cornelian cherry) villages of Sandong-myeon, Gurye, Jeollanam-do, where more than 110,000 trees turn the foot of Jirisan yellow. The 27th edition ran 14–22 March 2026 around the Jirisan Hot Spring Tourist Site; the 28th is expected in mid-March 2027, with dates set by the bloom and not yet announced.
The Gwangyang Maehwa Festival is one of Korea's first spring blossom festivals each year: ten days in mid-March in Maehwa Village, a hillside plum orchard above the Seomjin River in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do. The 25th edition ran 13–22 March 2026; the 26th is expected in early-to-mid March 2027.
The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival, billed in 2026 as the Gyeongju Daereungwon Stone-Wall Road Festival (경주 대릉원돌담길 축제), closes the cherry-lined road along the walls of the Daereungwon royal tomb park for three days at peak bloom, with street performances, a night light show, food trucks and a craft market. The 2026 edition ran 3–5 April, 13:00–22:00, with free admission; the 2027 edition is expected on a Friday-to-Sunday weekend in late March or early April, with dates set by the bloom.
Jinhae Gunhangje is Korea's largest cherry-blossom festival, held across the Jinhae district of Changwon on the south coast, an hour by bus from Busan. The 64th edition ran 27 March–5 April 2026; the 65th is expected in late March–early April 2027.
The Seogwipo Canola Flower Festival is a free weekend festival in the canola fields of Gasi-ri, in the eastern uplands of Seogwipo on Jeju, where Noksan-ro, a road of more than 10 km, is lined with yellow canola and often cherry blossom at the same time. The 43rd edition ran 4–5 April 2026, 10:00–20:00, around the Jorangmal Horse Experience Park, with a night opening, a running programme, classes and busking.
The Seokchon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival is Songpa-gu's free spring festival around Seokchon Lake, beside Lotte World Tower in south-east Seoul, where about 1,000 king cherry trees line a lit lakeside path of about 2.5 km. The 2026 edition ran 3–11 April; the 2027 dates follow the bloom and are expected between late March and mid-April, announced only about ten days ahead.
The Yeouido Spring Flower Festival is Yeongdeungpo-gu's free cherry-blossom festival on Yeouiseo-ro (Yunjung-ro), a 1.7 km riverside road behind the National Assembly in Seoul that closes to cars for about a week and is lined with about 1,886 cherry trees, lit after dark. The 2026 edition ran 3–7 April, 11:30–21:30; the 2027 dates follow the bloom forecast and are expected in late March or the first half of April, not yet announced.
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The Biseulsan Azalea Culture Festival (비슬산 참꽃문화제) is Dalseong County's spring festival on Biseulsan in southern Daegu, timed to the bloom of a summit plateau of wild azaleas, about 300,000 pyeong (roughly 1 km²) at around 1,000 m beside Daegyeonsa temple. The 30th edition ran 17–19 April 2026; the 2027 dates are not announced and should fall on a mid-April weekend set by the bloom.
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.
The Taean World Tulip Festival (태안 세계튤립꽃박람회, officially a 'world tulip flower expo') is Korea's best-known tulip show: about five weeks of millions of tulips in themed coastal gardens in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do, a little over two hours from Seoul by express bus. The 2026 edition ran 1 April–6 May at Nature World in Mageompo, Namyeon-myeon, after nine years (2017–2025) at Korea Flower Park beside Kkotji Beach on Anmyeondo; 2027 dates and venue are not announced, but early April to early May is the pattern.
The Damyang Bamboo Festival (담양대나무축제) is a five-day spring festival around Juknokwon bamboo garden in Damyang, Jeollanam-do, about 30 minutes by bus from Gwangju. The 25th edition ran 1–5 May 2026 with Juknokwon open until 21:00 for lit-up night walks; the 26th is expected in early May 2027.
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.
The Boryeong Mud Festival is a 17-day summer event at Mud Plaza on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, about 2 h 40 m by train from Seoul. The 29th edition ran 24 July–9 August 2026; the 30th is expected in late July 2027.
The Hangang Festival (Summer) is the Seoul city government's summer run of its Han River park festival, the event that began in 2013 as Hangang Mongttang. The 2026 run was 1–16 August in nine riverside parks, with free concerts and films under the bridges, pool parties, a silent disco under Mapo Bridge, the overnight Hangang Night Walk 42K and discounted boat rides; the 2027 run is expected in late July and August but has not been announced.
Muju Firefly Festival (무주반딧불축제) is a free nine-day festival in Muju, a mountain county in Jeonbuk with no railway, built around guided night trips to see fireflies in a protected habitat. The 30th edition ran 4–12 September 2026 around Deungnamu Stadium and the Namdaecheon stream; 2027 is expected in early September.
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The Hyoseok Culture Festival (효석문화제) is a ten-day festival in Bongpyeong, Pyeongchang, Gangwon, held every September since 1999 among white buckwheat fields in the village that is the setting of Lee Hyo-seok's story "When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom". The 2026 edition ran 4–13 September, 10:00–17:00, with free entry (KTO); the 2027 dates are not announced, but ten days in early to mid September are expected.
The Dream Park Chrysanthemum Festival (드림파크 국화축제) is a free autumn flower festival in the Dream Park Wildflower Complex, a park built on part of the Sudokwon Landfill in northwest Incheon, with chrysanthemum topiary and bonsai, fields of autumn flowers, concerts and a residents' food market. The 2026 edition runs 16–25 October, 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), and entry and parking are free.
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 Hwangmaesan Silver Grass Festival (황매산 억새축제) is a free nine-day festival in Hwangmaesan County Park in Hapcheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, where about 60 ha of silver grass covers the Hwangmae Plain at about 900 m. The fifth edition runs 17–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00, with weekend performances and weekday activities; the next is expected in October 2027.
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.
The Jirisan Walking Festival, or 'Jirisan Picnic' (지리산소풍), is a one-day group walk on the Jirisan Dulle-gil, the trail that circles Jirisan; it began in 2011 and moves between the counties around the mountain. The 2026 edition is on Saturday 24 October in Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do: an approximately 12 km loop from Sancheong County Citizens' Park, 09:00–17:00, with check-in from 08:30.
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 Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival is a ten-day autumn flower show on the grounds of the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site, a Paleolithic site in Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon, in northern Gyeonggi-do, reached by Seoul Subway Line 1 to Jeongok Station. The 8th edition runs 16–25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00 daily, with chrysanthemum displays on a Goguryeo theme.
The Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival (진도 신비의 바닷길 축제) runs on the few spring days when low tides expose a 2.8 km, 30–40 m wide seabed path between Hoedong village and Modo island on Jindo, Jeollanam-do. The 46th edition ran 17–20 April 2026; 2027 dates will follow the tide tables, probably in March or April.
Past editions, next dates not yet announced
The Geoje Island Flower Festival (거제섬꽃축제) is a free autumn chrysanthemum festival at the Geoje Agricultural Development Center and the neighbouring Geoje Botanical Garden in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do; about 300,000 people came in 2025. The 20th edition, planned for 30 October–8 November 2026, was cancelled after record August rain flooded the grounds.
The Inje Icefish Festival (인제빙어축제) is a free ice-fishing festival for bingeo, a small icefish, on Bingeoho, a dammed arm of upper Soyang Lake at Bupyeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Inje, Gangwon, about 1 h 45 min by bus from Dong Seoul. Held since 1998, it last ran 20–29 January 2023 and was cancelled in 2024, 2025 and 2026 because Soyang Dam's water was too high for safe ice.