Summer festivals in Korea

Summer festivals are built for heat: mud on Daecheon Beach, beer in Daegu, rock stages in Incheon, water fights on the Tamjin River at Jangheung, a pool of tomatoes in Hwacheon, and fireworks and free concerts on Busan's Dadaepo Beach. The season opens with Gangneung Danoje in late May or June and the Daegu International Musical Festival from the third Friday of June, and in August Tongyeong re-enacts Admiral Yi Sun-sin's sea victory off Hansan Island. Expect humidity, rain showers and late starts; the programs come alive after sunset.

On now, coming up and expected

Nokdong Coastal Ferry Terminal at Nokdong Port in Goheung, where the drone show is held

Happening now

Apr – Oct2026

4 –31

Sat–Sat

LightsGoheungFreeEnds todayAbout 4 h 40 min from Seoul

Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show

The Goheung Nokdong Port Drone Show (고흥 녹동항 드론쇼) is a free drone light show over Nokdong Port in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, with Sorok Bridge behind it, held every Saturday at 21:00 from 4 April to 31 October 2026 (900 drones, busking from 20:00) and on the last Friday of each month in Goheung-eup. As of 19 October 2026 the season's last shows are Saturday 24 October, Friday 30 October (Goheung-eup) and Saturday 31 October; the 2027 season is expected from April.

Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon by day; the night opening takes place here after dark

Happening now

May – Nov2026

1 –1

Fri–Sun

LightsSuwonEnds tomorrowAbout 1 h 15 min from Seoul

Hwaseong Haenggung Night Opening

The Hwaseong Haenggung Night Opening (화성행궁 야간개장) keeps the royal palace at the heart of Suwon's UNESCO-listed Hwaseong Fortress open after dark, lit with flower installations and hologram and laser media art under the 2026 theme 'Dalbit Hwadam'. The 2026 season runs 1 May–1 November on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 18:00–21:30 (last entry 21:00), so the final nights are 23–25 October and 30 October–1 November.

Masked performers staging the Gwanno mask drama, a Gangneung Danoje tradition, in front of an audience

Expected

Expected2027

May / Jun

usual window음력 기준

TraditionGangneungFreeAbout 2 h from Seoul

Gangneung Danoje Festival

Gangneung Danoje is Korea's oldest surviving community festival, a UNESCO-listed eight-day event on the Namdaecheon riverside in Gangneung, Gangwon, built around Dano (5th day of the 5th lunar month). The 2026 edition ran 15–22 June; 2027 is expected 5–12 June, with Dano on 9 June.

Daegu Opera House lit up at dusk, one of the theatres the festival has used in earlier years

Expected

Expected2027

Jun / Jul

usual window

ArtsDaegu

Daegu International Musical Festival

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.

Festival-goers dancing in a shower of foam at the Boryeong Mud Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

NatureBoryeongAbout 2 h 50 min from Seoul

Boryeong Mud Festival

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.

Hip-hop group Rhythm Power on stage at Haeundae during the 23rd Busan Sea Festival, 1 August 2018

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

MusicBusan

Busan Sea Festival

The Busan Sea Festival (부산바다축제) is Busan's city-run summer beach festival, held since 2024 at Dadaepo Beach in Saha-gu with a sunset fireworks show on opening night, a 2,000-seat beach pub, free concerts and a beach club. The 30th edition ran 7–13 August 2026; 2027 dates are not announced, but recent editions opened on a Friday between late July and mid-August.

Crowds at tables in front of the main stage at night during the 2018 Daegu Chimac Festival in Duryu Park

Expected

Expected2027

Jul

usual window

FoodDaeguFreeAbout 2 h from Seoul

Daegu Chimac Festival

The Daegu Chimac Festival is a five-day chicken-and-beer street festival around Duryu Park in Daegu, held 1–5 July 2026 (next expected early July 2027). Entry is free; you pay for food and drink at brand booths, and a small block of main-stage seats is sold in advance.

The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain on Banpo Bridge at dusk; the summer festival is centred on Yeouido and other Han River parks

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

NatureSeoul

Hangang Festival (Summer)

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.

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

FoodHwacheonAbout 2 h 6 min from Seoul

Hwacheon Tomato Festival

The Hwacheon Tomato Festival (화천토마토축제) is a summer farm festival in Sanae-myeon, Hwacheon County, Gangwon, best known for 'Find the Golden Ring', in which visitors wade into a pool of culled tomatoes to hunt for gold rings. The 22nd edition ran 31 July–9 August 2026 at Sanae Sports Park, about 2 hours by direct bus from Dong Seoul; the 2027 edition is expected in late July or early August but has not been announced.

The red and white horse-shaped lighthouses of Iho Tewoo Beach at sunset

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

TraditionJeju CityBy air from Seoul

Iho Tewoo Festival

Iho Tewoo Festival is a three-day summer beach festival at Iho Tewoo Beach on the west coast of Jeju City, near the airport. The 21st edition ran 31 July–2 August 2026 with a traditional tewoo raft launching, an anchovy-fishing re-enactment, a haenyeo torch parade, fireworks and raft-rowing races.

Water jets spraying the crowd in front of the main stage at the 2015 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

MusicIncheonAbout 1 h 20 min from Seoul

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival (인천펜타포트 락 페스티벌) is a three-day festival of Korean and international rock acts at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park at the end of Incheon Subway Line 1. The 2026 edition ran 31 July–2 August with Khruangbin, Massive Attack and Pixies headlining; 2027 is expected on the same weekend.

Water jets and canoes on the Tamjin River during the 2018 Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

usual window

FamilyJangheungAbout 4 h 20 min from Seoul

Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival

The Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival (정남진 장흥 물축제) is a nine-day summer festival on the Tamjin River in Jangheung-eup, Jeollanam-do, built around a free mass water fight every afternoon at 14:00. The 19th edition ran 25 July–2 August 2026; 2027 dates are not announced, but late July to early August is expected.

Aerial view of Uirimji Reservoir in Jecheon, with its small wooded island and the city beyond

Expected

Expected2027

Aug / Sep

usual window

ArtsJecheonAbout 1 h 10 min from Seoul

Jecheon International Music & Film Festival

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 view over the Hallyeo waterway toward Hansan Island, where the 1592 battle was fought

Expected

Expected2027

Aug

usual window

TraditionTongyeongFreeAbout 4 h 8 min from Seoul

Tongyeong Hansan Daecheop Festival

The Tongyeong Hansan Daecheop Festival (통영한산대첩축제) is a free summer festival around the old harbour of Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, marking Admiral Yi Sun-sin's 1592 sea victory off Hansan Island with a naval procession, a battle reenactment on the water and fireworks over the sea. First held in 1962, its 65th edition ran 12–16 August 2026; the 66th is expected in early to mid-August 2027, around the 14 August anniversary, with dates not yet announced.

A balloon display of grape bunches spelling out the festival name at the 2009 Yeongdong Grape Festival, with booth tents behind

Expected

Expected2027

Aug / Sep

usual window

FoodYeongdongAbout 2 h 20 min from Seoul

Yeongdong Grape Festival

The Yeongdong Grape Festival (영동포도축제) is a four-day harvest festival at the Rainbow Healing Tourist Site in Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do, one of Korea's main grape and wine counties. The 21st edition ran 27–30 August 2026; the 2027 edition is expected in late August but has not been announced.