Top 10 Festivals in Korea

Travel Hotline: 1330

1.Boryeong Mud Festival
Official website:http://boryeongmudfestival.com/

*Festival period
7/17/2020-7/26/2020
This festival is held at Daecheon Beach and attracts around half a million visitors each year. It has become a popular international sensation full of dancing, wrestling, and rolling around in mud. It first started out as a way to promote health benefits from the mineral-rich mud. When the sun goes down, festival attendees can enjoy a concert full of popular KPop artists.

2.Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water festival
Official Website (only in Korean): http://www.jangheung.go.kr/tour/festival/summer/water_festival#none
Other Website (in English):
https://www.namdokorea.com/tour/fastival/fastivalView.do?menuCd=TE002004001&year=&month=&fastivalId=0000000025 

*Trip Period
TBD July-August 2020
The Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival is the perfect event to survive the summer heat. All of the activities are water-themed and include canoeing, water biking, water slides, swimming, water battles, and much more! There is also an exciting street parade.

3.Jeju Fire Festival
*Festival Period
3/12/2020-3/15/2020
*Website:https://www.visitjeju.net/en/detail/view?contentsid=CNTS_000000000021916

The Jeju Fire Festival is a 3-day festival that takes place from February to March each year and symbolizes a welcoming of good health and good harvest for the new year. It represents the ancient tradition of burning old grass for a fresh start to the new planting season. Activities at the festival include folk games, torch marching, performances, and more. A breathtaking fireworks show marks the end of the festival. Another special part of the festival is being able to take in the fascinating views and natural landscape that surround Jeju Island. 

4.Jindo Sea Parting Festival
*Festival Period
4/08/2020-4/11/2020

*Website: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=705394
The sea mysteriously parts only once a year and allows visitors to walk through the sea to another island at the Jindo Sea Parting Festival. This magical experience happens due to the lowering of the tide. About half a million people attend this festival each year and enjoy strolling through the sea and participating in various other activities that are included in this exciting festival. 

5.Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival
*Official Website (Korean only): https://www.changwon.go.kr/depart/contents.do?mId=1101010000
Other Website (English): http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=700520 

*Festival Period
3/30/2020-4/06/2020
Spring in Korea welcomes the large amount of beautiful cherry blossom trees and the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival is the best way to admire them. Yeojwacheon (Romance Bridge) and Gyeonghwa Station are the two popular sites at the Cherry Blossom Festival. Visitors can also enjoy cultural performances. 

6.Jinju Lantern Festival

*Official Website: http://global.yudeung.com/?r=en 

*Other Website: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=697197 

*Festival Period

TBD October 2020

The Nam River fills with beautifully lit lanterns of all shapes, colors, and sizes at the Jinju Lantern Festival. There are also over ten thousand red lanterns that carry personal wishes of the local residents. The festival originates from 1592 when lanterns were lit to prevent Japanese troops from wading the Namgang river during the Japanese invasion. Lanterns are also lit to remember Veterans from the Jinjuseong Fortress Battle. 

7.Busan Firework Festival

*Official Website: http://www.bfo.or.kr/festival_Eng/ 

*Other Website: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=1385298 

*Festival Period

TBD October 2020

A million visitors gather each year to witness the exciting event that is the Busan Fireworks Festival. It is held every October along Gwangalli Beach. The sky lights up with a breathtaking display of fireworks and visitors can enjoy listening to music with the show.  

8.Namhae Oktoberfest

https://www.habkorea.net/namhae-german-village-beer-festival-2017/ 

*Festival Period

TBD October 2020

The German Village in Namhae Island holds a 3-day festival each year to celebrate Oktoberfest. The German Village was built for Koreans who worked in Germany in the 1960s and returned home to settle down in Namhae. Choose from a wide variety of German beers, wines, and authentic German cuisine. Visitors can take in the beautiful view full of unique german-style houses with white walls and red roofs. The mix of Korean and German culture is something you don’t want to miss out on. 

9.Pyeongchang Trout Festival 

Official Website: http://www.festival700.or.kr 

*Festival Period

12/28/2019-2/02/2020

The Pyeongchang Trout Festival takes place during the winter and visitors can enjoy plenty of exciting winter activities such as ice and snow sledding, thrilling ATV rides and snow rafting rides, ice fishing, bare handed fishing, and more! Catch a trout and deliver it to the food tent to enjoy it either grilled or raw with lots of side dishes to choose from. 

10.Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm

Official Website: http://morningcalm.co.kr/_ENG/html/main.php 

Other Websites: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_3.jsp?cid=1866962 

*Festival Period

12/06/2019-3/22/2020

Lighting Time: sunset-9pm (11pm on Saturdays)

The Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm is the biggest lighting festival in Korea. The garden is illuminated by 30,000 lights. The main gardens are Hakyung Garden, Hometown House Garden, Bonsai Garden, Moonlight Garden, Sky Path, and Garden of Eden. The design of the garden focuses on curves, spaces, asymmetrical balance, and Korea’s unique beauty to express classic elegance.