Korea Festival Calendar 2026–2027, Month by Month: The 27 Festivals Korea's Government Picked, Seoul's Official Seasons, Cherry Blossom to Ice Fishing, and Which Dates Are Confirmed

Last updated: 7 October 2026 (Hwacheon's 2027 dates and its planned new fishing fee added). Dates marked confirmed come from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's festival database, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's published 2026 calendar or the festival organiser's own site; dates marked typical are the festival's usual slot with the 2026 or 2027 edition not yet listed. Korean festivals announce late and move, so check the organiser the week before.

Korea asks every departing tourist what they could not find, and festivals come fourth: 11.5 percent of visitors in the 2025 survey said local festival and event information was missing when they planned. It is missing because it exists mostly in Korean, on the culture ministry's database and on city sites, and it is published late. This calendar is the English version of that database, month by month, built around three official lists that no English guide uses: the 27 festivals the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated as Korea's culture and tourism festivals for 2026–2027 (announced 23 January 2026, with a budget raised from ₩6.5 billion to ₩10.4 billion), the ministry's festival database (117 festivals listed for the rest of 2026 as of early September), and Seoul city's own festival plan, which already sets Seoul Winter Festa at 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027 (planned) while every English guide still says "TBD."

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, Gangwon, January. One of six festivals the ministry rates as "global," and the one that opens the Korean festival year. Photo: Korean Culture and Information Service via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (2023).

The January festivals are on ice, literally: Hwacheon, Pyeongchang and Cheorwon are run on frozen rivers. Koreans go with a box of INLIFE hand warmers, made in Korea, the same 핫팩 every convenience store sells in winter. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Guide: the year at a glance

How to read a Korean festival date

Three things about Korean festivals are different enough to plan around.

They announce late. A festival in October is often confirmed in July or August, and most January festivals in November or December (Hwacheon, which fixed 9–31 January 2027 by early October, is the exception); the ministry's database is updated as local governments file, which is why the rest of 2026 shows 117 festivals and 2027 shows almost nothing yet. "TBD" in an English guide usually means "not yet filed," not "in doubt." The three sources that update first are the ministry's festival database (Korean), the Seoul Metropolitan Government's English calendar for Seoul events, and each festival's own Korean site; Instagram accounts follow a week or two later.

They move for holidays. Chuseok (25 September 2026) and Seollal (17 February 2026, 7 February 2027) push festivals off their usual weekends: the Seoul fireworks festival moved three weeks earlier in 2026 to dodge Chuseok, and October festivals cluster around the 3 October and 9 October public holidays because that is when Koreans travel. Our Chuseok guide covers what closes.

Most are free and outdoors. The ministry-designated festivals are municipal, admission is usually free or a few thousand won, and the cost is the trip: a KTX or intercity bus, then a shuttle or taxi from the station. The exceptions are the ticketed music festivals (Pentaport, Jarasum, Busan Rock) and the ice festivals. Hwacheon has charged ₩15,000 for its trout-fishing ticket for more than ten years, with ₩5,000 of it returned as a local voucher; for January 2027 the county plans to raise it to ₩25,000 per adult and return ₩15,000, so you still pay ₩10,000 net but get three times as much to spend in town. Pyeongchang's plain ice-fishing ticket is ₩25,000.

The 27 festivals Korea's government picked for 2026–2027

On 23 January 2026 the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named 27 festivals as the country's designated culture and tourism festivals for two years, seven of them new (Busan International Rock Festival, Nonsan Strawberry Festival and Sejong Hangeul Festival among them). Two long-running festivals, Anseong Baudeogi and Sunchang Fermented Sauce, graduate to "honorary" status after their tenth year of funding, and two more, Eumseong Pumba and Bucheon Comics, join for 2027. Above them sit the "global festivals" the ministry funds as a group: Incheon Pentaport, Hwacheon Sancheoneo and Suwon Hwaseong from the January list, joined on 16 March 2026 by Boryeong Mud, Andong Mask Dance and Jinju Namgang Yudeung, six in all, with Daegu Chimac, Busan Rock, Sunchang and Jangheung Water named as "preliminary global." This list has not appeared in English before.

Hwacheon Sancheoneo (화천산천어축제), the January ice-fishing festival, sits above this list as a global festival; its organiser, the Nara foundation (재단법인 나라), has confirmed 9–31 January 2027. Other confirmed dates are from the ministry's database as of September 2026.

The blossom canopy on Yeouiseo-ro, Seoul, during the Yeouido spring flower festival, which ran 3–7 April in 2026 and is announced in February once the forecast settles. Photo: AnbyG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2019).

Winter: January and February, on the ice

Korea's festival year starts on frozen rivers. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, two hours north-east of Seoul, drills thousands of holes in the Hwacheon stream for mountain-trout fishing, with bare-hand fishing pools, ice sledding and the town's night lanterns; it ran 10 January to 1 February in 2026, returns on 9–31 January 2027 (23 days, Saturday to Sunday, confirmed on the organiser's site), draws more than a million people, and is one of the ministry's six global festivals. Pyeongchang Trout Festival does the same on the Odae stream and ran 9 January to 9 February in 2026. Cheorwon's Hantan River Ice Trekking walked the frozen gorge near the DMZ on 17–25 January. Taebaeksan Snow Festival brought the snow sculptures on 31 January to 8 February; none of those three has published 2027 dates yet, so plan on the same weeks. The fishing ticket is where 2027 changes. At an ideas meeting on 1 October 2026, Hwacheon County (화천군) set out a plan to raise its trout-fishing fee (산천어 체험료) from ₩15,000, unchanged for more than a decade, to ₩25,000 per adult, in line with nearby festivals, and to raise the refund from ₩5,000 to ₩15,000, paid as a mix of farm-produce vouchers (농특산물 교환권) and Hwacheon Love gift certificates (화천사랑상품권). Your real cost stays ₩10,000; the difference has to be spent in Hwacheon. The festival's own fee page still shows the old ₩15,000 and ₩5,000 and says details are being prepared, so treat ₩25,000 as the plan until the fee table changes. Foreigners with an overseas passport are on the festival's discount list (우대자) and paid ₩10,000 in 2026, so bring your passport to the ticket booth; check whether that discount carries into the new 2027 fee table. Pyeongchang's plain ice-fishing ticket is ₩25,000 (₩43,000 with the rides pass). The trout you catch is grilled on site, and the trains and shuttle buses from Seoul are the whole logistics; our winter travel guide covers the ski side.

Seoul Winter Festa, the city's own season, is planned for 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027 (Seoul's festival plan of 16 March 2026) across Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, DDP, Bosingak and Uicheon stream, and contains the Seoul Lantern Festival along the stream and the Gwanghwamun Christmas market. Seollal falls on 17 February in 2026 and 7 February in 2027, and for three days the country travels home; festivals pause, palaces are free, and restaurants close on the day (our restaurant hours guide has the pattern).

Spring: March to May, blossom first, then everything

The cherry blossom front moves north: Jinhae, the navy town near Busan, blooms in the last week of March into the first days of April and holds Korea's biggest blossom festival; Seoul follows in the first ten days of April at Yeouido and Seokchon Lake, with the exact festival dates set from the forecast a couple of weeks ahead. Nonsan's strawberry festival (26–29 March 2026) and Yeongam's Wangin festival under the blossoms (4–12 April) bracket the season.

Seoul Spring Festival, the city's spring season, opened on 10 April in 2026 and ran to 5 May, with Seoul Festa itself on 30 April to 5 May; the Seoul International Garden Show opened on 1 May and the Hangang parks fill on weekends. May is the ministry's busiest month: Boseong's tea terraces (1–5 May), Ulsan's onggi village (1–3 May), Yeoncheon's paleolithic site (2–5 May), Miryang Arirang (7–10 May), and the Hampyeong Butterfly Festival, which usually runs from late April. Buddha's Birthday is 24 May 2026, and the Lotus Lantern Festival's parade through Jongno was held on 16 May, the weekend before it, the one Seoul festival where the date is fixed by the lunar calendar. Hwaseong's boat festival on the tidal flats at Jeongok Port and Jebudo ran 22–25 May. Seoul Jazz Festival takes the last weekend of May at Olympic Park most years.

Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach, 24 July to 9 August in 2026, the one Korean festival most foreigners have already heard of. Photo: Stinkie Pinkie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (2008).

Summer: June to August, mud, beer and guitars

June belongs to the coast and the countryside: Eumseong's Pumba festival (10–14 June), Busan's Gwangalli Eobang fishing festival on the beach under the bridge (12–14 June, moved from its usual April slot for the local election). July opens with Daegu's Chimac Festival, a million people eating fried chicken and drinking beer in Duryu Park on 1–5 July, then Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach, 24 July to 9 August in 2026 (our mud festival guide has the day-trip logistics), and Pentaport, Korea's oldest rock festival, at Songdo in Incheon from 31 July to 2 August. Waterbomb, the K-pop water-fight festival, tours the country from July (our Waterbomb guide explains why the Seoul edition is not in Seoul), and Busan Sea Festival takes the first week of August. Liberation Day, 15 August, is a public holiday; the Hangang summer festival runs through the month.

Pentaport Rock Festival's main stage at Songdo, Incheon, in 2015; the 2026 edition runs 31 July to 2 August and holds the ministry's global-festival tier. Photo: Helper201, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

Autumn: September to November, the peak

September and October are the densest weeks in the Korean festival year, and 2026 shows why the ministry's database matters: it listed 117 festivals for the rest of the year in early September, most of them in these two months. Seoul Autumn Festa runs 18 September to 29 November. The ministry-designated run begins with Bucheon Comics and Siheung Gaetgol (both 18–20 September), then Andong Mask Dance Festival (24 September to 4 October) across Chuseok on 25 September, and Suwon Hwaseong (4–11 October, with King Jeongjo's royal procession re-enacted on 4 October and a media-art opening from 19 September).

October holds Jeongseon Arirang (1–4 October), Bupyeong Pungmul (2–4 October), Anseong's Baudeogi tightrope festival (2–5 October), Busan International Rock (2–4 October, Samnak Park), Jinju's Namgang lantern festival (3–18 October), Sejong Hangeul Festival (9–11 October, around the 100th Hangeul Day on 9 October), Jarasum Jazz Festival in Gapyeong (9–11 October, with a French focus for the 140th anniversary of Korea–France relations, day tickets about ₩88,000), Sunchang's sauce festival (15–18 October), Gangneung Coffee Festival (21–25 October) and Dongnae Eupseong. The foliage front runs the other way from the blossom, south from Seoraksan in early October to Seoul's palaces and Naejangsan in early November; our foliage guide tracks it. November closes with Cheongsong's apple festival, Gwangju's kimchi festival in some years, the Busan Fireworks Festival on Gwangalli beach (7 November 2026; our Busan fireworks guide explains the ticket rush), and Seoul Autumn Festa's last weekend.

The Seoul International Fireworks Festival, normally an early-October fixture, was held on 5 September in 2026 to avoid Chuseok; the 2027 date will be announced in the summer. Our Seoul fireworks guide will carry it.

Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival: lantern floats on the Nam River below Jinju fortress, 3–18 October in 2026 and one of the six global festivals since March 2026. Photo: Asfreeas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (2011).

December: lights

December is Seoul's month. Winter Festa is planned to open on 4 December 2026: the Seoul Lantern Festival's lantern sculptures along Cheonggyecheon, the light shows and Christmas market at Gwanghwamun Square, the DDP installations, and the New Year's Eve bell-ringing at Bosingak on 31 December, which is the one night the subway runs later than usual. Christmas Day is a public holiday; almost nothing closes for it. The season runs into January and hands the year back to the ice festivals.

The Seoul Lantern Festival's procession lanterns on Cheonggyecheon. In 2026 it runs inside Seoul Winter Festa, planned by the city for 4 December to 31 January. Photo: Ethan Doyle White, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (2019).

You might like: Seoul Winter Festa 2026: planned dates, Cheonggyecheon lantern hours, the free Gwanghwamun market and the ₩1,000 skating rink

Public holidays 2026, which is when Koreans go to festivals

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FAQ

Q: What festivals are in Korea in October 2026? Jeongseon Arirang (1–4 Oct), Bupyeong Pungmul (2–4 Oct), Anseong Baudeogi (2–5 Oct), Busan International Rock Festival (2–4 Oct), Jinju's lantern festival (3–18 Oct), Suwon Hwaseong Cultural Festival (4–11 Oct, royal procession 4 Oct), Sejong Hangeul Festival and Jarasum Jazz Festival (both 9–11 Oct), Sunchang (15–18 Oct) and Gangneung Coffee (21–25 Oct), plus Dongnae Eupseong on its usual October weekend. Seoul Autumn Festa runs all month and the foliage peaks in the mountains.

Q: When is the Seoul Lantern Festival in 2026? Inside Seoul Winter Festa, which the city plans for 4 December 2026 to 31 January 2027 along Cheonggyecheon and at Gwanghwamun Square.

Q: Which Korean festivals are officially recognised? The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated 27 culture and tourism festivals for 2026–2027 on 23 January 2026, from Hwacheon's ice fishing and Pentaport to Boseong's tea festival and Gwangju's kimchi festival, with six rated as global festivals: Pentaport, Hwacheon Sancheoneo, Suwon Hwaseong, and, since 16 March 2026, Boryeong Mud, Andong Mask Dance and Jinju Namgang Yudeung. The full list is in the table above.

Q: When is cherry blossom season in Korea? Jinhae and the south bloom in the last week of March into early April; Seoul's Yeouido and Seokchon Lake follow in the first ten days of April. Festival dates are set from the forecast one to two weeks ahead.

Q: Are Korean festivals free? Most municipal festivals are free to enter, with paid activities inside (ice fishing ₩25,000 at Pyeongchang; at Hwacheon ₩15,000 (₩10,000 for foreign passport holders) with ₩5,000 back as a voucher, planned to become ₩25,000 with ₩15,000 back for January 2027; tea-picking, boat rides). The ticketed exceptions are the music festivals: Pentaport, Jarasum Jazz (about ₩88,000 a day) and Busan Rock.

Q: Why do Korean festival dates say TBD in English guides? Because local governments file dates with the ministry's database late, often two to three months ahead, and in Korean first. The ministry database and the Seoul city calendar update before English sites do; this page follows them.

Bottom Line

Korea's festival year is an ice river in January, a blossom front in April, tea and Arirang in May, mud and guitars in July and August, a crush of fortress, lantern, jazz and harvest festivals in the six weeks after Chuseok, and a city of lights from mid-December. The ministry's 27 designated festivals for 2026–2027 are the reliable spine; Seoul's official seasons (Festa in spring, Autumn Festa, Winter Festa planned from 4 December) are the city's; and the dates marked confirmed here come from those two sources rather than a guess. Check the organiser the week before, plan around Seollal and Chuseok, and bring a mat.

You might like: Korea Autumn Foliage 2026: Seoul to Seoraksan and Chuseok 2027 in Korea: 14–16 September.

Sources

• Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: designation of 27 culture and tourism festivals for 2026–2027 (23 January 2026; K-Gonggam), global-festival grouping and budget (₩6.5 billion to ₩10.4 billion); MCST regional festival database (festivalList.jsp), queried September 2026 for each festival's 2026 dates and venues.
• Seoul Metropolitan Government, "Holidays and Annual Events for 2026 in Seoul" (Seoul Spring Festival 10 Apr–5 May, Seoul Festa 30 Apr–5 May, Seoul Autumn Festa 18 Sep–29 Nov per the Korean portal, public holidays; its Seoul Winter Festa date of 14 Dec 2026 was superseded by the city's 16 March 2026 festival plan and festival portal, 4 Dec 2026–31 Jan 2027); Seoul Winter Festa 2025–26 programme.
• Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 2025 International Visitor Survey, fourth-quarter preliminary report with full-year figures, February 2026 (information visitors lacked: festivals and events 11.5%; the third-quarter report had 10.9%).
• Hanwha on the 2026 Seoul International Fireworks Festival date; Jarasum Jazz Festival 2026 programme; Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival official site (narafestival.com, Nara foundation): 2027 dates 9–31 January and the current fee table, checked 7 October 2026; Shinailbo (신아일보), 5 October 2026, Reporter Nside (엔사이드) and Chamnews (참뉴스), 2 October 2026, on Hwacheon County's planned 2027 fee of ₩25,000 with ₩15,000 refunded; Pyeongchang Trout Festival price list (festival700.or.kr), checked 7 October 2026.