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Festival

October 2026 Festivals Around Korea — Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, Jeju

2026 · 10 · 12 5 min read Paper
Contents

This is a guide to October 2026 festivals outside the Seoul capital area, checked as of October 12. Many of the big ones (Andong Mask Dance, Geumsan Ginseng, the Baekje Cultural Festival) were in the first two weeks and are over, so this post covers what is still ahead and lists the finished ones at the end. For Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon, see the October capital-area post.

October regional festivals

Dates were checked against official sites, city and county notices and 2026 news. Regional festivals in Korea usually run free shuttles from train stations or remote parking lots, and that is often the easiest way in, so shuttle details are included where they were published.

At a glance

DatesFestivalRegionFee
until Oct 15Busan International Film FestivalBusanpaid
until Oct 18Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) FestivalJinjufree; some paid
until Oct 18Jeongeup Gujeolcho Flower FestivalJeongeup₩7,000
until Oct 18World Heritage Festival JejuJejubooking needed
until Nov 15Gwangju BiennaleGwangju₩20,000
Oct 14–18Chuncheon Makguksu & Dakgalbi FestivalChuncheonfree
Oct 15–18Ganggyeong Jeotgal FestivalNonsanfree
Oct 15–18Sunchang Jang FestivalSunchangfree
Oct 15–18Bonghwa Songi FestivalBonghwafree
Oct 15–19Gochang Moyangseong FestivalGochangfree
Oct 16–18Yangyang Songi & Salmon FestivalYangyangfree; activities paid
Oct 16–18Mokpo Harbor FestivalMokpofree
Oct 16–25Boeun Jujube FestivalBoeunfree
Oct 16–25Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower FestivalHwasun₩5,000 (refunded as vouchers)
Oct 17–18Daejeon Bread FestivalDaejeonfree entry
Oct 17–21Tamna Cultural FestivalJeju Cityfree
Oct 21–25Gangneung Coffee FestivalGangneungfree
Oct 23–25Gwangju Kimchi FestivalGwangjufree
Oct 23–25Namdo Food Culture FestivalNajufree entry
Oct 23–25Gimcheon Gimbap FestivalGimcheonfree
Oct 23–Nov 8Hampyeong Chrysanthemum FestivalHampyeongpaid
Oct 24–Nov 1Gangjin Bay Reed FestivalGangjinfree
Oct 31–Nov 8Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum FestivalChangwonfree

Gangwon

Gangneung Coffee Festival (강릉커피축제)

  • When: Oct 21–25, 10:00–20:00
  • Where: Gangneung Coffee Street at Anmok Beach, plus satellite venues around the city
  • Fee: free
  • Getting there: KTX to Gangneung from Seoul (about 2 hours), then bus or taxi. The organizers recommend public transit because parking near the beach fills up.
  • Official: https://www.coffeefestival.net

What is it? Anmok Beach in Gangneung has a strip of seaside cafés that made the city Korea’s unofficial coffee capital. The festival is built around them. A bread festival runs at the old government office (Gangneung Daedohobu Gwana) on Oct 22–25.

Chuncheon Makguksu & Dakgalbi Festival (춘천막국수닭갈비축제)

  • When: Oct 14–18, 11:00–21:00
  • Where: Gongjicheon stream walk, Chuncheon
  • Fee: free entry; dakgalbi 200 g ₩9,900, makguksu ₩6,900

Chuncheon’s two signature dishes: dakgalbi (닭갈비), spicy stir-fried chicken cooked on a big iron pan at the table, and makguksu (막국수), cold buckwheat noodles. Twenty restaurants take part, and discount coupons from the festival work in town until Oct 25.

Yangyang Songi & Salmon Festival (양양송이연어축제)

  • When: Oct 16–18
  • Where: Namdaecheon riverbank, Yangyang
  • Fee: free entry; activities paid, some popular ones need booking

Songi (송이) is the pine mushroom, Korea’s most prized wild mushroom, and October is when salmon return to the Namdaecheon river. This is the first year the two festivals have been combined, with a bare-handed salmon catch.

Chungcheong, Daejeon and Sejong

Ganggyeong Jeotgal Festival (강경젓갈축제)

Jeotgal (젓갈) are salted, fermented seafood used as side dishes and in kimchi. Ganggyeong was one of the great river-port markets of the Joseon era and is still lined with jeotgal shops. People come here before kimchi-making season to buy salted shrimp and anchovy sauce.

Boeun Jujube Festival (보은대추축제)

  • When: Oct 16–25, 10:00–20:00
  • Where: Baetdeul Park, Boeun, near Songnisan National Park
  • Fee: free

Fresh jujubes straight from the farms. It overlaps with autumn foliage at Songnisan and Beopjusa Temple, so the mountain road gets busy at weekends.

Daejeon Bread Festival (대전 빵축제)

  • When: Oct 17–18, 13:00–21:00
  • Where: Hanbit Tower, Expo Science Park, Daejeon
  • Fee: free entry

Daejeon is known as a bread city (it is home to the famous Sungsimdang bakery), and 120 bakeries set up stalls here. Go early for the popular ones.

Jeolla and Gwangju

Gwangju and Jeollanam-do appear as one merged special city in 2026 notices. Addresses still work under the old names on maps.

Jeongeup Gujeolcho Flower Festival (정읍 구절초꽃축제)

  • When: until Oct 18
  • Where: Gujeolcho Garden, Sannae-myeon, Jeongeup
  • Fee: adults ₩7,000, of which ₩4,000 comes back as a garden voucher
  • Getting there: free shuttle from Sannae-myeon, 09:00–18:30; about 2,350 parking spaces

Gujeolcho (구절초) is a white wild chrysanthemum. Here about 150,000 m² of it blooms under a pine forest, with a suspension bridge, waterfall and lookout.

Gochang Moyangseong Festival (고창모양성제)

  • When: Oct 15–19
  • Where: Gochang Eupseong fortress
  • Fee: free

The signature event is dapseong: walking the fortress wall with a stone on your head, an old custom said to bring good health. Drone show on Oct 16 at 19:30 and a Black Eagles air show on Oct 17 at 16:00.

Mokpo Harbor Festival (목포항구축제)

  • When: Oct 16–18, 12:00–21:00
  • Where: Mokpo port and Samhakdo
  • Fee: free
  • Getting there: three shuttle routes to the festival entrance, from Namhang parking lot (every 10 min), Yudalsan post office (every 15 min) and Pyeonghwa Plaza

A re-creation of the old pasi, a floating fish market, with plenty of Mokpo seafood: fermented skate (hongeo), croaker (mineo) and rockfish.

Gwangju Kimchi Festival (광주김치축제)

  • When: Oct 23–25
  • Where: Gwangju government building (former city hall), 111 Naebang-ro, Seo-gu
  • Fee: free
  • Official: https://kimchi.gwangju.go.kr

Kimchi-making sessions, a thousand-person communal table and kimchi sales. Gwangju considers itself the home of kimchi, and the festival was newly designated a national culture-tourism festival this year.

Namdo Food Culture Festival (남도음식문화큰잔치)

Food from all 27 cities and counties of the southwest, which Koreans regard as the country’s best food region, with a dedicated Naju hongeo (fermented skate) hall and evening chef shows, including temple-food chef Jeong Kwan on Oct 24.

Also in Jeolla

  • Sunchang Jang Festival (Oct 15–18): jang are fermented sauces like gochujang. Shuttles every 20 minutes
  • Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival (Oct 16–25): chrysanthemums among UNESCO-listed dolmens
  • Hampyeong Chrysanthemum Festival (Oct 23–Nov 8): paid, advance tickets discounted until Oct 22
  • Gangjin Bay Reed Festival (Oct 24–Nov 1): reed beds and tidal flats
  • Gwangju Biennale (until Nov 15): closed Mondays, ₩20,000

Gyeongsang, Busan, Daegu

Jinju Namgang Yudeung (Lantern) Festival (진주남강유등축제)

  • When: until Oct 18; lanterns lit 18:00–24:00
  • Where: Jinjuseong Fortress and the Namgang River, Jinju
  • Fee: free; the floating bridge and lantern-floating activities are paid
  • Getting there: traffic is very heavy on Fridays and weekends. Use the free shuttles from remote parking lots, or walk and take taxis in town.
  • Official: http://www.yudeung.com

Huge lanterns float on the river below the fortress. The tradition goes back to the 1592 Battle of Jinju, when lanterns were floated to signal and to block crossings. The last fireworks show is on Oct 17 after a drone show.

Bonghwa Songi Festival (봉화송이축제)

  • When: Oct 15–18
  • Where: Naeseongcheon riverside, Bonghwa
  • Fee: free

Pine mushroom sales in small packs, three auctions a day, and pine-mushroom ramyeon for ₩5,000.

Gimcheon Gimbap Festival (김천김밥축제)

  • When: Oct 23–25
  • Where: Jikji Culture Park area, Gimcheon
  • Fee: free

About 80 gimbap and snack stalls. Last year 150,000 people came in two days and the roads jammed, so this year runs three days. Go early.

Busan and Daegu

  • Busan International Film Festival: until Oct 15, Busan Cinema Center (Centum City station, Line 2)
  • Dongnae Eupseong History Festival, Busan: Oct 16–18, re-enactments of the 1592 Battle of Dongnae
  • Daegu Tteokbokki Festival: Oct 23–25, iM Bank Park
  • Daegu International Opera Festival: until Oct 31
  • Busan Fireworks Festival: November 7 this year, not October

Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival (마산가고파국화축제)

  • When: Oct 31–Nov 8, 09:00–21:00
  • Where: 3·15 Marine Nuri Park, Masan, Changwon
  • Fee: free

New this year: a nakhwa fire-falling display over the sea. The Odong-dong agujjim (spicy braised monkfish) street is a 10-minute walk away.

Jeju

Tamna Cultural Festival (탐라문화제)

  • When: Oct 17–21
  • Where: Jeju Citizens’ Welfare Town Plaza (moved from Tapdong this year)
  • Fee: free

Jeju’s main folk festival, now in its 65th year, named after Tamna, the island’s ancient kingdom. Parade, folk games and a dance drama on Oct 18–20 at 20:00. The National Sports Festival is in Jeju on Oct 16–22, so book flights and rooms early.

Also in Jeju

  • World Heritage Festival Jeju: until Oct 18. Lava-tube and volcano programs, including a full-length Manjanggul cave expedition; advance application required
  • Jeju Pork (Dosaegi) Festival: Oct 17–18, Saebyeol Oreum, Aewol. Free tastings of Jeju black pork
  • Seogwipo Chilsimni Festival: Oct 23–25, Cheonjiyeon Falls parking area

Already over (for next year)

2026 datesFestivalRegion
Sep 24–Oct 4Andong International Mask Dance FestivalAndong
Oct 1–5Gimje Horizon FestivalGimje
Oct 2–4Jeonju Bibimbap FestivalJeonju
Oct 2–11Geumsan World Ginseng FestivalGeumsan
Oct 3–11Baekje Cultural FestivalGongju, Buyeo
Oct 7–11Hoengseong Hanwoo FestivalHoengseong
Oct 9–11Silla Cultural FestivalGyeongju
Oct 9–11Namhae German Village Beer FestivalNamhae

References