10 Popular Korean Festivals
South Korea is much more than its dramas and music, the country is rich in culture and tradition, which makes it one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Whether you are an expat or a tourist, one way to be immersed in the rich culture this country provides is to take part in their festivals. These festivals are numerous, and most of them have existed for decades and are still going strong.
Korean festivals draw a huge crowd, and for good reason too—they are there to celebrate the rich history and beliefs of the country. You get to interact with people from different parts of the world, learn things, and have fun, all at the same time. As long as you are visiting or staying in Korea, attending at least one festival is sure to make your time here memorable. Here are 10 popular Korean festivals you should surely attend:
- Boryeong Mud Festival
- Busan International Film Festival
- Andong Mask Dance Festival
- Boseong Green Tea Festival
- Muju Firefly Festival
- Jeju Fire Festival
- Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival
- Jinju Lantern Festival
- Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival
- Seoul Lantern Festival
Are you curious to know more? Keep reading 😌
1. Boryeong Mud Festival
Photo Credit: Kkday
This festival is basically a way to get dirty and have fun playing in the mud. It has existed for over two decades and is held annually in July at the place it was named after, Boryeong, at Daecheon Beach. While this festival is fun, it is important to know that its inception was a means to promote beauty products made with the minerals from Boryeong mud.
Adults and children alike can have fun at this festival as it involves activities like mud wrestling, mud swims, and even a mudslide. The festival lasts for almost two weeks, so you can divide your time between mud-related fun, getting a massage and facial, and doing some shopping for makeup. If you stay till sunset, you can enjoy the rest of the fun, where there will be a concert at the beach and, better still, fireworks.
Boryeong Mud Festival offers so much in terms of entertainment, which makes it one of the most popular festivals in the country. Note that, while mud has some nourishing qualities for your skin, it is not as nice on your clothes. So if you are going to play in the mud, wear clothes that won’t be missed, just in case the stains don’t come off. The objective is to have fun and take lots of pictures.
2. Busan International Film Festival
Photo Credit: Visitkorea
When you talk about festivals in Korea and film festivals in particular, this festival must be on the list. The Busan International Film Festival, or BIFF, is held annually in Busan. It is the best festival for movie lovers, as it spans over ten days and shows both classics and premieres of Korean and foreign films.
BIFF has drawn the film-loving crowd to Busan in October for over twenty years and counting. During the ten days that the festival lasts, the city is populated with movie buffs, directors, and famous celebrities from all over the world. Tickets to see the films can be gotten online if you do not want to wait in line to get one on the day of the screening. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, there is a question-and-answer section for the filmmakers after the movie, so be sure to ask your questions then.
This festival is a film lover’s heaven from the opening to the closing ceremony. Not to worry if you do not fall into this category; you have the choice of just watching the movies you are interested in. You do not have to stay the whole ten days, although the activities and movies are more than worth it.
3. Andong Mask Dance Festival
Photo Credit: Rove
This ten-day event takes place in Andong, Gyeongsangnam, either in late September or early October. Andong may not be a particularly lively town, but you will not know this once this festival comes around. The town brightens up with both locals and foreigners alike enjoying the activities of the mask dance festival. The major event in this festival is the traditional mask dance and performances by dance troupes throughout the event.
While the city has a lot of festivities happening, to get the full extent of the festival, you need to be at Mask Dance Park, which is the main venue. Some activities that take place there include mask-making, playing games, and, of course, performances. If you think the performances are the best part, wait till you see the fireworks, which come down like rain. You can only experience it to know how dazzling it is.
There is no excuse not to join in on the dancing fun, as dance lessons are available to all. If you are in Korea during this festival, be sure to attend, as a legend has it that you might miss heaven by not attending a mask festival at least once in a lifetime.
4. Boseong Green Tea Festival
Photo Credit: Visitkorea
The town of Boseong has green tea plantations that produce the largest amount of green tea in the country. It is no wonder that there is a festival like this named after it. At the festival, you can enjoy a day of green tea-themed fun, with strolls in the plantations, a tea party, green tea picking and making, a tea exhibition, and a lot more. The activities are designed to be fun, educational, and mostly delicious.
You do not need to worry about spending a whole day drinking just tea; there are also dishes available. In the spirit of the festival, these dishes are inspired by, take a guess, tea. The town is small, so if you intend to stay overnight, you should book a room well in advance to avoid being stranded. Because the festival is held in May each year, specifically in mid-May, you should have made a reservation in the town or a nearby town before May.
5. Muju Firefly Festival
Photo Credit: Hapskorea
Just as the name suggests, the main feature of this festival is the firefly, which conjures warm memories of childhood and innocence. Originally a means to promote environmental consciousness in its host town, Muju, the one-week festival has continued to champion Mother Nature and the beautiful flowers that adorn her for years. At night, the beautiful and picturesque Muju is lit up with fireflies glowing in the dark, a major treat for nature lovers.
Muju is not so populated that it has a high level of pollution that plagues major cities. Instead, the town has mountains, lakes, and a clean environment that allows fireflies to thrive there in their numbers. During the festival, whether night or day, the scenery is to die for.
While the fireflies draw most of the attention, there are other wonderful things to enjoy besides the main attraction. There are art programs, stalls with delicious street food, and even taekwondo and dance performances. At the festival’s end, the sky is lit up with lanterns, which people let loose after writing down their wishes.
The Muju firefly festival happens in the summer, in late August or early September. While you may not be into nature, you would certainly enjoy watching the fireflies as they interact with nature, in addition to the other activities of this festival.
6. Jeju Fire Festival
Photo Credit: Visitkorea
This festival is done in celebration and anticipation of a fruitful and good harvest for the upcoming year. It is held annually in Jeju, a town that attracts its fair share of tourists from all over the world. The inception of this festival came from a tradition where the area is burned down to kill bugs and rodents on the land and ensure a fruitful harvest.
Just like the tradition it was formed after, every year in March, the Saebyeol Oreum hill on Jeju Island is set ablaze. This is to usher in a good season and harvest for the next planting year as the spring season arrives. As if the hill on fire is not enough to show, the festival has other activities to amuse and entertain its patrons, like games, fireworks, showcases of folk dances, food, and, in recent times, K-pop performances.
If you are in Jeju in late February or early March, then there is no need to miss this festival. The most important thing to note is that, while Jeju Island hosts this fire festival, the town still makes the list of top places to visit in South Korea. So you are basically killing a bird with two stones. You get to watch a dazzling display of fire and tour Jeju.
7. Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival
Photo Credit: Korea
This festival lasts for three long weeks in the cold month of January. As it is still winter, the town of Hwacheon has its river frozen solid with a thick layer of ice. The festival attracts a lot of people, making it one of the biggest winter festivals the country holds.
Crowds of over a million people flock to Hwacheon for the festivities as they attempt ice fishing in order to catch fresh trout. To catch the fish, you have to put your hands in holes drilled into the frozen Bukhangang River. A lot of people can attempt, as there are over 10,000 holes drilled for those interested, and a good number of these participants get to catch some trout.
All the activities at this event are ice-related, be it sledding, ice slides, ice soccer, and so on. Not to worry, you can eat while you’re building a snowman and having icy fun. This is because, just like at a very good festival, at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, there is a lot of food to be eaten. It might be freezing, but you’ll have so much fun, you’ll hardly feel the cold.
8. Jinju Lantern Festival
Photo Credit: Visitkorea
This festival is one of the most beautiful festivals you’d experience in Korea, as the Nam River is lit up with beautiful life-sized lanterns all around it. While it is a beautiful festival, it is also a significant one. The Jinju Lantern Festival is a celebration of lives lost in the 1592 Imjin War, and it is held in October for over a week. The lanterns for the festivities have scenes and drawings of cultural and historical significance on them, cartoons, animals, and a lot of other beautiful decorations.
There is even an opportunity to purchase and write down your wishes on these beautiful lanterns. After you do this, you can send them floating down the river and hope your wish comes true. It makes a beautiful sight with lots of wish lanterns floating together on the Nam River. The effect is more remarkable, especially as the festival takes place at night.
In addition to the lanterns, the festival has fireworks, performances, and food as well, both local and international. You can take a stroll in the lantern tunnel with your loved ones to round up the day of fun, and do not forget to take as many pictures as possible.
9.Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival
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A festival that is very popular in South Korea is the Cherry Blossom Festival, which happens in April in the spirit of spring. This festival is special and unique, as you can see the blossoming flowers in many places in the country. The Jinhae festival stands out from the rest because it draws a lot of tourists to the town to see the flowers blossom due to its two famous locations.
Don’t just go to Jinhae; ensure that you stop at the Gyeonghwa Train Station to watch the petals fall like flowery snow as the trains travel through the station. If you are in a relationship, be sure to take a romantic walk with your partner on the Yeojwacheon Cherry Blossom Bridge. These two locations will give you the best of the blossoms and are what make Jinhae a must-visit.
The main purpose of this festival is to have an opportunity to appreciate the flowers, relax, and enjoy a restful day. Enjoy the floral beauty, try a taste of the snacks and drinks available, and capture the South Korean spring in stunning pictures.
10. Seoul Lantern Festival
Photo Credit :Rove
Just as the name suggests, the Seoul Lantern Festival takes place in the bustling city of Seoul, South Korea’s capital. The festival happens in November and features a lot of lanterns of varying designs based on the theme chosen for that year. The lanterns are arranged in such a way as to create marvellous effects both on the long Cheonggyecheon stream and around it.
The festival lasts for three weeks, and aside from just seeing the lanterns already there, you can make a wish lantern yourself and send it floating down the stream. The wish lantern is one of the reasons why millions flock to Seoul, as they set their wishes on the lantern and hope for their dreams to come true. That, and the fact that the lanterns in a row are so beautiful, makes for a definite photo op. Note that the lanterns are lit daily at night from five to eleven, which is when the display looks its best.
Once you are done with the lanterns, there is more entertainment to be had at the Cheonggye Plaza, so you and your companions can head over there for games and fun.