Gwangju Namhansanseong Cultural Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.09.20

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the construction of the Namhansanseong fortress walls, Gwangju City’s representative festival, the ‘Gwangju Namhansanseong Cultural Festival,’ which sheds new light on the value of Namhansanseong, where history and culture breathe, will be held for three days from September 18th to 20th at Namhansanseong Provincial Park.

This festival is a meaningful occasion to reflect on the historical significance and cultural value of Namhansanseong, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, together with citizens. During the festival period, various performances and stage programs where tradition and modernity harmonize, historical experience programs where one can directly experience the history and culture of Namhansanseong, participatory programs that citizens can join and enjoy together, and experiential art markets will be diversely presented.

What to see and do

The festival program includes performances, hands-on experiences, an art market, and a food zone, giving visitors a range of ways to engage with the fortress and its heritage. Since admission is free, it is easy to join for a single program or stay for a full day of events.

1. Opening Ceremony: An opening performance with citizens to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the construction of the Namhansanseong fortress walls.
2. Performances: Various performances featuring local art groups, busking, popular singers, etc.
3. Experience Programs: Experience programs to encounter and enjoy nature and history throughout Namhansanseong.
4. Art Market: Operation of an experiential art market linked with local workshops.
5. Food Zone: A food zone where you can enjoy the unique tastes and representative foods of Namhansanseong.
6. Visiting Library, Visiting Cinema: Meeting Namhansanseong closely through books and movies.

The mix of commemorative events, local artistic talent, and hands-on cultural activities gives the festival its own character within Gwangju’s annual calendar. Visitors can watch, participate, explore, and taste their way through the fortress site, all against the backdrop of a UNESCO-listed historic landscape.

Event details

📍 Address: 731 Namhansanseong-ro, Namhansanseong-myeon, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 1522-0338

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gccf_festival/

🖥️ Website: https://www.nsart.or.kr/culture/business.do?act=detail&clbsId=163

Namhansanseong Fortress: History and Significance

Namhansanseong is a mountain fortress in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, built to guard the southern approach to Seoul. The site has defensive origins dating to the Three Kingdoms period, but the walls and structures that survive today were completed in 1626, during the Joseon dynasty. Its 400th anniversary will mark the completion of that construction in 2026.

The fortress was designed as an emergency capital for the Joseon royal family. It included palace buildings, military command posts, and storage facilities, and its fortifications combined natural terrain with masonry walls, gates, and watchtowers. The layout reflected the military engineering standards of the time and allowed a relatively small garrison to defend against a larger invading force.

Namhansanseong is best known for the siege of 1636, when King Injo and his court took refuge inside the fortress during a Manchu invasion. The garrison and refugees held out for nearly fifty days against a Qing army before Injo surrendered. The terms of that surrender affected Joseon’s relations with the Qing dynasty for decades afterward, and the event is a central episode in Korean political history.

The fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014. The designation recognizes it as a significant example of East Asian military architecture and as a landscape shaped by Joseon-era political and philosophical ideas. Its walls, gates, and surviving buildings are preserved as historical evidence of that period.

Pyeongchang Nongak & Mountain Food Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.09.20

The Pyeongchang Nongak & Mountain Food Festival is held annually in Yongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, the village where the Pyeongchang Dunjeonpyeong Nongak—a representative intangible cultural asset of Gangwon Province—is preserved and carried on. Nongak, Korea’s traditional farmers’ performance, is known for its driving percussion and communal dances, and this festival places that heritage at the center of a weekend of food, performance, and hands-on activities. Over the years, the festival has developed into an event visited by many tourists, since it offers something for people of all ages and genders.

This year’s festival marks its 6th anniversary under the theme “Delicious Sounds of Pyeongchang Love! The Delicious Mountain Food of Exciting Pyeongchang Nongak.” By combining regional mountain food with exciting performances and experiences centered on the Pyeongchang Dunjeonpyeong Nongak, this edition will present a more diverse and abundant range of attractions than before. The event is colorfully composed of various food programs including jar barbecue, skewer grilling experiences, and market-style soup (jangteogukbap), as well as traditional culture experiences and various performances such as madanggeuk (open-air plays). It offers everyone an unforgettable autumn atmosphere of Pyeongchang, where the exciting rhythms of Nongak blend with Pyeongchang’s delicious and generous hospitality.

The programs are organized into four categories:

1. Main Programs
Folk performances (Nongak, Gilnori, Madanggeuk, etc.) and singer performances.

2. Side Programs
Busking (traditional Korean music and fusion gugak, etc.).

3. Experience Programs
Straw craft, folk games, and playing folk instruments, etc.

4. Food
Jar barbecue, skewer grilling experience, etc.

📍 Address: 7 Galjeongji-gil, Yongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free (Food is paid)

📞 Inquiry: 033-332-4333

🖥️ Website: Website url

Nongak is a traditional Korean farmers’ performance art. It developed in rural areas as a way for villagers to coordinate labor, mark seasonal events, and maintain communal ties. The music is played on four instruments: the buk barrel drum, the kkwaenggwari small gong, the jing large gong, and the hourglass-shaped janggu. The kkwaenggwari leads the ensemble, while the other instruments maintain the rhythm and shape the pace of each piece.

The performance extends beyond the band. Dancers wear sangmo, caps fitted with long ribbon streamers, and move their heads to draw clean arcs and spirals in the air. Some sections feature staged comic exchanges, processional formations, and direct calls to the audience. These elements give nongak a theatrical character while preserving its origins as a village practice.

Nongak has been performed on stage for decades and was listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. At the 2026 Pyeongchang Nongak & Mountain Food Festival, it will be programmed as a main attraction, with performances scheduled throughout the grounds. The presentation will keep the music and movement at the center, rather than using them as background for the food events.

Suseongmot Festival

The Suseongmot Festival provides citizens with artistic experiences against the backdrop of Suseongmot, the most frequently visited spot by Daegu citizens. It was selected as 1st place for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020 in the “Daegu Metropolitan City Excellent Regional Festival Evaluation,” and it is one of the projects that represent the identity of the Suseong Cultural Foundation. The festival runs from September 18 to 20, 2026, and admission is free.

Program Highlights

This year’s official invited performances include K-Arts Fantasy, which contains the essence of Korean traditional orchestral music, song, dance, and music; the Floating Concert; the Floating Ball ‘Pa (Wave)’; and street art performances. The festival also includes the Suseong Happiness Concert, a large-scale choral performance in which citizens and artists participate. Musical fireworks shows will unfold at the beginning and end of the festival.

Visitors can also watch the National Youth Dance Competition performed by citizens, the Suseong-gu Elementary and Middle School Music Harmony Square, and the Intangible Heritage Festival, and participate in on-site experience programs such as the Drawing Contest and the Deulangil K-Food Festival.

Festival Programs

Main Programs

• K-Arts Fantasy
• Floating Concert
• Floating Ball ‘Pa (Wave)’
• Street Art Performances
• Suseong Happiness Concert
• Musical Fireworks Show

Side Programs

• Intangible Heritage Festival
• Deulang Art Mall & Suseong Local Bakery
• Suseongmot Drawing Contest
• Suseong-gu Elementary and Middle School Music Harmony Square
• National Youth Dance Competition
• Suseong-gu Taekwondo Association Demonstration Performance
• Taekwondo Flash Mob
• Suseong Living Art Club Competition
• Daegu International Opera Festival Fringe Concert
• Suseong-gu Village Band Concert

Consumer Participation Programs

• Food Booths
• Experience and Promotion Booths

Event Information

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.09.20

📍 Address: 112 Muhak-ro, Suseong-gu, Daegu (Dusan-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 053-668-1500

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suseong_festival

🖥️ Homepage: http://www.ssfestival.net/

What is Suseongmot?

Suseongmot is an artificial lake in Suseong-gu, Daegu, South Korea. It was built in 1925 as an agricultural reservoir and has since become a public leisure area. The name means “Suseong Pond” in Korean. It is one of the better-known landmarks in the eastern part of the city.

The lake is surrounded by a walking path, lawns, and a number of cafes and restaurants. Rental pedal boats and swan boats operate on the water during the day. Visitors can walk the full loop around the lake, sit on benches near the shore, or use the exercise equipment installed along parts of the route. In the evening, the path is lit, and the illuminated buildings on the opposite side are reflected in the water.

Suseongmot also hosts events. The annual Suseongmot Festival includes fireworks, concerts, and performances staged near the lake. At other times, the area is used for outdoor art displays and small cultural programs. These events draw residents from Daegu and visitors from elsewhere in the region, particularly during the warmer months.

Gamaksan Flower Star Travel

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.10.11

The 6th Gamaksan Flower Star Travel, Geochang-gun’s representative autumn festival, returns to Star Wind Hill at the summit of Gamaksan in Shinwon-myeon from September 18 to October 11, 2026. This year’s theme, A Purple Comma for Myself, frames the festival as a pause in the season’s rush, set against sweeping mountain views and the purple bloom of chrysanthemum fields.

The event officially opens on September 18 with pre-event performances, the main opening ceremony, and a guided walk through the Siberian chrysanthemum complex. Across the following three weeks, the program blends live music, family-oriented experiences, and regional food.

Viewing Course

Three outdoor spaces anchor the festival’s scenery:

• Aster Complex — 5ha planted with 300,000 aster chrysanthemums, featuring an observatory, a silver grass maze, and an experience center.
• Siberian Chrysanthemum Complex — 4ha of Siberian chrysanthemums, Aster koraiensis, and Aster tataricus, totaling 400,000 plants, with a deck shelter for resting mid-stroll.
• Barrier-Free Sharing Path — a 3.8km raised deck road linking the main sights, punctuated by three observatories. The wooden path keeps the high-altitude views accessible to wheelchairs and strollers alike.

Performance Program

The performance lineup runs throughout the festival period. Sunset Hill Concerts pair live sets with evening light over the ridgeline, while busking performances appear at scattered points along the walking routes. Congratulatory shows from the Geochang Music Association add a local note, and dedicated magic performances give younger visitors their own moment at center stage.

Experience Program

Visitors can take home more than photographs. Photo zones across the venue, a stamp tour, and SNS certification events each offer souvenirs for participation. The standout installation is the slow mailbox at Star Wind Hill: write a letter during the festival, and it will be delivered to you before next year’s event—an unusual memento that extends the festival’s reach long after the chrysanthemums have faded.

Sales and Food

• Flower Star Market — local farms and businesses offer Geochang specialties and processed regional products.
• Food market — operated by the women’s associations of Namsang-myeon and Shinwon-myeon, serving bibimbap, gukbap, jeon, and tofu kimchi at affordable prices.
• Food truck zone — a lighter-options corner with coffee, sikhye, and hot dogs.

📍 Address: 452 Yeonsusa-gil, Shinwon-myeon, Geochang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Paid (Shuttle bus fee 3,000 won)

📞 Inquiry: 055-940-8227

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geochang_welcome/

🖥️ Website: https://starwindhill.com/

What is Gamaksan?

Gamaksan is a mountain in Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It rises to about 962 meters as part of the Sobaek Mountain range. Its terrain is mostly granite, with exposed ridges, rocky summits, and forested slopes that vary with the season.

In autumn, large patches of purple chrysanthemums grow across the upper slopes. These flowers are the mountain’s main seasonal attraction and draw a steady number of visitors during their blooming period. At other times of year, the appeal is simpler: ridgeline views, quiet forest trails, and relative solitude. From the summit, hikers can see Geochang’s lowlands, the surrounding Sobaek peaks, and the valleys between them.

The trail network includes an established route from the base as well as longer ridgeline connections to neighboring mountains. The standard route is a steady climb, with some rocky sections that require care. There are no shops or facilities on the mountain, so hikers should carry their own water and food. The mountain can be visited as a half-day outing, but the full ridge route offers a longer, more demanding hike for those with time.

Korea Youth Day Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.18 ~ 2026.09.20

Korea Youth Day is a statutory anniversary that originated from a youth commemorative event proposed and led by the non-profit organization Youth and Future. Since 2016, Youth and Future has held Youth Day commemorative events every September to spread social consensus for designating Youth Day as a statutory anniversary and to increase national interest in the promotion of youth rights and interests. From 2017, it has used the official name <Korea Youth Day Festival> and developed it into a representative youth festival of Korea. Subsequently, on January 9, 2020, the ‘Framework Act on Young People,’ which contains the designation of Youth Day as a statutory anniversary, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly, and Youth Day was designated as a statutory anniversary on the third Saturday of September every year.

The Korea Youth Day Festival operates programs encompassing various fields for youth, including the promotion of youth policies, culture and arts, employment and entrepreneurship, performances, experiences, and the content industry. What distinguishes this festival from other large-scale youth events in Korea—such as university festivals or K-POP-focused concerts—is its explicit policy mandate: the integration of youth rights advocacy with mainstream entertainment. Attendees encounter both the Korea Youth Dream Gala Concerts and the Youth Policy Competition within the same program structure, a combination that reflects the festival’s dual purpose of celebration and civic engagement.

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2026 Edition: 10th Anniversary in Busan

This year, marking the 10th anniversary of Youth Day, the 10th Korea Youth Day Festival relocates to the Gwangalli area of Busan Metropolitan City. The change of venue from previous editions (typically held in Seoul) represents the first time the festival has moved to a regional city, leveraging Busan’s coastal infrastructure and established event-hosting capacity. Gwangalli Beach, with its 1.4km shoreline and direct view of Gwangan Bridge, provides a built-in backdrop for evening programming and drone displays.

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Program Structure

Category	Programs
Main Programs	Drone Show, K-POP Concert, Creator Festival, Cheerleading Championship, Dance Challenge, University Song Festival, Youth 100-Person Chorus, Musical Gala Show, Silence DJing Dance
Side Programs	Opening Ceremony, Youth Startup Awards, Youth-Friendly Dedication Grand Prize, Youth Policy Competition
Consumer Participation Programs	Creator Fan Meet-up, Beauty Experience, MBTI Test, Youth Entrepreneurship Experience Booth, Dance Challenge, Company Experience Booths
Other Details	Food Festival

Several programs warrant specific attention. The Youth 100-Person Chorus assembles participants through open application rather than institutional nomination, and the Silence DJing Dance—performed with wireless headphones distributed to audience members—addresses noise restrictions in the residential-adjacent venue. The Creator Festival and associated Creator Awards reflect the festival’s adaptation to content-industry employment trends, with 2024-2025 data showing creator-related career interest among South Korean youth exceeding traditional entertainment industry aspirations by a measurable margin.

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Practical Information

📍 Address	219 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro, Suyeong-gu, Busan (Gwangan-dong)
💰 Fee	Free
📞 Inquiry	02-780-3939
⭐️ Instagram	https://www.instagram.com/youth.future_official/

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

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For Prospective Attendees

The festival’s free admission removes financial barriers, though capacity limits apply to seated indoor programs (the Musical Gala Show and specific Creator Fan Meet-ups). The September 18-20 timing coincides with post-monsoon stable weather in Busan, with historical data showing average temperatures of 21-26°C and precipitation probability below 15% for the period. Visitors combining the festival with coastal tourism should note that Gwangalli Beach swimming season officially concludes August 31, though the beachfront remains accessible and food-truck operations extend into October.

What is Busan’s significance in K-pop culture?

Busan occupies a specific place in K-pop’s development, less as a rival center to Seoul than as a laboratory where certain performance values took shape. The city produced artists who became central to the genre, and in doing so, established training and evaluation methods that larger companies later adopted.

The city’s working-class coastal identity is sometimes overstated, but it did produce a performance culture with particular characteristics. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw an active underground dance battle scene, competitive enough that participants developed genuine technical proficiency in freestyle and crowd engagement. These were practical skills—useful for clubs, for street performance, for any venue where set choreography wasn’t guaranteed. When major entertainment companies recruited from this pool, they found performers who could manage unexpected variables, who didn’t require carefully controlled environments.

Entertainment companies also used Busan as a testing market. The city’s geographic and demographic distance from Seoul made it useful for gauging how material might play more broadly. Audiences here developed reputations for being direct in their responses—unsparing when performances failed, enthusiastic when they succeeded. This created genuine pressure on performers, who learned to read rooms quickly and adjust. Whether this produced better artists or simply different ones remains debatable, but it did produce artists who could function under scrutiny.

The Busan One Asia Festival, launched in 2016, established some of the infrastructure and government relationships that support current K-pop tourism initiatives. The city’s port facilitated earlier exchange with Japanese and Southeast Asian markets, though this role is easy to exaggerate—Seoul remained the primary distribution center, with Busan functioning more as peripheral access point.

Contemporary significance is more measured. Multiple BTS and SEVENTEEN members originated here, along with artists from second-generation groups. Several training academies maintain and teach methodologies developed during earlier periods, though how faithfully they preserve these methods, and how relevant those methods remain to current industry demands, varies considerably. Busan’s role now is less transformative than sustaining—continuing to produce capable performers without claiming the cultural authority it once tested.

Donghae Mureung Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.17 ~ 2026.09.20

Overview

The 39th Donghae Mureung Festival, Donghae City’s representative traditional culture festival, runs for four days from September 17 to 20, 2026, around the Donghae Wellbeing Leisure Sports Town and the Donghae Culture and Arts Center. This year’s theme is “United Citizens, Newly Leaping Donghae City,” with the aim of expanding citizen participation, revitalizing the local economy, and creating a cultural tourism festival where tradition and modernity harmonize.

The festival is structured around ritual events, performance events, folk culture and art events, experience promotion events, and planned events. Featured programs include the Sansinje (Mountain God Ritual) and Pungnyeonje (Harvest Festival), the opening celebration performance, the Generation Empathy Concert, the Donghae Song Festival, the Donghae Youth Dance Festival, and performances by local professional artists and the municipal choir. The lineup also spans generations through the Navy Band and Honor Guard, the 1st Mountain Brigade’s special forces martial arts demonstration, and folk performances such as Mangsang Nongak and Bukpyeong Wonnim Dapgyo Nori.

For hands-on participation, experience promotion halls will cover traditional folk games, workshop experiences, and health check-ups. A children’s experience center adds family-friendly programs involving traditional games, maritime safety, and sports.

A new program, “A Bite of Donghae Taste,” lets visitors taste and vote for representative menus from local restaurants. The festival also connects with the Donghae Sale Festa to support local commercial districts, while food sales areas, traditional markets, and a Cheongsachorong (traditional lantern) light tunnel will enhance both the festival atmosphere and its nighttime appeal.

The 39th Donghae Mureung Festival is scheduled to serve as Donghae City’s representative cultural tourism festival, offering citizens and tourists the chance to enjoy expanded programs and experience the region’s traditional culture, food, and art all in one place.

Main Programs

• Sansinje, Pungnyeonje (9.17.)
• Opening Ceremony and Opening Celebration Performance; Navy Band, Honor Guard and Anhui Province (China) Performance (9.18.)
• Club Festival Gathering, Donghae Song Festival, Generation Empathy Concert (9.19.)
• Donghae Youth Dance Festival, Local Professional Artists, Municipal Choir Performance, 1st Mountain Brigade Special Forces Martial Arts Demonstration (9.20.)

Side Programs

• Traditional Folk Game Competition
• Mangsang Nongak, Bukpyeong Wonnim Dapgyo Nori folk performance
• Mureung Art Contest
• Mureung Baekil Poetry and Painting Exhibition
• Scholar’s Stone Exhibition
• Culture and Arts Experience
• Food Experience Hall
• Folk Experience Hall
• Wellbeing Experience Hall
• Planned Experience Hall
• Agency/Organization/Corporate Promotion Hall
• Children’s Experience Hall

Consumer Participation Programs

• A Bite of Donghae Taste
• Donghae Sale Festa
• Donghae Love Receipt Tour
• Traditional Folk Game Experience
• Workshop Experience
• Children’s Traditional Games
• Maritime Safety
• Sports Experience

Other Programs

• Food sales area operated by local food businesses
• Food and sales spaces for local food, multicultural food, traditional liquor, dried fish, and more
• Operation of traditional markets and amusement facilities
• Creation of Cheongsachorong light street and light tunnel

Practical Information

📍 Address: 10 Deokgol-gil, Donghae-si, Gangwon-do (Cheongok-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 033-532-1945

🖥️ Website: dhfesta.or.kr/dmrf/

What is Mureung Valley?

Mureung Valley is a forested gorge in Donghae City, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It runs along the Mureungcheon, a mountain stream that has cut through granite over time. That process has produced broad rock slabs, rounded boulders, and steep cliff faces, with the water dropping at intervals into clear pools. A network of walking paths and wooden footbridges follows the stream, connecting the valley’s main viewpoints without requiring a long or difficult hike. The route is shaded by mature deciduous trees and is suited to a slow walk rather than a strenuous climb.

The valley’s name comes from Mureungdowon, the utopian garden found in classical Korean and East Asian literature. The reference is deliberate but scaled down: Mureung is a real, smaller place named after an imagined one. The combination of water, stone, and woodland does recall the aesthetics of a traditional East Asian garden, but the landscape itself is entirely natural. Seasonal changes affect both the view and the sound of the valley. In spring, the forest is light green; in summer, the canopy is dense and the stream runs fuller; in autumn, the slopes turn red and yellow. By late autumn, the water level drops, exposing more rock and making the pools clearer.

The valley is also the site of the Donghae Mureung Festival, which reaches its 39th year in this edition. The festival was built around the valley and continues to use it directly: outdoor stages sit on level ground near the stream, the walking paths serve as routes between performance areas, and the narrow shape of the gorge dictates the layout of the event. That proximity is what separates it from a performance held in a city park. The performers, the audience, and the surrounding landscape share the same space, and the stream remains audible throughout. For visitors, the valley is not a backdrop to the festival; it is the ground on which the festival is arranged.

Hampyeong Moaksan Red Spider Lily Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.16 ~ 2026.09.20

The 27th Hampyeong Moaksan Red Spider Lily Festival takes place over five days in September, set against the red spider lily colonies and natural forest landscape of Moaksan in Hampyeong-gun. Designed as an emotional healing festival, the event gives visitors the chance to shake off everyday fatigue and spend time at leisure in autumn scenery where red spider lilies and trees coexist. The program centers on walking, resting, and recharging in nature, with particular emphasis on meditation and forest healing experiences along Moaksan’s forest paths. The festival also aims to promote the ecological and scenic value of the Moaksan red spider lilies by bringing together nature, people, and rest in a single setting.

The festival’s activities are organized into performances, hands-on experiences, special events, and sales booths, with a few additional services to make the site easier to navigate.

Performance Programs

• Red Spider Lily Concert
• Red Spider Lily Laughter Healing Talk Concert
• Lifelong Learning Performance
• Regional Culture and Arts Group Performance
• Resident Harmony Festival Performance
• Red Spider Lily Forest Busking
• Red Spider Lily Singing Contest

Experience Programs

• Red Spider Lily Forest Outing
• Hanging Wish Ribbons on Hiking Trails
• Taking Red Spider Lily Memory Photos
• Aroma Fragrance Necklace Experience
• Shine Muscat Dessert Tasting
• Red Spider Lily Healing Center Program

Event Programs

• Moaksan Summit Visit Event
• Red Spider Lily Festival Consumption Promotion Certification Event

Sales Booths

• Agricultural and Specialty Product Sales Outlets (8 locations)
• Handicraft Sales Outlets (4 locations)
• Haebyeon-myeon Resident Specialty Product Sales Outlets (3 locations)

Other Details

• Stroller/Wheelchair Rental Office
• Red Spider Lily Path Circular Bus

📍 Address: 209 Yongcheon-sa gil, Haebyeon-myeon, Hampyeong-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 061-320-2247

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hp_festival/

🖥️ Homepage: www.hpftf.or.kr

What is the red spider lily?

The red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) is a bulbous perennial that flowers in autumn. Its leafless stem rises from the ground and ends in a cluster of six to eight flowers. The petals curve backward, and the stamens are long and thread-like, giving the bloom its common name. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs from late September to early October. Leaves emerge only after the flowers have faded; they remain green through winter and spring, then die back in summer. This sequence—flowers first, leaves later—is not common among garden perennials.

The species is widely grown across East Asia. In Japan it is called higanbana, after the Buddhist autumn equinox period (higan), and it appears in temple gardens, along roadsides, and in cemeteries. Its bulbs contain toxic alkaloids, and for that reason the plant was often used to mark the edges of rice paddies and keep rodents from the fields. It is also a frequent subject in art and seasonal writing.

In the hills of Moaksan, stands of red spider lilies bloom in autumn. The flowers grow in dense patches and are visible at a distance as bands of red across the hillsides. The bloom period is short, so the display appears and ends within a few weeks.

Chuseok Sharing Market

🗓️ 2026.09.15 ~ 2026.09.17

The 2026 Chuseok Seoro Market, also referred to as the Chuseok Sharing Market, is a city-rural coexistence direct trading market held around Seoul Plaza. It brings together excellent agricultural and marine specialty products from various regions across the country for Chuseok, one of Korea’s most significant traditional holidays. More than a simple marketplace, the event serves as a space where local farmers and citizens can communicate directly with one another.

The market is organized around a practical premise: the various regional agricultural specialties needed for Chuseok shopping should be findable in one place. For citizens, this means the convenience of completing a large portion of holiday preparations in a single visit to Seoul Plaza. For producers, it means access to a concentrated urban audience and an opportunity to expand sales channels without going through intermediaries. This mutual benefit is the essence of the city-rural coexistence concept that defines the event.

In addition to selling agricultural and marine specialties, the market operates a range of experience and cultural programs where participants can engage with traditional culture and the atmosphere of Chuseok. The main programs consist of activities that citizens can directly participate in and enjoy, including the ‘Chuseok Table for 100’ with masters, a mill experience that introduces traditional mill culture, a moonlight photo zone utilizing Hanbok and the full moon, traditional game experiences, and the Hangawi Persimmon Tree Capsule event. These activities give visitors a way to connect with the seasonal customs of the holiday, from preparing festive foods to taking in the imagery of the full harvest moon.

A courier service within the venue further supports the convenience of the market. Visitors can have purchased goods delivered rather than carrying them around, and the service makes it easier for participating farms to sell their products in larger quantities. The result is an environment where excellent products from across the country can be purchased with ease, and where holiday shopping becomes a more relaxed experience.

Main Programs

1. Agricultural and marine specialty direct trading market — The centerpiece of the event, where regional farms sell their products directly to consumers.
2. Opening ceremony — The official start of the three-day market.
3. Pre-performances and Seoul street performances — Live performances held alongside the market.
4. Chuseok Table for 100 — A shared holiday table experience led by masters.
5. On-site reports — Reports and coverage from the event venue.
6. Songpyeon making — A hands-on opportunity to make songpyeon, the half-moon-shaped rice cakes traditionally enjoyed during Chuseok.

Side Programs

1. Moonlight photo zone — A photo zone combining Hanbok and the full moon.
2. Persimmon tree play yard — A play yard themed around the persimmon tree.
3. Mill experience — An encounter with traditional mill culture.

Consumer Participation Programs

1. Making pollack catchers — Crafting traditional implements used to catch pollack.
2. Making wish bracelets — Crafting bracelets meant to carry a wish.
3. Chopstick random grain moving game — A dexterity game played with chopsticks and grains.
4. Guessing crop weight — A guessing game based on the weight of crops.
5. Lucky pouch tactile quiz — A quiz where participants identify items by touch.
6. Songpyeon delivery challenge — A challenge themed around delivering songpyeon.

These programs add a participatory layer to the market, making it an engaging outing for families and groups of friends. As a representative city-rural coexistence event for Chuseok, the 2026 Chuseok Seoro Market simultaneously supports the expansion of sales channels for local farms and the convenience of Chuseok shopping for citizens, while allowing everyone to experience regional food and traditional culture together.

Practical Information

The market takes place over three days in mid-September, and admission is free. A courier service is available at the venue for convenient delivery of purchases. Visitors traveling from outside Seoul can find nearby accommodation through the link below.

📍 Address: 12 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 02-6358-7774

🖥️ Website: https://2026추석맞이서로장터.kr/

What is Chuseok?

Chuseok, often called Korean Thanksgiving, is one of South Korea’s major traditional holidays. It marks the autumn harvest and includes ceremonies of thanks to ancestors. The holiday falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, which usually places it in late September or early October.

In the days before Chuseok, roads and train stations fill with people traveling to their hometowns. Families gather for charye, a memorial rite in which food and drink are arranged on a table as offerings to ancestors. The preparation is communal, and the meal afterward is shared by the family. A signature dish is songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes stuffed with sesame seeds, red beans, or chestnuts. Other customs vary by region, but two well-known ones are ganggangsullae, a circle dance performed under the full moon, and ssireum, traditional wrestling.

Chuseok is, above all, a time for family and for marking the harvest season. For those not traveling to a relative’s home, the Chuseok Sharing Market in Seoul offers a practical way to observe the holiday’s foods and customs, with seasonal produce, traditional games, and performances on display.

Yangju National Heritage Night Walk

🗓️ 2026.09.12 ~ 2026.09.20

The 2026 Yangju National Heritage Night is a nighttime national heritage festival held around the Yangju Government Office site under the theme “Again, Guanmin Dongrak” (Joy Shared by Officials and People). Set against the backdrop of Yangju-mok during the Joseon Dynasty, the festival revives the spirit of “Guanmin Dongrak,” where the people and officials mingled and enjoyed themselves together, and connects the history and national heritage preserved in Yangju through performances, experiences, exhibitions, and nightscapes.

The festival consists of diverse content, including performances and experiences where Yangju’s representative intangible heritages—such as Yangju Byeolsandae Nori, Yangju So-nori Gut, Yangju Deul-norae, and Yangju Sangyeo-wa Hoedaji-sori—can be encountered in one place, as well as historical programs based on King Jeongjo and Yangju-mok, civil service exam experiences, traditional culture experiences, nighttime tours, media exhibitions, traditional teahouses, and a marketplace.

A key feature is that visitors do not simply view the national heritage of Yangju, but instead become characters in the stories themselves, experiencing and participating to collectively complete the meaning of “Guanmin Dongrak.” Walking through the night of Yangju-mok along the “8 Nights” programs—Night View, Night Path, Night Story, Night History, Night Flower, Night Meal, Night Stay, and Night Market—the history, people, and traditional culture of Yangju connect as a single story within the beautiful night scenery. It is a festival where one can fully enjoy the unique national heritage and elegance of Yangju on a special night where the past and present meet.

The 8 Nights of Yangju-mok

The “8 Nights” structure is the organizing principle of the festival. Each theme corresponds to a different way of experiencing the night—scenery, walking routes, storytelling, history, flowers, meals, rest, and market culture. Visitors can follow a single thread or move between themes, letting the evening unfold at their own pace.

Program Highlights

1. Main Program: Yangju’s Heritage, Captured in One Frame

The main program gives the festival its centerpiece, presenting Yangju’s heritage as a unified display rather than a collection of separate acts. The city’s intangible cultural assets, the legacy of Yangju-mok, and the theme of “Guanmin Dongrak” converge in a single frame—an experience designed for both first-time visitors and those already familiar with Yangju’s history.

2. Side Programs

The side programs approach the night from multiple angles, keeping the festival in motion after dark. Each one invites visitors to participate rather than simply spectate, in keeping with the spirit of “Guanmin Dongrak.” The five side programs are:

• Officials and People, Light Up the Night
• Let’s Play with Excitement
• Enjoying the Elegance of Guanmin Dongrak
• People of Yangju-mok
• Walking Through the Time of Yangju-mok

3. Consumer Participation Programs

The consumer participation programs form the interactive core of the festival, where the line between audience and performer disappears. Visitors answer questions, follow historical narratives, and take part in a stay experience at the Yangju-mok Government Office. The programs are:

• Yangju-mok Quiz
• Into History
• Five-Senses Satisfaction Yangju-mok
• Yangju-mok: Climate Change and the Wise Heritage of Ancestors
• Yangju-mok Academy
• Yangju-mok Government Office Stay Experience

4. Food and Drink

Two spaces anchor the festival’s food and drink offerings. The Willow Teahouse offers a traditional teahouse experience, while the Marketplace Plaza gathers food and drink options in a market setting—a fitting counterpart to the communal spirit of “Guanmin Dongrak.”

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 15 Buheung-ro 1399beon-gil, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi-do (Yuyang-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation Near the Event

💰 Fee: Free (Some experience booths have a fee)

📞 Inquiry: 031-8082-5673

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yangju_light/

What is the Joseon Dynasty?

The Joseon Dynasty ruled the Korean peninsula from 1392 to 1897. It was founded by General Yi Seong-gye, who moved the capital from Gaegyeong (modern Gaeseong) to Hanyang, now Seoul. Joseon replaced the Goryeo Dynasty and established a Confucian state that lasted more than five centuries.

Under Joseon, the Korean state adopted Neo-Confucian principles as the basis for governance, law, and social order. The civil service examination system selected officials on merit, and scholarship was highly valued. The dynasty also produced significant scientific and cultural works. King Sejong the Great, who reigned from 1418 to 1450, commissioned scholars to develop Hangul, the Korean alphabet, to improve literacy among commoners who found Classical Chinese difficult to learn. The period also saw the construction of major palaces, fortresses, royal tombs, and shrines in and around Seoul; many of these survive as designated heritage sites.

Joseon customs and institutions continued to shape Korean society long after the dynasty ended. Court music, ceremonial dress, Confucian rituals, and seasonal traditions remain central to South Korea’s cultural heritage. The Yangju National Heritage Night Walk uses this historical material directly: its performances, lantern displays, and processions are based on documented Joseon court and folk practices. For attendees, the event offers a way to see how Joseon-era spaces were designed to be used, rather than simply a setting for entertainment.

Pocheon Hantan River Garden Festa

🗓️ 2026.09.12 ~ 2026.11.01

The 2026 Pocheon Hantan River Garden Festa is a large-scale ecological and garden festival held at the Pocheon Hantan River Ecological Landscape Complex, themed around seasonal flowers and nature. Running from mid-September through early November, the festival offers visitors the vast natural scenery of the Hantan River area—listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark—along with the thrill of crossing a 410m-long Y-shaped suspension bridge.

The festival grounds hold a number of prepared attractions: photo zones with an autumn camping concept featuring the popular children’s characters Pororo and friends, a River Market where visitors can sample Pocheon’s representative agricultural and specialty products and assorted foods, themed gardens created with local artists, and electric bicycle experiences suited to families. Rest areas are set up throughout the site so visitors can pause and enjoy the autumn breeze over the Hantan River.

Main Programs

• Family Electric Bicycle Experience – an electric bicycle experience for families
• Seasonal Flower Garden – a garden arranged with autumn seasonal flowers
• River Market – Pocheon’s representative agricultural and specialty products, along with assorted foods

Side Programs

• Busking Program – classical performances held near the lake garden

Linked Festival

• Pocheon Hanwoo (Korean Beef) Festival – Saturday, September 12 to Sunday, September 13, taking place over the Garden Festa’s opening weekend

Admission Fees

Category	Fee
Adults	Entrance fee 7,000 won / Voucher refund 4,000 won
Youth and Children	Entrance fee 5,000 won / Voucher refund 3,000 won
Exempt (Free)	Disabled persons (1 person for mild disability, 2 persons including guardian for severe disability), 6 years old or younger (excluding elementary students)
Discount (50%)	Senior citizens and residents of mutually partnered cities (Nowon-gu, Jung-gu, Gangdong-gu residents)
Free Admission (Free admission tickets distributed)	Pocheon citizens, disabled persons, persons of national merit, under 7 years old (preschoolers), etc.

※ ID card is mandatory for those eligible for discounts and exemptions. General rates will apply if relevant supporting documents are not presented.

📍 Address: 832 Changdong-ro, Gwanin-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Paid

📞 Inquiry: 031-538-3030

What is the Hantan River?

The Hantan River is a tributary of the Imjin River, flowing through the central-northern part of Gyeonggi Province and Cheorwon County in Gangwon Province, South Korea. Its course crosses terrain that was covered by lava in past volcanic periods. The river later cut into the basalt, forming a gorge with cliffs, columnar joints, flat shelves, and pools. In some stretches the channel widens and runs over bare rock; in others it narrows between walls of basalt and drops over ledges.

The riverbed’s composition has practical consequences. Because much of the channel is solid rock rather than sediment, the water stays cold and clear, and the aquatic environment is shaped by a hard, stable substrate. The gorge is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Korea. The comparison is useful but inexact: the Hantan is smaller, and its formation involved a specific sequence of lava flows and river erosion rather than the processes that formed the American canyon.

The area was near the front line during the Korean War. Some bunkers and fortifications from that period remain on the bluffs. The river is now used mainly for recreation. Rafters and kayakers work the faster stretches, while hikers and cyclists use the riverside paths. Suspension bridges cross the gorge in a few places, providing views of the water without requiring access off the main trails. The busiest periods are spring, when snowmelt raises the river, and autumn, when the surrounding slopes change color.

The Pocheon Hantan River Garden Festa is organized along these existing trails and the river’s edge. The festival adds flower beds, lighting, and temporary stage structures to the landscape. The experience depends on the local terrain: paths follow the contours of the gorge, and events are spread across the floodplain rather than concentrated in a single venue. The visible contrast between the basalt cliffs and the planted beds is a result of that placement, not an idea imposed on the site.