Perfect fit Namsadang Bawudeugi Festival

The Anseongmachum Namsadang Baudeogi Festival is a comprehensive celebration based on Namsadangnori, a traditional performing art that has earned its place as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. By inheriting and developing the artistic spirit of Baudeogi—who served as the first female Kkokdusoe (leader) during the Joseon Dynasty—and the distinct style of the Anseong Namsadang troupe, the festival offers a curated variety of programs accessible to visitors of all ages.

What sets this event apart is its ability to harmonize tradition with modernity, allowing visitors to encounter the essence of tightrope walking and Namsadangnori in a vivid, close-up setting. The festival effectively combines history, culture, performance, and tourism to establish itself as a representative traditional culture festival of the Republic of Korea, attracting both domestic and international tourists.

One of the most immersive aspects of the event is the Anseong Old Market, which reproduces the abundance and atmosphere of one of the three largest markets in the country during the Joseon Dynasty. Beyond this historical recreation, guests can engage with traditional culture experiences, domestic and international traditional art performances, and overseas folk performances.

Event Programming

The festival is structured across several distinct categories to ensure a multifaceted experience:

1. Official Events
The formal progression of the festival is marked by the Memorial Ceremony, the Eve Festival, the Market Opening Ceremony, and the official Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

2. Experiences
Visitors can explore the Baudeogi Theme Park, participate in the Baudeogi Culture Tour, or wander through the Anseong Old Market and the Anseong Culture Market.

3. Exhibition & Promotion
The event features a dedicated Anseong Livestock Grilled Meat Zone and various agricultural and livestock product sales. Educational and visual highlights include the Anseong Master Exhibition, the Baudeogi Light Festival, and the Global Studio.

4. Performances
The core of the festival’s artistic offering includes Namsadangnori, Traditional Wedding reenactments, Geuknori (traditional play), and the World Heritage Masterclass.

5. Citizen Stage
Community involvement is highlighted through THE NEXT Baudeogi Competition, the Citizen Choir Festival, a 100-person Saxophone performance, and the Citizen Art Stage.

Essential Visitor Information

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.05

📍 Address: 198 Namsadang-ro, Bogae-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 031-678-5414

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baudeogi26/

🖥️ Website: https://www.anseong.go.kr/

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

What is Namsadang?

Namsadang refers to the itinerant all-male entertainment troupes that traveled across Korea during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1897). The name means “wandering male shows,” and the troupes did exactly that: they moved from village to town with instruments, props, and costumes, performing for commoners at local markets, festivals, and rural gatherings.

A Namsadang performance was not a single act but a full program combining music, acrobatics, comedy, dance, and storytelling. The traditional lineup had six parts: pungmul (percussion and dance), beona (plate spinning and balancing tricks), salpan (acrobatics and tumbling), deotboegi (masked dance-comedy), deolmi (a puppet play), and jultagi (tightrope walking). Every role required sustained training, and troupes were organized with clear hierarchies and specialized duties, much like small communities.

In Joseon society, Namsadang performers were largely landless wanderers, placed outside the accepted social order. Their status was marginal, but their art reached a wide audience. The performances were loud, comic, and technically demanding. Through satire and parody, they could mock the ruling class, acknowledge the difficulties of ordinary life, and keep folk culture active in a period when official institutions offered it little support.

Certain troupes were tied to particular regions. One of the most important bases was Anseong, and it was there in the 19th century that a performer named Baudeogi became the first documented woman to lead a Namsadang troupe. In a tradition that had been exclusively male, her position was remarkable, and accounts of her skill and leadership have survived in local memory. Anseong now honors her through the Anseongmachum Namsadang Baudeogi Festival, where Namsadang arts are staged alongside other folk practices.

The festival continues to draw on a performance tradition that has been passed down through generations. Namsadang remains distinct from more formal, court-centered Korean performance arts, and its modern presentations preserve an approach to entertainment that was built around direct contact with village audiences. Seeing it today means encountering not a relic but a living practice, shaped by centuries of wandering performers and their audiences.

Cheongwon Life Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.11

The Cheongwon Life Festival has been a representative festival themed around eco-friendliness since 2008. At its heart is the Cheongwon Life brand, a line of luxury agricultural products that derives its value from the purity of the natural environment in which it is grown. The festival translates that focus into a ten-day event—running from October 2 to October 11, 2026—that pairs themed exhibitions with experiential programs and cultural performances.

The festival’s ambitions, however, extend beyond spectacle. It serves as an educational venue where students can experience the present and future of agriculture alongside a range of cultural traditions. Through direct exchanges between local farmers and consumers, it promotes the excellence of local agricultural products and the principles of eco-friendly farming. For family visitors, the program mix offers both entertainment and insight into healthy food and sustainable agriculture. In doing so, the festival spreads the public value of agriculture while establishing itself as Cheongju City’s representative festival, contributing to the revitalization of the local economy and the development of rural culture.

1. Official Programs

The festival’s official schedule is built around an opening ceremony, an opening event, and celebratory performances, all bookended by a closing ceremony at the end of the ten-day run. These anchor the program and give each visit a defined sense of occasion, whether visitors arrive on the first day or the last.

2. Performance Programs

The performance lineup is led by a super concert, the festival’s largest musical draw, complemented by a laser show that adds a visual centerpiece to the evening hours. Local art groups and busking performers share the stage as well, giving the entertainment schedule a balance of large-scale production and grassroots local talent.

3. Participation Programs

For visitors who prefer to take part rather than watch, the participation programs offer the festival’s most hands-on experiences. Citizen harmony orienteering sends teams across the festival grounds in a test of navigation and teamwork. The retro DJ box brings a nostalgic sound to the event, while the sweet potato harvesting experience and traditional agricultural culture experience introduce families to farming practices directly. Children & family experiences round out the lineup for younger visitors.

These activities double as the festival’s educational core, giving school-age visitors a tangible sense of agriculture’s history and future without resorting to a classroom format.

4. Sales Programs

The sales area is where the festival’s agricultural mission becomes tangible. Agricultural and livestock products are available directly from local farms, alongside goods produced by social enterprises and youth startup companies. The arrangement allows consumers to meet producers face-to-face, reinforcing the values of transparency and sustainability that the Cheongwon Life brand represents.

5. Food Programs

Food is treated with the same commitment to local production. The bonfire grilling zone lets visitors cook their own ingredients over open flames, a fitting activity for an eco-friendly festival. The Cheongju gourmet zone showcases regional specialties, while the Cheongwon-gol Makgeolli tavern serves traditional rice wine in a dedicated setting. Food trucks add convenient options for those moving between programs.

Visitor Information

• 📍 Address: 99 Mirae-jiro, Ochang-eup, Cheongwon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do
• 🛏️ Accommodation near the event
• 💰 Fee: Paid (₩5,000)
  ※ Free admission for children, adolescents, pregnant women, and the elderly
• 📞 Inquiry: 043-201-0254

Cheongwon is a rural district in Cheongju, a city in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It surrounds the more urbanized center of Cheongju and consists largely of farmland, orchards, and small farming villages. The name suggests open countryside, and the landscape matches: rice paddies, vegetable fields, and fruit trees spread across gently rolling land.

Administratively, Cheongwon was a separate county until 2014, when it was merged into Cheongju. It now functions as a district of the city, but its character remains predominantly agricultural. Much of the produce sold in Cheongju’s markets is grown here: rice, peppers, apples, grapes, and other seasonal crops. The area is marked by small family farms, country roads shaded with persimmon trees, and village community centers that continue to serve as gathering places for residents.

For visitors, what is most visible is simply that farming is an active part of daily life. You can walk past working fields, watch farmers preparing land or harvesting crops, and notice how the calendar shapes local routines. The Cheongwon Life Festival makes direct use of this setting, with events held in and around farmlands and village spaces. Its focus is on agricultural practice, local food, and rural culture—without needing to dress them up as something more exotic than they are.

Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.05

The Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival is an autumn event centered on the “wealth energy” of Sotbawi (Pot Rock), one of Uiryeong’s most recognizable landmarks. Sotbawi stands in the middle of the Namgang River, and a legend passed down for generations holds that “a great wealthy person will be born within a radius of 20 ri centered around Sotbawi.” That story carries unusual weight in this region: the founders of Samsung, LG, and Hyosung were all born here, lending the legend a historical track record.

Uiryeong-gun has hosted the festival since 2022 to introduce these local stories to more people and share Sotbawi’s positive energy with tourists. The 2026 edition marks the 5th anniversary of the event. Across four days in early October, visitors can enjoy experiences, performances, and family programs built around the landmark’s wealth energy.

Programs

Main Programs

• Rich Golden Time Concert — the festival’s headline performance
• Rich Rich Money Play — a hands-on, money-themed experience
• Rich Perfume Class — a session for creating your own fragrance

Side Programs

• Rich KidZania Job Experience Exhibition — a job experience program for children
• Rich Arcade — arcade games
• Rich Athletic Meet — a friendly sports competition
• Rich Boating — a boating experience
• Rich Waterway Tour — a tour along the waterways
• Teenieping Sing-along Show — a sing-along performance for young children

Consumer Participation Program

• Rich Lottery

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 44 Uibyeong-ro 8-gil, Uiryeong-eup, Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free (Some programs are paid)

📞 Inquiry: 055-570-2510

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

🖥️ Website: https://www.richrichfestival.com/

What is Sotbawi?

Sotbawi is a cow-shaped granite rock formation in Uiryeong, and in 2026 it is the main site of the Uiryeong Rich Rich Festival. The name is straightforward: in Korean, so means “cow” and bawi means “rock.” Combined, they mean “Cow Rock.” The formation has been known locally for a long time, and the reason has less to do with its shape than with the story attached to it.

The most common version of that story involves a heavenly cow that came down to help a village whose harvests were failing. The cow worked with the farmers in the fields, and over time the village became prosperous. When it was time for the cow to return to the heavens, it left its form behind as the rock that now sits in Uiryeong. After that, the rock was treated as a reminder of that intervention. Residents have visited it to pray for good harvests, financial luck, and the safety of their families.

Sotbawi plays a direct role in the 2026 festival. A path leads up to the rock, and visitors can walk it, make a wish, and take part in the rituals that have accumulated around the site. It is not a display piece or an opening act; it is the reason the festival has a location. For a first-time visitor, starting there makes sense because the rest of the festival draws on the same story: a cow worked, the land produced, and the rock remains as a reminder of both.

Yeoncheon Korean Ginseng Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.04

The Yeoncheon Korean Ginseng Festival promotes the excellence of Goryeo ginseng produced in Yeoncheon-gun and supports the revitalization of local agriculture and the consumption of agricultural products. Yeoncheon is located at 38 degrees north latitude, a position that, alongside its climate and soil, creates a natural environment conducive to ginseng growth. The region is evaluated as an optimal location for cultivating 6-year-old ginseng. In particular, the Goryeo ginseng of the Gaeseong ginseng lineage grown here is known as a high-quality local specialty.

Drawing on the historical significance and commercial value of Yeoncheon ginseng, the festival operates a range of programs including exhibitions, sales, hands-on experiences, and food offerings. It also functions as a venue for direct communication and exchange, where local farmers meet consumers for the direct trading of Yeoncheon agricultural products. As a representative agricultural specialty festival, it aims to inform both the public and the world about the competitiveness and value of Yeoncheon agriculture.

Programs at a Glance

1. Main Programs: Promotion and experience of ginseng efficacy, direct trading markets for ginseng research associations of each township and village, and more.
2. Side Programs: Direct trading markets for local agricultural and specialty products, ginseng tasting events, food markets, and more.
3. Consumer Participation Programs: Various experience programs utilizing ginseng, allowing visitors to explore its uses firsthand.
4. Other Details: Singing contests, special celebratory singer performances, local cultural performances, and an open stage for visitors.

Event Information

📍 Address: 275 Yeoncheon-ro, Yeoncheon-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 031-839-2314

🖥️ Website: www.yeoncheon.go.kr

What is Goryeo ginseng?

Goryeo ginseng is the name given to Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) cultivated on the Korean Peninsula. The term comes from the Goryeo kingdom, whose name also gave rise to “Korea.” In practice, Goryeo ginseng refers to a specific agricultural product with a long history in the region.

The root is valued mainly for ginsenosides, a class of active compounds found almost exclusively in ginseng. These compounds are the subject of most research on ginseng’s effects on energy, immune function, and general health. Korean ginseng is not unique in containing ginsenosides, but the variety grown in Korea is considered distinct because of how it is cultivated. The climate, terrain, and soil composition in Korea produce roots that grow slowly for four to six years before harvest. That growing period yields a dense, firm root with a relatively high saponin content, the category of compounds to which ginsenosides belong.

For much of Korean history, ginseng was scarce enough to be used as tribute to royalty and as a trade item along international routes. It was also an ingredient in traditional Korean medicine, with records of use going back centuries. It remains a notable agricultural export today. The 2026 Yeoncheon Korean Ginseng Festival will include opportunities to see how the root is grown and processed, and to taste products made from it. For visitors who want to understand what Goryeo ginseng is, the festival is a practical place to start.

Anheung Steamed Bun Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.04

The 18th Anheung Steamed Bun Festival returns for a three-day run filled with sweet, steaming, and heartwarming experiences for visitors of all ages. The program combines cultural performances, local food, and goblin folklore in a lineup that is both exotic and exciting. At the center of this year’s event is the Steamed Bun & Goblin Festival, now in its third year as the festival’s signature main event, which pairs the appeal of Anheung’s steamed buns with goblins from local legends.

Main Stage

The main stage offers the festival’s largest gatherings, starting with an opening ceremony and celebration performance on Day 1. Day 2 brings the 90s Song Festival “Saturday, Saturday is a Singer” (ToToGa), a retro-style stage that has received enthusiastic responses and now reaches its third season, crossing generational lines with energetic performances and 90s masterpieces. On the final day, the Townspeople Singing Contest takes place as a highly anticipated grand finale where local residents and tourists come together in a shared, high-energy celebration.

Steamed Bun Free Tasting and Sales Zone

No trip to the Anheung Steamed Bun Festival would be complete without the festival’s namesake. The free tasting and sales zone lets visitors sample freshly steamed buns before buying more to take home.

Play Zone

The play zone is designed for families and hands-on fun. The Experience & Game Zone includes:

• Event ball pit
• Air bounce
• Goblin Expedition
• Anheung Steamed Bun History Stamp Tour
• Today’s Fortune granted by the Goblin

The Goblin Expedition, a roving performance that moves through the festival grounds, adds energy to the festival and runs continuously alongside these participatory activities.

Events

Throughout the festival, visitors can join a variety of playful events:

• Goblin and steamed bun cosplay event competition
• Guessing the weight of a steamed bun
• OX quiz
• Finding the steamed bun without red beans
• and more

Local Produce and Food

The festival also supports local producers with a sales zone for agricultural specialty products, plus food courts and food trucks for those who want to keep exploring the area’s flavors throughout the day.

With free admission and a packed program of tastings, performances, and goblin-themed activities, the 18th Anheung Steamed Bun Festival is a good reason to gather with family and friends.

Practical Information

📍 Address: 1868 Jucheongang-ro, Anheung-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon State

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 033-340-2746

🖥️ Website: https://www.hsg.go.kr/tour/contents.do?key=1372&

What is Anheung?

Anheung is a small market town in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It sits in the central mountains along a route that has long connected inland regions. The town developed around its traditional market, which still opens each day and draws people from surrounding villages. The morning market is known for local produce, meat, and the steamed buns that have become Anheung’s most recognized product. These buns are made by hand, filled with seasoned pork, kimchi, or vegetables, and cooked over wood fires. They were originally sold as a quick meal for travelers passing through; the market’s position on the road made it a natural rest stop.

The town has kept many of its older buildings and narrow streets. Vendors work from low storefronts, and the steam from the bun sellers mixes with the mountain air. Anheung also appears in local folklore, particularly stories about dokkaebi, goblins said to have played tricks on travelers in the nearby hills. The tales are told less as warnings than as reminders of the area’s reputation for mischief. The annual Anheung Steamed Bun Festival maintains this link: visitors eat buns, take part in folk games, and spend time in a setting that has not changed much over several decades.

Seorak Cultural Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.04

The Seorak Cultural Festival is Sokcho’s representative local cultural festival, one that has continued since the 1st Seorak Festival in 1966. Over the decades, it has come to embody the history and culture that formed around Seoraksan Mountain, as well as the lives and stories of Sokcho’s citizens. This year’s 61st edition, held under the theme “Seorak, Coloring Together,” looks in both directions at once. It reflects on the tradition and history accumulated over the past 60 years, while taking a further step toward becoming a festival in which citizens and tourists participate side by side to create new stories. Inheriting the identity built over that long run, the program places citizens at the center — as protagonists who shape the festival and enjoy it directly.

The festival also returns to its ritual roots. “Seorak Sosa (雪嶽小祀),” the ceremony that has served as the festival’s central rite since the first edition, is being revisited with commentary and storytelling so that participants can understand and connect with it more easily. The “Seorak Climbing Competition” carries forward the mountain culture that accompanied the festival’s beginnings. This year, it involves a Seoraksan climbing competition along a non-open trail of Dalmabong Peak, paired with a Seoraksan concert — an invitation to take in the full autumn landscape of the mountain.

The “Street Parade,” the festival’s signature program, takes the form of a citizen-harmony parade in which local residents, clubs, schools, and cultural arts organizations participate directly. Using Seorak Rodeo Street as its stage, the parade gathers citizens of all generations and regions, embodying the festival’s move beyond a spectacle to be watched toward one that is created and performed by its participants. Sokcho Expo Grass Square will host a concurrent program of citizen harmony events, including the “Sokcho! Cheerful Athletics Meet,” local arts organization performances, fringe performances, and club festivals. Family offerings such as a local culture experience zone and a children’s playground will run alongside these, linked with the “Seorak Rodeo Street Commercial Area Activation Project” and the “Sokcho Cultural City Gourmet Week” to extend the festival’s reach. After 61 years, the Seorak Cultural Festival begins a new time and story.

1. Main Programs

• Opening Ceremony and Congratulatory Performances — A grand declaration of the festival’s opening, followed by celebratory live stages featuring veteran vocalist Yoon Soo-il and singer Yeom Yuri.
• Seorak Sosa (小祀) Traditional Ritual — A modernized presentation of a long-standing local ritual praying for the well-being of the nation and region, comprising Sansinje, Samsinhapdongje, Jojeonje, and Songsinje.
• Representative Local Traditional Performances — Invited demonstrations of Sokcho’s unique intangible heritages: the Sokcho Lion Dance, Domun Nongyo, Dondollari, and Sokcho Arirang.
• Seorak Rodeo Street Parade — A large-scale street march with street performances at each hub, uniting professional art groups from across the country with youth, multicultural teams, and residents from all 8 dongs.
• Closing Ceremony and Fireworks Show — A fireworks finale to crown the festival, along with a closing concert featuring Gummy, Solji, and trot singer Shin Seung-tae.

2. Participation and Competition Programs

• National Song and Dance Competition 〈Seo(樂) Rock Star!〉 — An enthusiastic vocal and dance final featuring 12 teams from across the country that advanced through the preliminaries.
• Sokcho Survival Quiz Show 〈Seorak Golden Bell〉 — A scholarship quiz for adults and youth, with questions themed around Sokcho and the Seorak Cultural Festival.
• Sokcho Citizen Harmony Plaza 〈Cheerful Athletics Meet〉 — A competition among residents of the 8 dongs, with traditional and modern sports events open to any on-site visitor.
• Sokcho Citizen Harmony 〈Hangung Competition〉 — A tournament for the 8 dongs using target boards, alongside a traditional lifestyle sports competition for citizen participation.
• Passionate Stage Go! 〈Club Festival〉 — Relay stages performed by citizen clubs representing the 8 dongs of Sokcho City.

3. Planned and Outdoor Performances

• Our Stage Go! — Special invited performances by 7 middle and high school youth clubs, K-pop boy group YOUNITE, and fusion gugak group Dodri.
• Seorak Fringe Festival — Street art performances such as busking, mime, and magic, held in close proximity to the audience.
• Special Performance for the Whole Family 〈Balloon Magic Show〉 — A balloon and magic performance geared toward children and family visitors.

4. Experience and Side Events

• Local Culture Experience Zone (around 25 booths) — Craft, traditional culture, and art experience booths suitable for visitors of all ages and genders.
• Dream Tree Playground & Mom’s Lounge — An air-bounce playground exclusively for children, along with a shelter and nursing room for families with infants and toddlers.
• Seorak Cultural Festival 61st Anniversary History Promotion Hall — An exhibition of 61 years of historical records, plus an official goods zone.
• Gourmet Linkage — Coordinated operation with the food zone of the 2026 Sokcho Food Festival 〈Masupda! Sokcho〉.

5. Pre-events

• Seoraksan Climbing Competition 〈Dalma! Ridgeline Walking〉 — A 500-person walk along the autumn Seorak ridgeline from Seolhyang Park, over Dalmabong Peak (635m), to the Small Park (Sogongwon).
• Seoraksan Forest Concert — A folk healing concert unfolding in the embrace of Seorak, held in connection with the climbing competition and featuring Shin Hyun-dae.

📍 Address: 72 Expo-ro, Sokcho-si, Gangwon-do (Joyang-dong)

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 033-636-0670

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

🖥️ Website: http://sokchofestival.or.kr/srcf

Seoraksan is a mountain range in Gangwon Province, near Sokcho. Its most prominent feature is Ulsanbawi, a granite formation that stands out clearly from the surrounding ridges. The range is sometimes called the “roof of South Korea” because of its elevation and the early snows that dust the peaks; the name Seoraksan means “Snowy Crags Mountain.” In autumn the forested slopes change color, and the park becomes a popular destination for foliage viewing.

The area is a designated national park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It supports several rare species, including the Siberian musk deer, and contains areas of old-growth pine. The annual Seorak Cultural Festival includes rituals connected to the mountain and its local history. For visitors, the park offers a range of routes: waterfalls, hermitages, and a cable car that provides access to the higher ridges without a long climb.

The mountain is also a practical part of the region’s identity. It provides protected habitat, draws travelers to Sokcho, and hosts traditions that have been maintained over time. Hikers, temple visitors, and autumn sightseers can experience it directly, and it does not need to be described as anything more than what it is.

Hug Dream Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.03

Since its inception in 2021, the Hug Dream Festival—organized by Gyeongsangbuk-do—has grown into the largest safety experience event in the Gyeongbuk region. The festival provides residents with a comprehensive environment where they can engage in various safety experiences, exhibitions, and performances through direct participation. For the 2026 iteration, the organizers have collaborated with approximately 40 institutions and organizations to operate about 70 high-quality safety experience programs.

What distinguishes this event from standard safety drills is the integration of entertainment and real-world equipment. While children can enjoy magic shows and bubble shows, other attendees can witness the precision of search-and-rescue dog training demonstrations and drone events. The festival also offers a tangible look at emergency response through exhibitions of actual fire trucks, firefighting equipment, and unmanned water spray vehicles used in the field.

Specialized activities have been curated for all age groups: infants and toddlers can participate in safety gymnastics with Daekyo TniTni and enjoy air bounces, while other residents can engage in side events such as stamp tours, treasure hunts, fire brigade parades, the ‘Hug Dream Fire Academy’, and the ‘Safety UP Physical Fitness Festival’.

1. Main Programs

The festival features a diverse lineup of activities designed to educate and entertain, including:

• Stamp tours, Safety Promise Challenges, and Safety OX Quizzes.
• Entertainment such as magic shows, bubble shows, and the Hero Parade.
• Professional demonstrations including fire brigade band performances, search-and-rescue dog training, and simultaneous water discharge from fire trucks.
• TniTni safety gymnastics for young children.

2. Experience Programs

With around 60 programs divided into five distinct fields, the festival ensures a comprehensive approach to public safety:

• Fire Safety: Practical training with water extinguishers and indoor fire hydrants, fire evacuation drills, and the use of descending life lines (완강기).
• Traffic Safety: Instruction on the proper use of seatbelts, navigating crosswalks, and personal mobility device safety.
• Disaster Safety: Simulations for ship safety, crossing valleys, earthquakes, wind and flood damage, and general weather-related experiences.
• Life Safety: Guidance on water and leisure safety, mountain safety, electrical and gas safety, and missing child prevention.
• Emergency Safety: Critical life-saving techniques including CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, various first aid methods, and responses to food poisoning.

📍 Address: Galjeon-ri, Pungcheon-myeon, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 010-8266-7331

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hug.dream_festival/

The Hug Dream Festival is an annual safety event held in Gyeongsangbuk-do. It focuses on practical training in emergency response through demonstrations and supervised practice. Visitors can learn CPR, practice using an automated external defibrillator, and take part in scenarios that simulate fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. First-aid instruction covers basic wound care and bandaging. Instructors and emergency personnel are available throughout the event to guide participants and answer questions.

The activities are designed for people with no prior training, and the festival is open to all ages. Visitors move through different stations at their own pace, spending as much time as they need on each skill. The event does not rely on lectures; instead, participants practice the steps themselves, with feedback from instructors. The goal is straightforward: to let people rehearse what to do in a crisis before they actually face one. The festival is held annually and draws attendees from across the region.

Bupyeong Pungmul Grand Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.04

The 30th Bupyeong Pungmul Festival carries a special weight: it is the thirtieth celebration of excitement and harmony resonating within the city center. Since taking its first steps in 1997, the festival has grown from a local gathering into a traditional culture and arts festival representing not only Incheon but all of South Korea. What began as a modest community event now stands as a massive communication space where citizens and artists become one, breathing the country’s unique traditional rhythms into the heart of the urban landscape.

At the core of the festival are the 22 neighborhood Pungmul groups, whose collective rhythms have served as its foundation for three decades. These groups, drawn from districts across Bupyeong-gu, connect residents as one through the driving beats of janggu, buk, jing, and kkwaenggwari—percussion instruments rooted in Korean folk and agricultural tradition. Pungmul is not merely a performance genre; it is a participatory practice, and the festival’s structure reflects that ethos, inviting audiences to step into the rhythm rather than simply observe it.

This year’s edition, held for three days from October 2 to 4, 2026, arrives on a larger and more magnificent scale than ever before. It carries the dual task of reflecting on the lineage of tradition maintained over the past 30 years and celebrating the new future to come. A notable expansion is the addition of the Gulpocheon area, a symbol of Bupyeong’s urban regeneration, as part of the festival grounds. The new venue will host fresh, diverse content, broadening the festival’s reach beyond its familiar downtown footprint.

Festival Programs

Main Programs

• Opening and closing ceremonies
• Bupyeong Daedong Parade
• Bupyeong Manmanse

Side Programs

• Korea Creative Pungmul Competition
• Bupyeong Life Culture Festival
• Pungmul Festa
• National Student Pungmul Competition

The Daedong Parade and Bupyeong Manmanse, in particular, embody the festival’s communal spirit—streets filled with rhythmic ensembles and collective celebration that turn the city center into an open-air stage.

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 34-1 Bupyeong-daero, Bupyeong-gu, Incheon (Bupyeong-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 032-509-7516

⭐️ Instagram: @the_official_bpf

🖥️ Website: Bupyeong Pungmul Festival

What is pungmul?

Pungmul is a traditional Korean percussion performance that comes from farming communities. It combines drumming, dance, and theatrical display. Farmers played these rhythms while planting and harvesting, both to coordinate the work and to pray for good harvests. As village customs expanded, pungmul became a form of street entertainment, with improvised gestures and comic exchanges mixed into the music.

The ensemble is led by the kkwaenggwari, a small gong with a sharp, penetrating tone. It sets the tempo and directs changes. The jing, a large gong, gives a deeper, longer sound, and the buk (barrel drum) and janggu (hourglass drum) lay down the main rhythmic pattern. The instruments are played together in a dense, steady rhythm that keeps the performers synchronized.

The visual part of pungmul is equally controlled. Performers dress in colorful clothes, and those wearing sangmo hats spin long ribbons by turning their heads at precise moments. The ribbons trace wide circles in the air, and the motion is tied to the rhythm of the music. The head movements are athletic and carefully timed; they are not decoration added after the fact but part of the performance.

Pungmul has always been a communal practice. It was played during collective labor, village rites, and seasonal festivals, and those settings still shape the way it is performed. The music gives a group a common tempo and a common task. At the Bupyeong Pungmul Grand Festival, that tradition is presented on a larger stage, keeping the music and its village origins in view.

Perfect-Fit Namsadang Bawudeogi Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.05

*The following food information is from the previous year’s (2025) festival; information for the 2026 festival is currently being updated.*

The Anseong Machum Namsadang Baudeogi Festival — known in English as the Perfect-Fit Namsadang Bawudeogi Festival — celebrates Namsadang Nori, a tradition inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The festival takes its name and artistic direction from Baudeogi, the first female Kkokdu-soe (troupe leader) of the Joseon Dynasty, and from the spirited style of the Anseong Namsadang troupe. Held from October 2 to 5, 2026, it presents a wide-ranging program designed to appeal to visitors of all ages.

At the heart of the festival is the Anseong Old Market, a recreation of the bustling commerce that made it one of the three largest markets in the country during the Joseon Dynasty. Around that historical anchor, the festival gathers traditional culture experiences, performances by domestic and international traditional art groups, and overseas folk performances. Visitors can encounter the essence of tightrope walking (jultagi) and Namsadang Nori up close, and experience the charm of Korean traditional culture through performances that blend tradition with modernity. Admission is free, and the festival’s combination of history, culture, performance, and tourism has established it as a cultural tourism event enjoyed by domestic and international visitors alike — one of the Republic of Korea’s representative traditional culture festivals.

Festival Programs

Official Events

The festival’s official ceremonies mark the rhythm of the four-day program: a Memorial Service, the Eve Festival, an Opening Ceremony, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies that bookend the event.

Experiences

Hands-on and immersive experiences include the Baudeogi Theme Park and Baudeogi Culture Tour, which explore the legacy of the festival’s namesake, along with the Anseong Old Market and the Anseong Culture Market.

Exhibition/Promotion

The exhibition and promotion track features the Anseong Livestock Grilled Meat Zone, Agricultural and Livestock Product Sales, the Anseong Master Exhibition, the Baudeogi Light Festival, and the Global Studio.

Performances

The performance lineup is anchored by Namsadang Nori itself, alongside a Traditional Wedding ceremony, Geuk-nori (Traditional Play), and the World Heritage Masterclass.

Citizen Stage

The Citizen Stage brings the community into the program with the THE NEXT Baudeogi Contest, the Citizen Choir Festival, a 100-Person Saxophone performance, and the Citizen Art Stage.

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 198 Namsadang-ro, Bogae-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do

🛏️ Accommodation Near Event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 031-678-5414

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baudeogi26/

🖥️ Homepage: https://www.anseong.go.kr/

Namsadang Bawudeogi refers to the performance tradition of Korea’s Namsadang itinerant troupes as carried forward through the legacy of Baudeogi, a female troupe leader from Anseong. In Korean, Namsadang means “male itinerant troupe.” For centuries, these traveling performers moved through the countryside, presenting music, acrobatics, comedy, and drama in village squares. Their repertoire included farmers’ band music (pungmul), plate-spinning (buna), acrobatics (salpan), tightrope walking (eoreum), masked dance (deotboegi), and puppet play (deolmi).

Baudeogi is the figure most often associated with Anseong’s Namsadang lineage. Born in the early nineteenth century, she led a troupe at a time when female leadership of such an organization was highly unusual. Contemporary accounts and later histories emphasize her skill on the tightrope, her quick wit, and her ability to manage performers and performances across several disciplines. Under her leadership, the troupe gained a reputation beyond its home region and performed for a wide range of audiences.

In present-day usage, Namsadang Bawudeogi refers to both the historical tradition and its continued practice. The performances are recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and transmission efforts in Anseong and elsewhere remain active. The Anseong Perfect-Fit Namsadang Bawudeogi Festival presents these forms to modern audiences. Its program is organized around the historical repertoire, and Baudeogi’s role is treated as central to the festival’s identity.

Sancheong Traditional Herbal Medicine Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.02 ~ 2026.10.11

*The food contents of the festival listed below are from the previous year’s (2025) festival; food contents for the 2026 festival are currently being updated.*

The 26th Sancheong Oriental Medicine & Herb Festival is an oriental medicine and wellness festival rooted in the value of the “Dongui Bogam,” a UNESCO Memory of the World, and the pristine natural environment of Jirisan Mountain. In the Dongui Bogam Village area, it introduces the history and culture of traditional Korean medicine and runs a wide range of content themed around health and healing, including experiences, exhibitions, and performances.

The festival’s themed programs—Sancheong Hyemineseo, My Body’s Herbal Medicine Experience, and the Oriental Medicine Wellness Pavilion—are designed to let visitors directly experience anti-aging and a healthy living culture. Alongside these programs, the event offers local food, cultural performances, and family participation activities that people of all ages can enjoy together. It also serves as a venue to introduce Sancheong’s oriental medicine and herb resources, anti-aging industry, and health and healing tourism resources to domestic and international audiences. By expanding content for foreign tourists and strengthening overseas promotion, the festival aims to grow into a global event beyond Korea.

Festival Programs

Official Events

• Opening Ceremony
• Closing Ceremony

Themed Events

• Sancheong Hyemineseo
• My Body’s Herbal Medicine Experience
• Oriental Medicine Wellness Pavilion

Performance Events

• Sancheong Wellness Retreat Parade
• K-Hallyu Festival
• World Culture Festival
• Street Herb Sellers
• Keundeul Madanggeuk (traditional outdoor play) performances and other linked events by stage

Experience Events

• K-Herb Demon Hunters Stamp Tour
• Children’s Oriental Medicine School
• Town/Township Local Experience Zones
• Sancheong Herb Treasure Hunt
• Crown Haitai Snack Imagination Playground
• Silent Yoga, etc.

Exhibition Events

Permanent exhibitions:

• Expo Theme Pavilion
• Sancheong Korean Medicine Museum
• Sancheong Herb Pavilion

Sales Events

• Agricultural and Special Product Market
• Herb Market
• Handicraft Exhibition and Sales Market, etc.

Other Events

• Wellness Retreat Business Round Table

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 45-6 Donguibogam-ro 555beon-gil, Geumseo-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free (Some paid)

📞 Inquiry: 055-970-6670~1

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

🖥️ Website: http://scherb.or.kr/

Sancheong County sits at the southern edge of Jirisan, in South Gyeongsang Province. It is known for herbal medicine, and the reason is largely geographic: the mountain climate, water, and soil support hundreds of medicinal plant species—over 700 by most counts. Knowledge of how to grow and use these plants has been passed through families and local practitioners, and it remains a practical part of the area’s economy.

The county’s most visible event is the annual Sancheong Traditional Herbal Medicine Festival, where wild ginseng and locally grown herbs are displayed. The festival shows how the plants are processed and used, from drying and boiling to making ointments and decoctions.

Jirisan provides the second reason people come. The county is a base for walking trails into the mountains, along forested ridges and valleys. For visitors, the experience is straightforward: hiking, herbal markets, and small restaurants serving local food. Sancheong is not a resort in the usual sense, but the mountain landscape and the herb trade give it a character few other places in the country have.