Sinchon Global University Culture Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

The Shinchon Global University Culture Festival is a representative festival of Seodaemun-gu that establishes the global city brand image of Shinchon, the city of youth, and embodies Shinchon’s identity of “global” and “university culture” through a festival. Across the event, cultural and experiential programs unfold where youth and young people encounter cultures from around the world. Various global WAVEs are added to the program, allowing visitors to feel the special VIBE unique to Shinchon.

During the festival period, Shinchon Yonsei-ro is filled with programs directly planned and participated in by university students. These include global culture experience booths where visitors can encounter cultures from around the world, world food booths offering unique foods from various countries, and university culture booths operated directly by university students. The main stage features university student performances, participatory programs, global cultural performances, and various youth content, providing a time for citizens and domestic and international youth visiting the festival site to enjoy and communicate together.

Program highlights

• Booths: Global culture, university student, and world food booths
• Performances: Cheerleading squads, clubs, invited singers, and more
• Shinchon SWYFT Athletic Meet: Earth Big-Ballun Relay, Dance Stop Challenge, Shinchon Daebak Water Gun Performance
• Global Village Culture Trip
• International Student Song Festival

Visitor information

• 📍 Address: Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
• 🛏️ Accommodations near the event
• 💰 Fee: Free
• 📞 Inquiry: 02-330-8108
• 🖥️ Homepage: swyft.kr

Sinchon is a university neighborhood in western Seoul, next to Yonsei University and Ewha Womans University. The area has long served the students and staff of both campuses, with a dense mix of cafés, inexpensive restaurants, clothing shops, bookstores, and small music venues. The main commercial streets and side alleys are closed to traffic in places and tend to be busy from late morning through the evening.

The district is also a venue for student activities and local events. Street festivals, live performances, and seasonal markets are held regularly, and the area is a short walk from Hongdae, which gives visitors access to a larger stretch of nightlife and independent culture. Sinchon is reachable by subway on Line 2 and by several bus routes. It offers a more everyday version of Seoul’s youth culture than the tourist-oriented districts further east.

Goyang Food & Beer Festival

The Goyang Food & Beer Festival returns for its 7th edition from September 11 to September 13, 2026, as Goyang City’s representative gastronomic culture festival. It is a participatory urban festival created alongside citizens and local commercial districts, combining food, craft beer, live performances, and hands-on experience programs. The festival aims to offer a restorative break from everyday life for Goyang residents and tourists alike, while also supporting the local economy through a win-win platform that connects commerce and tourism.

Alongside its food truck zone and beer zone—both positioned to appeal to the MZ generation—the festival functions as a space where generations can meet and communicate. It also extends beyond the festival grounds through stay-over content linked to Goyang City’s broader cultural and tourism resources. With an eco-friendly operation model and a thorough safety management system, the event presents itself as a sustainable, urban-type festival crafted by Goyang City and open to everyone.

Main Programs

• 1DAY — Korea Jayuro Song Festival
• 2DAY — Midsummer Night’s Classical Concert
• 3DAY — Citizen Healing Singing Contest
• Random Dance Competition

Side Programs

• Goyang Buskers Performances
• Family Experiences
• Goyang Night Market

Consumer Participation Events

• SNS Certification Event
• Treasure Hunt
• MC Quiz
• etc.

Other Food

• Beer Sales Booth
• 8 Food Booths (planned)

Practical Information

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

📍 Address: 1305-56 Jungang-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Janghang-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 031-927-9974

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

Goyang is a city immediately northwest of Seoul. It is best known for KINTEX, the largest convention and exhibition center in the area, which draws business visitors throughout the year. The city’s main recreational space is Ilsan Lake Park, a large park built around a lake, with cycling paths, seasonal flower displays, and open-air lawns used for performances. Every spring, the Goyang International Flower Festival takes place in the park and fills the grounds with large-scale floral arrangements. Around the lake and near KINTEX, restaurants, cafés, and breweries have opened in increasing number, giving the area a food-and-drink scene that did not exist in its current form a decade ago. Goyang’s appeal is therefore practical: it offers convention facilities, outdoor space, and enough eating and drinking options to make a visit worthwhile. The Food & Beer Festival is best understood in that context, as one more seasonal event centered in the city’s established public spaces.

Daejeon Jung-gu National Heritage Night Walk

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

The Daejeon Jung-gu National Heritage Night is a specialized nighttime cultural festival designed to bridge the gap between modern cultural heritage and the intricate alleys of the city’s original downtown area. Centered around the former Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government Office, the event transforms the region’s architectural history into an immersive evening experience. Rather than offering a static exhibition, the festival integrates light, storytelling, live performances, and curated markets against a backdrop of significant national heritage sites—specifically the main building of the former Chungcheongnam-do Provincial Government Office, the Daeheung-dong Cathedral, and the former Chungcheong Branch of the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.

The primary objective of the event is to shift the visitor’s role from a passive observer to an active participant. By walking, listening, and engaging with the provided content, guests can rediscover the specific charm of Jung-gu, Daejeon, where historical remnants and contemporary life coexist. This sustainable local cultural initiative seeks to expand the concept of national heritage—moving it from a preserved relic to a living space for daily enjoyment—while simultaneously revitalizing the original downtown by linking cultural spaces with nearby commercial districts.

The festival is organized into six distinct thematic categories to ensure a comprehensive exploration of the area:

1. Night View: This segment features the “Street of Light of Memories,” including the “Listening Room to Hear Time” and a general showcase of the original downtown night view.
2. Night Walk: Visitors can participate in the “Peace Road Theater Evening Primrose” or the “Click! Modern Procession.”
3. Night Story: This focuses on narrative experiences such as the “Modern Music Salon,” the “Magician’s Secret Museum,” and the “Storyteller’s Street Tale.”
4. Night History: This section offers historical engagement through the “Modern Play on a Moonlit Night” and “Time Travel with Tarot.”
5. Night Flower: This category highlights the “Modern Romance” and the “National Heritage Exhibition for Children’s Innocence.”
6. Night Market: A dedicated “Retro Emotional Market” provides a shopping experience aligned with the festival’s aesthetic.

Pricing and Usage Fees

While the general admission to the festival is free, certain specialized programs require a fee. To support the local economy, these fees are refunded to participants in the form of local gift certificates:

• Peace Road Theater Evening Primrose: 10,000 won (Refunded in local gift certificates)
• Magician’s Secret Museum: 10,000 won (Refunded in local gift certificates)
• Modern Romance – Black and White Photo Studio of That Day: 5,000 won (Refunded in local gift certificates)

Visitor Information

📍 Address: Jungang-ro 79beon-gil, Jung-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City

💰 Fee: Free (Some paid)

📞 Inquiry: 042-606-6281

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

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

🖥️ Homepage: https://djjunggunight.kr/

Daejeon’s original downtown is in Jung-gu, centered on Daejeon Station. The station opened in the early 20th century as a stop on the Gyeongbu Line, and its presence turned what had been a small rural town into a regional rail hub. The streets around the station soon developed into the city’s first commercial and administrative district, a role they kept for most of the twentieth century.

The area still contains a number of older buildings from that period, along with narrow alleys, mature trees, and small markets. These are not preserved in the style of a museum district; many are still in use. Together they offer a concrete sense of the city’s earlier scale and daily life: the station entrance, the former office buildings, and the market streets that served residents who lived and worked nearby.

When locals call this the “original downtown,” they are drawing a contrast with the parts of Daejeon that developed later—the research and science districts, the government buildings, and the large residential areas built as the city expanded. The older center is not the biggest or busiest part of Daejeon, but it is where the city’s post-railway development began.

The National Heritage Night Walk uses this setting rather than replacing it. During the event, guided evening walks and heritage site visits draw attention to the area’s history. Visitors can see how the station, the surrounding streets, and the old commercial buildings relate to one another, and how they fit into the larger history of Daejeon’s growth.

Gwangmyeong Madanggeuk Festival X Korea Madanggeuk Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

The Gwangmyeong Madanggeuk Festival is a performing arts festival built around Madanggeuk—a traditional Korean outdoor theater form known for its satire, humor, and lively spirit—reinterpreted with a contemporary sensibility. Since its debut in 2024, the festival has grown with the support of Gwangmyeong citizens and now enters its third year in 2026. This edition, presented as the Gwangmyeong Madanggeuk Festival X Korea Madanggeuk Festival, brings together high-quality works and experienced performing groups for a program that spans Madanggeuk, fusion gugak (traditional Korean music), circus, and street performances.

What makes this festival stand out is the format itself. Madanggeuk breaks down the barrier between stage and audience: performers and spectators share the same open space, and the energy flows both ways. By turning the area around Gwangmyeong City Stadium into one large open venue, the festival has established itself as Gwangmyeong’s representative performing arts event—where citizens and artists laugh, enjoy, and communicate together. The program is also designed for all ages, with citizen participation activities woven throughout the event.

Main Programs

• Performances of approximately 30 works in the domestic Madanggeuk and outdoor play genres, plus performances of overseas entries
• 21 one-person plays
• Gwangmyeong citizen Madanggeuk performances, with participation from 4 teams from the National Citizen Madanggeuk Festival
• Opening play (Gilnori) and closing play (Dansimjul-nori, Daedong-nori)

Side Programs

• Food market
• Art market with Saenggi-ballal Culture House (flea market)
• Forums and roundtables

Experience Programs

• Traditional play experience
• Art market with Saenggi-ballal Culture House (experience)

📍 Address: 20 Sicheong-ro, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do (Cheolsan-dong)

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 02-2621-8853

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

🖥️ Website: www.gmcf.or.kr

What is madanggeuk?

Madanggeuk is a Korean performing art whose name translates roughly as “yard drama.” The word comes from madang (an open courtyard or village square) and geuk (drama or play). As the name suggests, it is performed outdoors, usually in a public space where the audience surrounds the performance on all sides.

A madanggeuk performance combines several older traditions: storytelling, music, dance, acrobatics, and satire. Performers use drums such as the janggu, the small gong called kkwaenggwari, and deliberately exaggerated movements and vocal styles. The staging is not centered on a fixed stage or a seated auditorium. The actors work in the middle of the crowd, and the crowd’s reactions are part of the performance. Performers may pause for laughter, challenge individual spectators to respond, or bring someone into the action for a scene. This is not merely audience engagement; it is the basic arrangement of the form.

Madanggeuk draws from pansori and traditional mask dances, but it is distinct from those older forms in how directly it addresses its audience. Its recurring subjects include the daily lives of ordinary people, the absurdities of social hierarchy, and the misuse of power. These themes are treated with humor, but the humor is not decorative. It gives the performers a way to make a point without reducing the performance to a lecture.

At the 2026 Gwangmyeong Madanggeuk Festival, performances will be open to the public free of charge. Since the form depends on an active audience, the festival is best approached as an event to participate in rather than simply watch.

Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

Cheongsong White Porcelain is a precious cultural heritage that has been passed down for over 500 years through the soil, water, and fire of Cheongsong, and through the fingertips of artisans. The process of completing a piece—where an artisan’s sincerity and waiting are added to materials obtained from Cheongsong’s nature—is a cultural asset containing the unique life and stories of Cheongsong.

The slogan “500 Years of History, 500 Years of Future, a Thousand-Year Promise” captures the festival’s intention to cherish the memories of the past 500 years and carry that value forward for the next 500 years. It is a promise to look at today’s Cheongsong White Porcelain anew, based on the tradition of the past, and to naturally pass on its beauty and meaning to the next generation.

The 2026 Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival offers a chance to look back at the time Cheongsong White Porcelain has walked, meet the current Cheongsong White Porcelain, and create new stories that will follow. A history of 500 years is not a time that stays in the past; it passes through today and leads to the future. The festival is designed as a time to remember the past 500 years, imagine the next 500 years together, and share a new promise that will eventually lead to a thousand years of history.

Visitors can encounter the beauty of Cheongsong White Porcelain up close through exhibitions, sales, experiences, and various cultural programs, and experience the special value of white porcelain born from soil, fire, and the fingertips of artisans.

Programs and Highlights

Performances

• Opening and closing ceremony performances
• Madang-geuk (traditional outdoor play)
• Puppet shows
• Samulnori
• Street performances
• Local resident performances

Exhibitions

• Cheongsong White Porcelain photo staging exhibition
• Artist collaboration exhibition
• Cheongsong White Porcelain Research Society exhibition
• Local resident exhibition

Experiences

• Potter’s wheel experience
• Hand-painting experience
• Cheongsong White Porcelain play experience
• Hanging wish wind chimes
• Stamp experience

Sales & Food

• Cheongsong White Porcelain sales zone
• Craft market
• Food trucks
• Jumak (traditional tavern) operation

Festival Information

📍 Address: 36 Cheongsongbaekja-ro, Juwangsan-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free admission (some experience programs have a fee)

📞 Inquiry: 054-874-0101

⭐️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cswp500/

🖥️ Homepage: https://www.cctf.or.kr/

Cheongsong white porcelain (Korean: Cheongsong baekja) is a white-glazed ceramic made in the Cheongsong area of North Gyeongsang Province, in the mountains of southeastern Korea. From roughly the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, local kilns produced a range of daily-use vessels that have been grouped together under this regional name. Unlike the white porcelain made for the royal court near Seoul, Cheongsong wares were not part of a centrally administered industry. They served a mostly local economy, and their reputation developed from the available materials and the skills of potters who settled in the area.

The color of the fired clay is the most noticeable property of Cheongsong baekja. The local clay contains less iron than many other Korean clays, so the body remains pale after firing. A thin glaze over the body produces a slightly milky surface. Depending on the kiln atmosphere and the exact composition of the clay, the resulting tone can have a faint blue cast or a warmer ivory tint. These differences are not treated as defects; they are used as clues for identifying where a piece was made.

The shapes are generally plain and practical. Large jars were used to store grain or fermented sauces; smaller jars held condiments and personal goods; bowls and bottles were made for everyday meals and drinks. Scholars could have used small brush rests or water droppers, but these too are modest in size and decoration. A line incised into the damp clay, a handle attached to a jar, or an iron-brown brushstroke are about as far as decoration usually goes. The surface itself carries the visual interest, and a piece changes appearance as the light moves across the glaze.

Modern visitors to the Cheongsong White Porcelain Festival can see the process in person: clay refinement, throwing, glazing, and firing. The festival also exhibits historical and contemporary pieces, with enough labels and demonstrations to clarify the differences between regional white porcelains. The tradition continues because the basic set of techniques is still practiced, not because the work is presented as an exceptional or mystical art form. It is a regional craft with a clear history, and its look follows from the materials and the uses it was designed for.

Muchangpo Mysterious Sea Road Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

Muchangpo Mysterious Sea Road Festival is Boryeong’s representative marine festival, built around a natural spectacle: when the sea parts, a roughly 1.5km path opens across the mudflats. Visitors can walk that exposed sea road while the water recedes on either side, and at night the festival’s highlight—the Sea Road LED Torch Experience—turns the crossing into a trail of light over the dark sea. The result is a rare blend of nature and performance, with daytime and evening programs layered around it.

During the day, festival-goers can watch Madangnori (traditional outdoor play) performances, try bare-handed fish catching, and, on Saturday, join a free seafood cooking class. Evening programming includes live music, a multimedia drone light show, and the torch experience. With free general admission and a range of paid add-on experiences, the festival offers both family-friendly entertainment and a distinctive way to experience the coastline.

Day-by-Day Schedule

September 11 (Fri)

• Madangnori ‘Muchangpo, Winning Bid for King Prawns~’ (Muchangpo Plaza)
• Bare-handed Fish Catching Experience (King Prawns) (Beach Plaza) — Experience Fee: 10,000 won / On-site registration
• Opening Ceremony (Muchangpo Plaza)
• Sea Road Picnic Festa Performance — 3 busking teams and 1 singer (Muchangpo Plaza Special Stage)

September 12 (Sat)

• Madangnori ‘Muchangpo, Winning Bid for King Prawns~’ (Muchangpo Plaza)
• Bare-handed Fish Catching Experience (King Prawns) (Beach Plaza) — Experience Fee: 10,000 won / On-site registration
• Seafood Cooking Class (Muchangpo Plaza Special Stage) — Experience Fee: Free / On-site registration
• Sea Road Picnic Festa Performance — 3 singers (TBD) (Muchangpo Plaza Special Stage)
• Sea Road Torch Experience guidance and LED torch distribution (Sea Road Experience Area)
• Sea Road Multimedia Drone Light Show
• Sea Road Torch Experience

September 13 (Sun)

• Madangnori ‘Muchangpo, Winning Bid for King Prawns~’ (Muchangpo Plaza)
• Bare-handed Fish Catching Experience (King Prawns) (Beach Plaza) — Experience Fee: 10,000 won / On-site registration

Ongoing Attractions

Throughout the festival, the following are available at Muchangpo Plaza:

• Seafood Party Zone
• Statue Performance
• Clown Art Balloons
• Making Shell Candles
• Making Shell Flowerpots
• Rewriting Marine Waste
• Marine Ecology Playground (7 types)
• Specialty Product Sales

Visitor Information

📍 Address: Area of 805-4 Gwandang-ri, Ungcheon-eup, Boryeong-si, Chungnam

💰 Fee: Free admission (Some programs are paid)

📞 Inquiry: 041-930-0891

⭐️ Instagram: boryeongfestival_official

🖥️ Homepage: mudfestival.or.kr/festival/event/list?level=2&menuNo=86

What is the Muchangpo Sea Road?

Muchangpo Sea Road is a tidal land connection that appears off Muchangpo Beach in Boryeong, South Korea. Twice a day, when the tide is low, the water level drops enough to expose a broad stretch of seabed between the shoreline and Seokdaeya Island, roughly 2.8 kilometers away. For one to two hours, visitors can walk across this exposed ground. When the tide rises, the path is submerged again and the island is once more cut off from the beach.

The pathway is not built or paved. It is the natural seabed, composed of sand and mud, shaped by tides and currents. Locals sometimes call it the “Moses Miracle,” and the nickname makes sense at a glance: the water appears to part. But the cause is straightforward physics. The gravitational pull of the moon and sun, combined with the shallow slope of the coast, produces an unusually wide tidal zone. Because the cycle operates on a regular schedule, the appearance of the road can be predicted well in advance.

The annual Muchangpo Mysterious Sea Road Festival uses these tide windows as its main program. Activities are timed around low tide, and visitors often walk out to the island in large groups. In the evening, participants carry LED lanterns, which help keep the group visible after dark. The route also offers a closer look at the local intertidal environment: exposed sandbars attract shorebirds, crabs, and small marine organisms that are usually hidden beneath the water.

Those planning to visit should check the tide tables for Boryeong rather than rely on general descriptions. The road is accessible only at specific times, and the schedule shifts by roughly an hour each day. Waterproof shoes are advisable, since the surface is uneven and wet in places. The festival adds food stalls and evening performances, but the road itself remains the central attraction.

Myeongnyang Battle Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

The Myeongnyang Great Victory Festival is a patriotic history and culture festival commemorating the Battle of Myeongnyang, an unprecedented event in world history. At Uldolmok on September 16, 1597, the Joseon Navy—led by General Yi Sun-sin, who was reappointed as Naval Commander of the Three Provinces—and the fishermen of Jeolla-do defeated the Japanese Navy. Held annually since 2008 by Jeollanam-do, Jindo-gun, and Haenam-gun, the festival is a representative local history and culture festival.

The festival is known for its distinctive mix of historical commemoration and modern technology. Its programs include an ICT convergence multimedia naval battle that recreates the Battle of Myeongnyang in a contemporary format, a maritime parade, a departure parade, and local performances. Landscape lighting is installed throughout the festival grounds, and history and culture programs give visitors the chance to directly experience the historical site of the Great Victory of Myeongnyang. Through this combination, the festival promotes the historical value and patriotic spirit of the battle while introducing the historical, cultural, and tourism resources of Jindo and Haenam.

Festival Programs

The festival is organized into four categories of programming.

Main Programs

• Opening Ceremony
• Digital Convergence Naval Battle
• Departure Parade
• Whirlwind Fireworks Show
• Maritime Parade

Side Programs

• Landscape Lighting of the Yi Sun-sin Statue
• Joseon Navy Lantern Exhibition
• Myeongnyang Great Victory Archive Exhibition
• Myeongnyang Great Victory Stamp Rally
• Myeongnyang Naval Battle AR/MR Experience

Consumer Participation Programs

• General’s Uniform Experience
• Navy Barracks Experience
• Traditional Korean Musical Instrument Making Experience

Other Content

• Arm Wrestling Competition
• Youth Trot Song Festival
• Youth Song & Dance Competition

Practical Information

📍 Address: 11 Myeongnyangdaecheop-ro, Gunnae-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 061-802-2192

🖥️ Website: https://www.mldc.kr/web/

The Battle of Myeongnyang was fought on October 26, 1597, in the narrow strait between the Korean mainland and Jindo Island, during the Imjin War (1592–1598). The Korean fleet was commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Earlier that year, most of Korea’s navy had been lost at Chilcheollyang, leaving Yi with a small number of ships. The surviving force at Myeongnyang is consistently given as thirteen warships. The Japanese fleet was far larger; estimates vary from roughly 130 warships to more than 300 vessels when support craft are counted.

Yi chose to meet the Japanese force in the strait rather than in open water. Myeongnyang was known for strong, fast-moving currents that shifted direction with the tide. In that confined channel, the Japanese fleet could not use its numerical advantage effectively. When the current turned, Japanese ships were pushed into disorder, and Korean cannon and archery fire inflicted heavy losses. Contemporary accounts report that several dozen Japanese vessels were sunk or disabled, while the Korean side lost none of its thirteen ships.

In strategic terms, the victory prevented a Japanese advance toward the capital and allowed the Korean navy to regroup and rebuild over the following months. It did not end the war, but it removed the immediate threat in that sector. The battle is often cited in military histories as a case study in the defensive use of currents and narrow waters against a larger force.

Samto Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13

The Wonju Samto Festival stands as a representative regional celebration designed to foster a collective appreciation for Wonju’s agriculture and rural culture among both local citizens and visitors. By showcasing the high-quality agricultural products produced within the region, the festival aims to promote the intrinsic value of farming while providing an inclusive venue where people of all generations can engage through diverse performances and hands-on experiences.

Visitors can access a direct agricultural product market to purchase fresh, locally sourced food, while families are encouraged to participate in specialized rural experience programs. To complement the agricultural focus, the festival integrates stage events with regional art performances, ensuring a rich visual and auditory experience. Ultimately, the Samto Festival functions as a communal ground where farmers and citizens mingle—allowing for a cultural exchange that broadly promotes Wonju’s unique agricultural identity.

Event Programming

The festival is organized into several distinct categories to ensure a comprehensive experience:

1. Performance Events
Attendees can enjoy a variety of live entertainment, including the Samto Singing Contest, the Samto Concert, specifically invited agricultural culture performances, and spontaneous busking sessions.

2. Competition Events
The festival features a wide range of contests, from the National Samto Silver Model Contest and Life Club Competitions to more traditional activities such as the Scarecrow Competition, Mortar and Pestle Turning, and Toto-mi Seed Collecting.

3. Exhibition Events
The Samto Theme Hall serves as the educational hub of the event, displaying regional agricultural products, modern agricultural technology, processed goods, information on agricultural work safety, and exhibits on industrial insects.

4. Experience Events
Interactive opportunities allow guests to immerse themselves in rural life through agricultural culture and gardening experiences, animal feeding, natural dyeing, and agricultural product cooking classes. For those interested in modern technology, a VR agricultural experience is also available.

5. Sales Events
The festival facilitates the direct sale of regional agricultural products, allowing visitors to buy directly from the producers.

6. Sharing Events
Community-centric activities emphasize traditional Korean food culture, featuring Gamasot (cauldron) Bibimbap, Tteokme-chigi (rice cake pounding), the creation of Three-color Garaetteok, and the Himchan-i Agricultural Product Exchange.

7. Food
Diverse culinary options are available across the Local Food Hall, the Multicultural Food Hall, and the specialized Chiaksan Hanwoo Zone.

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 311 Seowon-daero, Wonju-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Myeongnyun-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 033-737-4155

🖥️ Homepage: https://www.3to.kr/

What is Samto?

Samto (삼토) means “three earths.” The name refers to the Wonju Samto Festival, and to three Korean terms that share the syllable to: 토양 (toyang) – soil, 토종 (tojong) – native seeds and breeds, and 토속 (tosok) – local customs and traditional ways of life.

The festival uses these three categories to show how agriculture in Wonju is shaped by the land and by the people who work it. Soil affects what can be grown and how it tastes. Native seeds and livestock have been selected over time to suit local conditions. Local customs include the ways farmers have passed down knowledge, recipes, and seasonal work routines.

For visitors, this means the festival is not only a market for farm products. It also offers a chance to see how those products are connected to a particular place. Programs are organized around the three themes: soil exhibitions and field experiences, displays of native breeds and seeds, and demonstrations or workshops on regional food and farming traditions. Together, they give a fuller picture of what makes the region’s agriculture distinct.

Hoengseong Deodeok Festival

The 13th Hoengseong Deodeok Festival will take place over three days from September 11 to 13, 2026, at the Nonggeori Festival Grounds in Cheongil-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province. Under the theme “Delicious Deodeok, Joyful Festival, Exciting Cheongil,” the festival highlights Hoengseong deodeok and local agricultural products grown in the region’s clean natural environment.

Throughout the festival period, visitors can enjoy food experiences using deodeok, browse various food booths, and stop by exhibition and sales areas run directly by local farmers. The program also includes a Nonggeori Dance Competition and hands-on experience programs, giving visitors a chance to take part rather than simply watch. At its core, the event is a celebration of local culture and community, centered on deodeok, one of Hoengseong’s most representative agricultural products.

Festival Details

• 🗓️ Dates: 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.13
• 📍 Address: Yudong-ri, Cheongil-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
• 🛏️ Accommodations near the event
• 💰 Fee: Free
• 📞 Inquiry: 033-340-2831~5
• 🖥️ Website: https://deodeok.info/

Main Programs

The festival’s main programs are designed around deodeok and encourage active participation:

• Finding the Golden Deodeok
• Deodeok Olympics
• Deodeok Digging Experience
• Deodeok Bibimbap Performance

Main Performances

• Opening and Closing performances
• Resident autonomy performances
• Etc.

Special Event

• Nonggeori Dance Competition

Food

• Sales outlets for various agricultural products including deodeok
• Various restaurants and food trucks
• Tasting of deodeok and Hanwoo beef
• Etc.

Deodeok (Codonopsis lanceolata) is a perennial root vegetable in the bellflower family, native to Korea and other parts of East Asia. It grows wild on rocky mountain slopes, but commercial cultivation now supplies most of the market. The root is long, white, and gnarled, with firm flesh that holds its shape during cooking. Its flavor is mildly sweet and nutty, and grilling brings out a deeper, more pronounced nuttiness.

A common preparation is deodeok gui: thick slices brushed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic, then grilled until the surface is golden and the nutty aroma is clear. The cooked root is served as a side dish or alongside rice. Deodeok also appears in namul, a seasoned vegetable dish, where it is typically dressed with sesame oil, garlic, and scallions. It can be pickled, dipped in batter and pan-fried, or simmered in porridge. In traditional Korean medicine, the root has been used for respiratory and digestive complaints and is sometimes grouped with ginseng as a restorative herb.

The Hoengseong Deodeok Festival, held annually in Hoengseong County, is one place to sample a wide range of preparations. Vendors and local cooks serve the root grilled, battered, and seasoned; growers display fresh roots and answer questions about cultivation and storage. For anyone unfamiliar with deodeok, the festival offers a practical introduction to a vegetable that remains a standard ingredient in Korean kitchens.

Geoje Beer Festival

🗓️ 2026.09.11 ~ 2026.09.12

The 2026 Geoje Beer Festival is Geoje’s representative autumn festival where you can enjoy cool draft beer and various performances against the backdrop of the beautiful night sea of Jangseungpo. It offers a special time for people of all ages to enjoy, featuring a gastronomic space blending unlimited draft beer, local delicacies, and food trucks, as well as performances across various genres such as EDM, K-POP, and 7080, along with citizen participation events. Additionally, it is an eco-friendly and inclusive festival reflecting ESG values—featuring tourism promotion booths, photo zones, local makgeolli exhibition and tasting experiences, a barrier-free zone, and the use of reusable containers—presenting new night tourism content in Geoje that anyone can enjoy safely and comfortably.

What sets this festival apart from a standard beer gathering is its seaside setting and its deliberate effort to bring together multiple generations. The combination of EDM and K-POP for younger audiences alongside 7080 performances for older visitors creates a rare intergenerational atmosphere, while the unlimited draft beer and the local makgeolli tasting corner give attendees a chance to compare modern commercial brewing with the region’s traditional rice wine. The festival also functions as a showcase for Geoje itself: tourism promotion booths, local food vendors, and the participation of the Jangseungpo-dong Resident Autonomy Council all reinforce the event’s role as a community-driven introduction to the area.

What to Expect

1. Main Performances: Performances by local singers and professional teams (EDM, Dance, 7080, K-POP), citizen participation events

2. Beer Zone: Unlimited draft beer provided

3. Food Zone: Food trucks, Jangseungpo-dong Resident Autonomy Council food booths

4. Experience Programs: Local makgeolli exhibition, promotion, and tasting experiences, Geoje tourism promotion booths

5. Side Events: Photo zones, foreign language interpretation support booth, barrier-free zone, heat shelter, eco-friendly campaign

The barrier-free zone and foreign language interpretation support are particularly notable for an event of this scale, signaling that the organizers intend the festival to be accessible to international visitors and attendees with mobility needs alike. The heat shelter and eco-friendly campaign—which includes the use of reusable containers—are practical touches that make a long outdoor evening more comfortable and sustainable.

Tickets and Fees

• 1st Early Bird Pre-reservation (8.7. ~ 8.23.): 12,000 won (20% discount)
• 2nd Pre-reservation (8.24. ~ 9.10.): 13,500 won (10% discount)

The tiered pricing rewards early planning: those who reserve during the first window save an additional 1,500 won compared to the second window. Given that draft beer is unlimited once inside, the entry fee represents solid value for anyone planning to spend the evening sampling the offerings.

Location and Practical Information

📍 Address: 138 Jangseung-ro, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do (Jangseungpo-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Paid

📞 Inquiry: 055-639-8193

🖥️ Website: http://www.geojefesta.com/

For those traveling from outside Geoje, the festival’s location in Jangseungpo-dong places it within easy reach of the city’s coastal areas, and the overnight accommodation link above provides options for turning the event into a weekend trip. The two-day schedule (September 11–12) means visitors can choose an evening that suits their itinerary, or attend both nights to catch performances they might have missed the first time around.

Geoje is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, on the southern coast of South Korea. It occupies Geoje Island, the country’s second-largest island, along with a number of smaller adjacent islands. The island is connected to the mainland by bridges, and its coastline includes steep cliffs, sheltered coves, and long beaches. Inland, the terrain is hilly, with forested ridges and trails that fall within Hallyeohaesang National Park.

The island’s location has historically made it a useful naval and military post. During the Korean War, a large prisoner-of-war camp was established near the town of Gohyeon. That camp is now preserved as a museum and memorial, and the area also has a maritime museum documenting the shipbuilding industry that later transformed the local economy. Shipbuilding remains a major employer; large yards operate at Okpo and Jangseungpo.

Jangseungpo also serves as one of the city’s main harbors, with a working fish market and ferry connections to nearby islands. The population is concentrated in Gohyeon and Okpo, while the rest of the municipality is made up of coastal villages and farmland. Tourism is largely seasonal: summer visitors come for the beaches and water sports, while spring and autumn draw walkers and cyclists. The city hosts several festivals through the year, including a beer festival staged on the waterfront during the summer.