Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.16 ~ 2026.10.25

The 8th Yeoncheon Chrysanthemum Festival is an autumn festival hosted by Yeoncheon-gun and organized by the Yeoncheon-gun Agricultural Technology Center, held around the Jeongok-ri Ruins in Yeoncheon. This year’s edition adopts the theme “The Breath of Goguryeo, Blooming as Chrysanthemums,” using the historical and cultural space of the ruins as the setting for a broad range of chrysanthemum landscapes. What distinguishes this festival from other chrysanthemum exhibitions is that the displays are not isolated from their surroundings — the venue is planned to include large-scale chrysanthemum installations, themed photo zones, and exhibition and experience spaces that draw directly on Goguryeo imagery, blending autumn color with local heritage.

The festival is structured as a regional tourism-type event, designed so that a wide range of visitors, families in particular, can take in the autumn chrysanthemum scenery while also encountering Yeoncheon’s history, culture, and local agriculture. Visitors can participate directly in hands-on experience programs and photo spaces, browse and purchase local agricultural specialties, and stop at food areas and food trucks. A dog playground is also operated, making the event accessible to those traveling with their pets.

Main Programs

• Chrysanthemum landscape exhibition
• Goguryeo Fortress themed representative photo zone

Side Programs

• Goguryeo themed exhibition and experience
• Costume experience
• Instant photos and photo services

Consumer Participation Programs

• Operation of visitor-participatory experience zones

Other Details

• Local agricultural specialty sales and promotion
• Food and food truck operations
• Dog playground operation

Admission Fees

※ Paid visitors receive a refund of the admission fee amount in Yeoncheon Love Gift Certificates. The system operates in a way that links festival viewing with consumption within the region, effectively returning the cost of entry to visitors as spending power at local businesses.

Practical Information

📍 Address: 1510 Yangyeon-ro, Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Paid

📞 Inquiry: 031-839-4259

What is Goguryeo?

Goguryeo was an ancient kingdom that existed from 37 BCE to 668 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, along with Baekje and Silla. Among the three, it controlled the largest territory. At its height, its lands extended from the central Korean Peninsula into much of Manchuria and parts of northeastern China, making it a significant East Asian power.

The kingdom is known for its conflicts with the Sui and Tang dynasties. Goguryeo successfully resisted several large Sui invasions and held out against Tang campaigns before finally being defeated in 668 by a combined Silla-Tang force. The surviving tomb murals, metalwork, and stone fortifications from this period give a concrete sense of the kingdom’s political and cultural life.

In Yeoncheon, Goguryeo’s presence is still visible. The area was part of the kingdom’s southern frontier, and it contains mountain fortresses and defensive walls associated with that role. The Chrysanthemum Festival, held in Yeoncheon each autumn, is centered on the flowers in bloom. It also draws visitors to the nearby historic sites, where the remains of these fortifications can be seen in the surrounding landscape.

World Cultural Heritage Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.16 ~ 2026.10.25

The World Heritage Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival is Hwasun’s representative autumn festival. It began in 2013 as the “Chrysanthemum Feast in the City” held at Namsan Park, then moved to the Hwasun Dolmen Sites and was developed into its current form. Under a new theme each year, the festival pairs the World Heritage dolmens with diverse autumn flowers to create a beautiful autumn landscape. Visitors can take in a wealth of sights and activities, including family-participation experience programs that interestingly unravel the history and culture of the dolmens and the Bronze Age, as well as various exhibitions and performances. In particular, the “DM Concert”—Hwasun’s signature performance, with “DM” taken from “DolMen”—adds to the festival and presents a special opportunity to experience the value of the World Heritage together with the beauty of autumn flowers.

Main Program

• 2026 DM Concert: A special stage at the Hwasun Dolmen Site grass plaza.

Side Programs

• Main stage performances
• Exhibitions: Theme gardens (Entrance photo garden, Chrysanthemum main garden, Family-friendly garden, Butterfly garden, Animal garden), Chrysanthemum bonsai exhibition, Chunsik’s History Road, Chunsik’s Village, Jjangdol’s Village
• Experiences: Hwasun Dolmen Naming Center, Prehistoric & Bronze Age Costume Shop, Jjangdol’s Snack Factory, Dolmen Accessory Workshop, Bronze Age play and hunting experience, Mobile phone photo printing service, Chunsik’s Time Postcards, Chunyang Children’s Playground

Consumer Participation Programs

• Chunsik’s Adventure
• Get Stamps and Stay Healthy
• Bronze Age Experience Master
• Tour of Dolmen Sites
• Stop by Hwasun Cinema and have a drink!

Other Details

• Sales: Hwasun signature desserts (Coal mine/Briquette ash ice cream, Chrysanthemum bread), Local food (8 locations), Single-dish food (8 locations), Food trucks (6 locations), Agricultural and special product sales
• Hwasun Writers Association Poetry and Painting Exhibition: Around Chunsik’s Village at the Dolmen Site grass plaza
• 3rd Dogok Agricultural and Special Products Grand Festival: Dogok-myeon Prehistoric Experience Center grass plaza
• Prehistoric life reenactment performances and autumn cultural performances: Chunyang outdoor special stage
• Experience of prehistoric people’s lifestyle: Prehistoric Experience Center
• Gwangdeok Culture Plaza DM Trot Singer Fan Signing Event & Gwangdeok Play Field: Gwangdeok Culture Plaza, Hwasun-eup

Practical Information

📍 Address: 180 Goindol 1-ro, Dogok-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee:

• Paid: 5,000 KRW (5,000 KRW refunded in Hwasun Love Gift Certificates)
• Free: Hwasun residents, preschool children, disabled persons, persons of national merit, independence activists, 5·18 democratization merit recipients, war veterans (upon presentation of supporting documents)

📞 Inquiry: 061-379-3575

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

🖥️ Homepage: https://www.hwasun.go.kr/festival/index.do?S=S11

What is a dolmen?

A dolmen is a type of megalithic tomb made of large upright stones supporting a flat capstone. It dates from the Neolithic and Bronze Age and appears in many regions, including Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The basic form resembles a stone table, but dolmens were originally burial chambers, normally covered by a mound of earth or smaller stones.

The dolmens at Hwasun in South Korea are notable for their density and state of preservation. They are part of a larger group on the Korean peninsula, where more than 30,000 dolmens have been identified. The Hwasun site alone contains several hundred, including some with capstones weighing more than 100 tons. These stones were quarried from nearby mountains and moved over distances of up to several kilometres, using labour and techniques that are still not fully understood.

The builders used the monuments for burying important members of their communities, but dolmens also served as landmarks. They marked territory and expressed the social identity of the groups that made them. The Hwasun dolmens, together with the nearby sites in Gochang and Ganghwa, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000 under the category “Dolmen Sites.” The listing recognises the archaeological value of the monuments and the evidence they preserve about prehistoric technology, social organisation, and land use.

The Hwasun Dolmen Autumn Flower Festival is held in the area around the stones each year. Visitors can walk through the site while seasonal flowers are in bloom and examine the structures at close range. Because the festival takes place at an active archaeological landscape, it also offers a chance to see how the monuments relate to their surrounding terrain, rather than treating them as isolated objects.

Boeun Jujube Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.16 ~ 2026.10.25

The Boeun Jujube Festival returns for its 20th anniversary, bringing together premium Boeun jujubes—the region’s representative specialty—alongside agricultural products grown in Boeun’s clean natural environment. As a representative agricultural specialty festival of Korea, it offers the full range of what the region produces, in one place.

The festival arrives with notable recognition. The 2025 edition was selected as the best festival among the Chungcheongbuk-do designated festivals for 2026, an acknowledgment of its operational performance. It has also been recognized as the best festival for the sale of agricultural and specialty products in Chungcheongbuk-do for three consecutive years since 2017, reflecting its growing national competitiveness.

Boeun jujubes have a history that few festival products can claim: they were once presented to the king. The festival promotes that legacy alongside the superior quality of the fruit, establishing itself as a representative festival of Boeun through a program that pairs agricultural tradition with modern entertainment.

During the festival period, jujube and agricultural specialty sales centers, an online marketplace, and a fresh jujube order call center will be in operation, supporting convenient purchase of Boeun’s specialties from anywhere in the country. On-site, visitors can enjoy a varied program of cultural and artistic performances and experience events—including opening and closing ceremonies—with enough range to engage family tourists and visitors of all ages and genders. The festival is organized as a celebration of Boeun’s autumn atmosphere, enhancing the brand value of the region’s autumn tourism, promoting the excellence of local agricultural specialties, and contributing to the local economy through programs that connect agriculture, culture, and tourism.

Event Programs

The program spans four categories, covering everything from large-scale concerts to hands-on activities.

Official Events

• Opening and closing ceremonies

Main Programs

• Dance challenge, Jujube Mission Impossible, jujube auction, Boeun IN Concert, Power Concert, Boeun-gun sports team performances, waterfront stage busking performances, and more

Experience and Participation Programs

• Train play event with Jujube Crew, stamp tour, children’s play zone and water leisure experience zone operation, website online participation events, and more

Linked Programs

• Emotional busking performances, Boeun County Citizens’ Day, Boeun National Traditional Small Cattle Wrestling Competition, Iron Plate Laying (Cheolpan-kkaljang), and more

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 54 Baetdeul-ro, Boeun-eup, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 043-540-3392

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

What is jujube?

Jujube is a small, oval fruit that has been cultivated in East Asia for thousands of years. In Korean, it is called daechu. The fruit starts out green and smooth, with the shape of an olive, and as it ripens it becomes wrinkled and deep reddish-brown. Its flesh is chewy and sweet, with a flavor often compared to dates.

In Korea, jujube is a common kitchen ingredient rather than just a snack. It is brewed into tea, simmered in soups and porridges, and used as a natural sweetener in rice cakes and desserts. It also appears in traditional medicine, where it is valued for its vitamin C, antioxidants, and calming properties. During colder months, jujube tea is a common remedy for fatigue and seasonal discomfort.

The Boeun region, in South Korea’s North Chungcheong Province, is known for growing jujubes that are larger and sweeter than the average. The area’s mountain climate and well-drained soil suit the crop well. The annual Boeun Jujube Festival takes place in autumn, when the harvest is sold fresh and dried, along with processed products such as preserves and juices.

Yeongdong Nangye Gugak Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.18

Food information at the festival venue is based on the previous year’s (2025) festival content, and the 2026 festival content is currently being updated.

The Yeongdong Nangye Gugak Festival is an annual cultural and artistic performance festival held in Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, to commemorate the musical achievements of Master Nangye Park Yeon and to promote Gugak—Korean traditional music—as a cultural heritage worth preserving. Gugak encompasses a broad spectrum of Korean music, from refined court traditions to communal village percussion, and it is precisely this range that the festival puts on display. Now in its 57th edition, the event aims to build on the legacy of the 2025 Yeongdong World Gugak Expo by championing Gugak as a heritage of the Republic of Korea on the global stage, with an eye toward what organizers describe as the second revival of Hallyu, the Korean Wave.

The festival positions itself as the only Gugak festival in the country, one that attempts to modernize the succession of traditional performing arts through both preservation and reinvention. Its program pairs rigorous traditional presentations with fusion experiments, and it makes room for hands-on learning that lets visitors engage with instruments, dress, and customs directly. At the same time, it functions as a local tourism asset, with offerings shaped by the region’s character, and it aims to bring the county’s residents together by raising cultural participation and encouraging voluntary involvement.

Main Programs

• Opening and closing ceremonies
• Authentic Gugak performances, covering court and folk repertory
• Fusion Gugak performances, which blend traditional music with contemporary styles
• World folk dance performances, offering an international counterpoint to the Korean program
• Children’s performances designed for younger audiences

Side and Linked Programs

• The 21st Chupungnyeong Song Festival, named after the historic mountain pass in the region
• National Pungmul (Traditional Percussion) Competition, a showcase of Korea’s communal percussion tradition
• Yeongdong-gun Eup/Myeon Pungmul Competition, a local contest among the county’s townships
• Gugak Broadcasting Station, where visitors can experience the atmosphere of a Gugak radio broadcast
• Hanbok Experience, a chance to wear traditional Korean clothing
• “I am a Singer” Karaoke, an open stage for visitors who want to sing

Consumer Participation and Experience Programs

• Traditional Play Healing Festival, focused on rest and recreation through traditional games
• Challenge! Gugak Golden Bell, a quiz competition inspired by the long-running television quiz show, testing knowledge of traditional music
• Eco-friendly Kids Playground, a play area for children built with environmentally friendly materials
• Gugak Instrument Making and Playing Experience, hands-on workshops where visitors can build and play traditional instruments

Other Contents

• Digital Gugak Museum, a digital exhibition space for Gugak heritage
• Gugak Theme Park, themed installations interpreting Korean traditional music
• Gugak Photo Zone, designated photo spots styled around the festival’s aesthetic

With free admission and programming that spans performance, participation, and play, the festival offers a compact four-day window into Korea’s traditional music culture.

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 117 Yeongdonghealing-ro, Yeongdong-eup, Yeongdong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Admission: Free (some experience programs cost between 5,000 won and 15,000 won)

📞 Inquiry: 043-745-8917

🖥️ Homepage: https://xn--989aomz2fs84a4hdfuk.com/

What is Nangye?

Nangye is the pen name of Park Yeon, a scholar-musician of the early Joseon dynasty. It is not a genre of music or an instrument. Born in Yeongdong in 1378, Park Yeon worked under King Sejong on the court music of his time: refining ritual pieces, tuning instruments, and helping to standardize performance practices. These efforts gave the court a stable musical repertory and established a framework for Korean traditional music that later generations built on.

The name Nangye was later attached to the Gugak Festival in Yeongdong, Park Yeon’s hometown. The 2026 edition continues that connection. Its concerts and events draw on the court tradition Park Yeon helped shape, including daegeum melodies, percussion, and ensemble repertory that remain part of gugak today. The festival is not an attempt to recreate the fifteenth century. It is a chance to hear how that tradition has been preserved, adapted, and performed in the present. For listeners unfamiliar with Korean court music, it offers a direct way into a repertory with a long, documented history—one that begins, in significant part, with the work of a single musician from Yeongdong.

Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.18

The following food details are from the previous year’s (2025) festival; the 2026 festival details are currently being updated.

The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival invites visitors to Sunchang, the county traditionally regarded as the home of Korean fermented sauces, for four days of hands-on programming around gochujang (red chili paste), doenjang (soybean paste), and ganjang (soy sauce). In 2026, the festival marks its 21st year. It runs from October 15 to 18 around the Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village and the Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park, under the theme “The World’s Taste, Contained in Sunchang.” The program brings together experiences, performances, exhibitions, competitions, and food offerings rooted in traditional sauces and K-food.

The festival’s main draw is its participatory structure. Visitors can join the “Global Gochujang Making” program, which brings Korean and international participants together; watch the “Sunchang Gochujang Royal Tribute Procession,” a parade that recreates the Joseon Dynasty practice of presenting local gochujang to the king; and attend the “Global Sauce Culture School” to learn about and experience Sunchang’s sauce heritage. For those who prefer to make their own dishes, the “K-Food Experience Programs” cover kimchi, makgeolli, jangajji (pickled vegetables), and meju (fermented soybean lumps). The festival also includes “Sunchang Fermentation Village 1997,” the augmented reality (AR) mission game “Find the Sauce King,” and the “World Tour of Taste, Sauce Lounge,” which pairs sauce exhibitions with tastings and hands-on experiences.

Main Programs

• Global Gochujang Making — a joint sauce-making session for Korean and international participants
• Sunchang Gochujang Royal Tribute Procession — a parade reenacting the presentation of Sunchang gochujang to the king during the Joseon Dynasty
• Sunchang Fermentation Village 1997 — an experiential space themed around Sunchang’s fermented sauce culture
• Global Sauce Culture School — educational sessions on Sunchang’s sauce culture

Side Programs

• Opening Ceremony and Congratulatory Performance
• Encounter of Traditional Korean Music and Classical Music as Sauces Ripen
• World Heritage Tightrope Walking Performance
• Sunchang Global K-POP Song Festival
• Closing Ceremony and Autumn Concert

Consumer Participation Programs

• K-Food Experience Programs (making kimchi, makgeolli, jangajji, and meju)
• Find the Sauce King (AR mission game)
• Find the Golden Meju
• Red-Day Event
• Spicy Food Competition
• Fermented Sauce Gourmet Cooking Class
• Global Fermented Sauce Cooking Competition

Other Details

• Global K-Food Market
• World Tour of Taste Sauce Lounge
• K-Culture Exhibition and Experience
• Sunchang Tavern
• Local Art Exhibitions and Performances
• Agricultural Product Sales and Food Booth Operation

📍 Address: 55 Jangryu-ro, Sunchang-eup, Sunchang-gun, Jeonbuk State

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free (Some programs have a fee)

📞 Inquiry: 063-650-1624

🖥️ Website: https://jangfestival.co.kr/

Sunchang, in North Jeolla Province, makes traditional Korean fermented sauces: doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chili paste), and ganjang (soy sauce). The craft has been practiced there for generations, and the county’s name is closely associated with these products in Korea.

Local producers attribute the quality to the environment. Mountain water, air, and a climate with distinct seasons support slow fermentation. Sauces age in earthenware onggi jars kept outdoors, where they are exposed to daily and seasonal temperature changes. The base for all three is meju, blocks of fermented soybeans. For ganjang, meju is brined and aged; for doenjang, the solids are further fermented; for gochujang, chili powder and glutinous rice are added. These processes take months or years and depend on naturally occurring microorganisms rather than additives.

The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival, held annually, is an effort to keep these techniques visible. Visitors can taste different sauces, watch demonstrations, and make a small batch to take home. The festival does not simply display finished products; it explains the steps and the conditions required to produce them.

Bonghwa Pine Mushroom Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.18

In the late 1990s, Bonghwa-gun began to recognize the high-quality pine mushrooms growing naturally in its clean, deep forests as a future resource for the region; the first Bonghwa Pine Mushroom Festival was held in 1997. From the start, it centered on pine mushroom harvesting experiences, dish tasting events, and local specialty sales exhibitions. Active participation from local residents and growing recognition of the mushrooms’ quality helped the event become one of the Republic of Korea’s representative autumn gastronomic festivals.

A rare mushroom with a distinct profile

Bonghwa pine mushrooms are a rare resource that grows only in clean forest areas at altitudes of 600m or higher. Their aroma and texture are distinct from pine mushrooms grown in other regions, which has drawn attention from domestic and international gourmets. The festival was planned as a “nature-gastronomy convergence festival” where residents and tourists could mingle, moving beyond a simple promotion of local specialties. Over time, it has grown into a comprehensive event where culture, tourism, and economy harmonize, while also spreading the values of nature conservation and coexistence through traditional performances, experiences connected to local agricultural products, and tourist site circulation programs.

The 2026 edition, which coincides with the festival’s 30th anniversary, runs for four days and is organized into four program categories. Across the event, visitors can browse and bid on pine mushrooms, watch performances, eat pine mushroom dishes, and take part in community events.

Experience Programs

• One Mushroom Time Auction!
• Guerrilla On-site Event
• Beat the Pine Mushroom!
• Challenge! Pine Mushroom Golden Bell

Performance Programs

• 5th Osaek-omi Giant Bibimbap Performance
• Opening Ceremony and Opening Celebration Performance
• Bobusang (Peddler) Performance
• Multicultural Song Festival
• Shining Star Concert Season 3
• Closing Ceremony and Closing Celebration Performance

Food Programs

• Pine Mushroom Ramen
• Pine Mushroom Tavern
• Food Truck Zone

Ancillary Promotional Programs

• 43rd Cheongryang Culture Festival
• 2026 Bonghwa-gun Governor’s Cup Ssireum King Selection Tournament
• 2026 Daycare Center Union Sports Day
• Pine Mushroom Karaoke
• Pine Mushroom Sales Market and Herbal Medicine Cattle Sales Center
• Large Restaurant and Herbal Medicine Cattle Tasting Session
• 30th Anniversary History Commemorative Exhibition Tunnel and Photo Zone Establishment

Practical Information

📍 Address: 13 Naeseong-ro 5-gil, Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free admission (some experience programs are paid)

📞 Inquiry: 054-674-3053

🖥️ Homepage: bhftf.or.kr/festival/pine_mushroom_festival/index.php

Pine mushrooms, known in Korean as songi, are a wild species (Tricholoma matsutake) that grows in association with pine trees. They are distinct from common cultivated mushrooms such as button mushrooms, and in East Asian cuisine they are used as a specialty ingredient. The mushrooms fruit from the roots of old pine trees, and their occurrence depends closely on the local environment. In the forests around Bonghwa, a mountainous county in central South Korea, the combination of old pine woodland, well-drained soil, and seasonal rainfall provides conditions that suit them well.

The mushroom itself is stout, with a white cap often covered in brown scales. Its smell is strong and distinctive—somewhere between spice and pine forest, with a sweetness that becomes more pronounced when cooked. Because its flavor is aromatic rather than assertive, cooks usually keep preparations simple. In Korea, songi is commonly sliced and grilled over low heat, folded into rice, or added to samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), where it perfumes the broth. The mushrooms are harvested in autumn, from late September to early November, and are best eaten within a few days of picking.

Matsutake cannot be grown commercially. The fungus forms a mycorrhizal relationship with living pine trees, and attempts to cultivate it have not succeeded. All songi sold and served is wild-harvested. Foragers locate the mushrooms by finding slight cracks in the pine-needle duff or by looking for areas where the needles have been disturbed, and they often work the same forest floors over many seasons. The yield varies from year to year depending on rainfall, temperature, and the health of the trees. In poor years, very few mushrooms appear, which is part of why prices can be high.

The Bonghwa Pine Mushroom Festival, held annually in autumn, was started to let visitors taste and learn about the local harvest. The event now also serves as a way to support the foragers and vendors who supply the regional market. For thirty years it has featured mushroom-focused dishes, guided foraging demonstrations, and information about how songi fits into the local economy. It does not turn the mushroom into something mystical; it simply presents a wild food that cannot be manufactured, only found.

Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.18

The Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival is a representative nature healing festival of the Namdo region, set in the Yeongsan River area. It combines cultural art performances, experiential events, sunset runs, and unique photo zones with the area’s natural silver grass. Visitors can walk through the Seochang fields’ sunset and silver grass paths—one of the eight scenic views of Seo-gu—and experience the only nature festival held in a city center in the Namdo region.

This year’s edition runs for four days, from October 15th to 18th, under the theme “A Walk into Autumn Delivered by Silver Silver Grass.” The program turns walking and sound into content, with offerings such as the Silver Grass Path Where Melodies Flow, the SG Silver Grass Field Lounge with LP music, soundscape sessions, and a sound walking map-making activity. It also includes festival-exclusive events such as “Find the Rest King!” and the “Wal-Wal Run.”

The festival is organized into the following program categories:

1. Representative Programs

• Silver Grass Path Where Melodies Flow
• Step-by-Step Silver Grass Expedition
• SG Silver Grass Field Lounge
• Find the Rest King
• Sunset 530

2. Theme Programs

• Silver Grass Soundscape
• Wal-Wal Run!
• Making a Sound Walking Map
• Emotional Trolley Bus Trip
• Silver Grass Photo Zone

3. Performance Programs

• Silver Grass Busking
• Sunset Live
• Family Healing Performance
• Resident Participation Festa

4. Experiential Programs

• Silver Grass Field Experience Playground
• Visiting Social Economy Connection Market
• Seochang Village Tour

5. Linked Events

• 2026 Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Sunset Marathon
• 16th Bitgoeul Literary Contest
• Korea Racing Authority Horse Riding Experience

6. Visitor Convenience

• Information: General Information Center, Gwangju Tourism Information Center, Seo-gu Tourism Information Center
• Food: Seochang Tavern, 1,000-won Guksu (Noodles), Senior Cafe, F&B Flea Market
• Convenience: Shared Bicycle Rental Station

📍 Address: 377 Seochangduk-gil, Seo-gu, Gwangju Integrated Special City, Jeonnam (Byeokjin-dong)

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free admission (Some paid experiences – food, certain activities)

📞 Inquiry: 062-350-4792

⭐️ Instagram: instagram.com/sg.festival

🖥️ Website: www.seogu.gwangju.kr

What is silver grass?

Silver grass—eoksae in Korean—is a tall perennial bunchgrass native to East Asia. It grows in dense clumps, with slender leaves that arch outward and, from late September through November, feathery flower heads rising above the foliage. The plumes are pale beige to silver, and in low autumn light they stand out clearly against hillsides and fields. The plant is common along roadsides, riverbanks, and abandoned farmland, where it establishes quickly and requires little care.

In Korea, silver grass has long been part of the seasonal landscape. Its flowering coincides with harvest time, and the dried stems have traditionally been used for thatching and weaving. The sound of wind moving through a stand—a continuous, dry rustle—is also a familiar autumn sound in rural areas. None of this requires treating the grass as a symbol. It is simply a plant that is easy to see and easy to hear, and it happens to be at its best when the weather cools.

At the Gwangju Seochang Silver Grass Festival, the grass is the main attraction. The festival site consists of open fields and mowed pathways through large stands of silver grass, allowing visitors to walk among the plumes rather than only view them from a distance. Typical festival offerings include photo spots, evening lighting, and local food stalls, but the central experience is straightforward: walking a path lined with silver grass and looking at it. Because the plant is tall—often over a meter and a half—it can enclose a walkway and change the scale of the surrounding landscape. That alone is a good reason to visit in late autumn. The festival runs for a limited period, and the grass fades quickly after the first strong winds or frost, so timing matters.

Gochang Moyang Fortress Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.19

The Gochang Moyangseong Festival is a historical and cultural event built around Moyangseong Fortress, widely regarded as the best-preserved original fortress in Korea. Held in Gochang-eup, Jeonbuk State, the five-day festival centers on Dap Seong Nori, an experiential walk along the fortress walls. The program is based on the local legend that one circuit cures leg ailments, two circuits bring a long and healthy life, and three circuits lead to ascension to paradise.

The festival’s main lineup includes Dap Seong Nori, Night Dap Seong Nori, Ganggangsullae DalBAM, a street parade, and Returns 1453. In Night Dap Seong Ganggangsullae Moonlight, residents and visitors come together for a nighttime combination of Dap Seong Nori and the traditional Korean circle dance Ganggangsullae. The street parade involves roughly 1,000 residents and expresses the past, present, and future of the region. Returns 1453 shifts the focus to Gochang Eupseong, allowing visitors to explore the interior of the old walled town under the theme of a journey to the past. Food stalls featuring local specialties of the Gochang region and direct sales markets round out the main offerings.

Main Programs

• Dap Seong Nori, Night Dap Seong Nori, Ganggangsullae DalBAM, Street Parade, Returns 1453

Side Programs

• Flea Market, Drone Show, Family Zone, Food Booths, Direct Sales Market, Tavern (Jumak)

Consumer Participation Programs

• Children’s Carrot Market, Traditional Game Experiences, Experiential Programs

📍 Address: 11 Moyangseong-ro, Gochang-eup, Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk State

🛏️ Accommodations near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 063-560-2949

🖥️ Website: https://www.모양성제.com/

What is Dap Seong Nori?

Dap Seong Nori is a traditional Korean folk play associated with the Gochang Moyang Fortress Festival. Its name means “stepping on the fortress” or “treading the castle wall.” The practice is a walk along the stone ramparts of Gochangeupseong, a historic walled fortress in Gochang County. The fortress, also called Moyangseong, was built in the mid-fifteenth century as an administrative and defensive town wall. Its perimeter still encircles the older part of Gochang.

The custom grew from a local belief about the walls. A full circuit of the ramparts was thought to transfer worry, illness, and bad luck to the stones underfoot. The higher the wall, the stronger the effect, and completing the route was said to crush sickness with each step. For this reason, Dap Seong Nori was especially common on the first full moon of the lunar year. Families and neighbors climbed the walls in groups, singing and talking as they walked. It was a holiday outing that combined sociability with a shared purpose.

At the festival today, Dap Seong Nori is presented without turning it into a staged performance. There is no script, and no one is only a spectator. Participants, many in simple hanbok or comfortable walking clothes, form a line along the wall. The route follows the fortress perimeter and opens onto views of the surrounding fields and the old town below. Local performers lead the group, and traditional music accompanies the walk. The mood is relaxed and sociable, more like a communal stroll than a ceremony.

The activity works on two levels. It offers a physical walk with a clear view of the area, and it connects those who take part to a practice continued on the same walls for centuries. The older belief in transferred misfortune is not required for the experience to make sense. The walk itself is the event: a shared route through a historic place, taken in company and at a steady pace.

Ganggyeong Jeotgal Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.15 ~ 2026.10.18

The 2026 30th Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Festival is a representative regional festival held with themes of Ganggyeong’s history, culture, and local specialties, including salted seafood. The event takes place over four days, from October 15 to October 18, 2026, around the Geumgang Riverbank in Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si. This year’s theme is “Ganggyeong Salted Seafood · Sangwol Sweet Potato, Finally Becoming the Best!”, pairing two of the region’s best-known products in a program built around gourmet food, culture, and hands-on experiences.

Ganggyeong was once a busy river port where salted seafood moved along the Geumgang waterway, and that history gives the festival its character. Jeotgal — fermented, salted seafood — remains a staple of Korean cooking and an essential ingredient in kimchi, and this year’s 30th edition leans into that heritage while also spotlighting Sangwol sweet potatoes, another local specialty. The result is a broad program that draws on historical resources and local produce to give visitors plenty to taste, watch, make, and explore.

Main programs

• Global Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Kimchi Making Festa 2026 — Ganggyeong salted seafood kimchi making experience, with the finished kimchi available for purchase.
• Ganggyeong Port Market Hanmadang — Ganggyeong Port Market opening ceremony and pungmul street parade, market experience yard, peddler play, tightrope walking, and more.
• Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Sangwol Sweet Potato Promotion and Sales Center — alongside the Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Sangwol Sweet Potato BBQ Camp and the Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Sangwol Sweet Potato Bibimbap Experience.
• Opening and closing ceremonies — the opening ceremony features a fireworks show, and both days include celebration performances.
• Music and performances — Riverside Concert, Companion Concert, Nonsan Artists’ Masil Festa, Ganggyeong Sunset Music Festival, Nonsan-si Residents’ Council Harmony Hanmadang, Ganggyeong Port Market Pungmul Hanmadang, Ganggyeong Sunset EDM Party, and the Ganggyeong Sunset Magic Balloon Show.
• Hands-on experiences — Sangwol Sweet Potato Pizza Making Experience Class, Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Fusion Cooking Experience, and seasoned salted seafood (young oyster) matkkal-jeot making experience.
• Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Bio LAP — a specialized salted seafood program.
• Tours and sights — Ganggyeong Geumgang Waterway History and Culture Tour, Ganggyeong Sunset Chrysanthemum Exhibition, and the Ganggyeong Sunset Train with its fantasy playground and memory play yard.
• Food and shopping — Nonsan 5-pum (5 Specialties) Dessert Cafe, Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Sangwol Sweet Potato Goods Shop, Nonsan-si Agricultural and Special Products Promotion and Sales Center, Global Food Corner, Local Food Corner, Ganggyeong Sunset Market, and Industry-Academic Exchange Promotion Hall.

📍 Address: 198 Hwangsan-ri, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free admission (Some experiences, promotion/sales food trucks, etc., are paid)

📞 Inquiry: 041-730-2971, 2973

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

🖥️ Website: https://www.nonsan.go.kr/ggfestival/

What is Ganggyeong?

Ganggyeong is a port town in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on the Geumgang River. During the Joseon period, it functioned as a transfer point between coastal shipping and inland routes to the capital. Goods such as grain, salt, and fish moved through its warehouses, and salted seafood—jeotgal—became the town’s main commodity. The Geumgang estuary’s tidal flats supplied the raw material, while Ganggyeong’s position on the river made it possible to distribute salted goods to inland markets.

That trade is the basis for the Ganggyeong Salted Seafood Festival, held every autumn. The festival is organised around the town’s history: visitors can sample different types of jeotgal, watch demonstrations of salting and fermentation, and take part in small workshops. It is a local event rather than a large commercial fair, and most activities take place within walking distance of the river.

Apart from the festival, Ganggyeong remains a quiet town. The old commercial district has narrow lanes and a number of early-twentieth-century buildings, including former warehouses and shops that once served the river trade. The riverside embankment offers a view of the Geumgang and the surrounding floodplain. There is little direct evidence of the port’s former scale on the streets today, but the layout of the town, and the continued presence of jeotgal shops, show where its economy once stood.