Busan Mackerel Festival

🗓️ 2026.10.30 ~ 2026.11.01

The Busan Mackerel Festival returns to Songdo Beach from October 30 to November 1, 2026, continuing an annual tradition that began in 2008. For three days, Songdo Beach — South Korea’s first public beach — becomes the stage for a celebration of the mackerel, a fish so central to Korean cuisine that it is often called the “national fish.”

Songdo Beach is one of Busan’s most popular seaside destinations, home to the Songdo Yonggung Suspension Bridge, the Songdo Cloud Walk, and the Songdo Marine Cable Car. The festival’s location is closely tied to the region’s fishing industry: the Large-scale Purse Seine Fisheries Cooperative, based in the area, accounts for roughly 90% of the mackerel caught in South Korea’s coastal waters, and the Busan Cooperative Fish Market handles about 80% of the nation’s mackerel trade. Organizers planned the festival to create a synergy between the fishing industry and tourism, commercializing festival tourism products that connect food, culture, arts, and local attractions. The aim is to revitalize the local economy while making the most of the coastal setting.

What distinguishes the Busan Mackerel Festival from similar food-themed events is its ambition to be more than a food festival. Fisheries officials and local residents jointly plan, participate in, and promote the event, which functions as a fisheries culture festival. With hands-on experiences, exhibitions, competitions, and performances spread across the beach, it has grown into one of Korea’s representative fisheries culture festivals — an event that develops fisheries-related industries while giving domestic and international visitors a distinctive seaside experience.

Main Programs

The festival’s signature activities are built around the fishing trade, with a hands-on, playful character:

Bare-handed mackerel catching
Finding mackerel by kayak
Surprise mackerel auction
Mackerel paper boat racing contest
Fly! Mackerel Rocket

Performance Programs

Music and street performances run across all three days of the festival:

Opening Celebration Concert (10.30.): Busan Seo-gu Women’s Choir, singers Na Sang-do and Baek Su-jeong, and retro mixed band Countdown
Local Star in Seo-gu (10.31.): Participatory performances by residents from local clubs and associations
Songdo Busking PLAY (10.31.~11.1.): Marionette puppet show busking
Mackerel Hot Stage (11.1.): Performances by youth bands Tan-Dan-Ji and Loco Band, and band SORA
Songdo Youth Night (11.1.): DJ Mino, a two-member female girl group, and live performance team Vista

Participation Programs

These programs invite visitors to take part directly in the festival:

Busan Cooperative Fish Market field experience
Mackerel new menu gourmet experience
Songdo street dance competition
Mackerel physical challenge

Side Programs

The festival also offers a range of supporting programs beyond the main stages and activities:

Mackerel food market
Direct seafood market
Songdo Youth Market
Mackerel wish card
Hope education/lifelong learning festival
Namhang Bridge walking competition
Busan Traditional Performance Festival

Visitor Information

📍 Address: 100 Songdohaebyeon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan (Amnam-dong)

🛏️ Accommodation near the event

💰 Fee: Free

📞 Inquiry: 051-231-4085

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

🖥️ Website: https://busangde.co.kr/

What is Songdo Beach?

Songdo Beach sits in Busan’s Seo-gu district, along the city’s southern coast. It was designated Korea’s first public beach in 1913, and it has since shifted from a local summer destination into a year-round seaside area. The shoreline is a short crescent of sand, with cliffs on either side and the South Sea opening out beyond the bay.

The two main structures on the beach are the Songdo Cloud Trails and the Songdo Marine Cable Car. The Cloud Trails is a suspension walkway that extends over the water, while the cable car runs above the sea and gives a larger view of the coastline and Busan’s skyline. At low tide, exposed tidal pools along the rocks provide a more contained way to observe marine life.

Because the bay is sheltered, the water can be calm enough for kayaking and similar activities, and fishing from the breakwater is common. The promenade behind the beach contains seafood restaurants, cafes, and food stalls. The menu is mostly grilled fish and local Busan specialties; it is easy to eat within sight of the water.

Songdo is not a remote or wild beach. Its appeal comes from being integrated into the city: public transport connects it to central Busan, and the beach sits next to a residential neighborhood. It remains a functional public space, used for walking, festivals, and ordinary days by the sea.