Korea Places to Visit

Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale (경기도자비엔날레)

263 Gyeongchung-daero 2697beon-gil, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

The Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale features a range of exhibitions and educational events. The event takes place at various locations in Korea famous for ceramics, including Icheon, Yeoju, and Gwangju.

Gyeongsan Gatbawi Wish Fulfillment Festival (경산 갓바위소원성취축제)

Wachon-myeon, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Gyeongsan Gatbawi Wish Fulfillment Festival is a healing and participatory festival that blends traditional culture with modern performances. Various events and hands-on activities are offered during the festival, including tea ceremony programs, temple stay, wish pagoda stacking, meditation, and yoga. Visitors can also explore various regional products such as fresh Wachon plums and enjoy opening performances.

Gyeryong Military Culture Festival (계룡軍문화축제)

Jeongjang-ri, Sindoan-myeon, Gyeryong-si, Chungcheongnam-do

Gyeryong Military Culture Festival, one of Korea’s prestigious festivals, features various performances, including an opening act and military culture concert with rock, trot, and K-pop acts. In addition, military band performances, road parades, and various hands-on experience programs are held, offering diverse content that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Gyochon Cultural Performance Silla Ogi(교촌문화공연 신라오기)

경상북도 경주시 교촌길 39-2 (교동) Gyeongju Gyochon Traditional Village Square

Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival (하동 야생차문화축제)

571-25 Ssanggye-ro, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

The Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival is a fragrant celebration in Hadong, a region renowned for its green tea, historically known as the “king’s tea” due to its royal offerings. The Hadong 1000-Year Dahyang Trail is perfect for leisurely walks, connecting hills and tea fields with decked paths and narrow village roads. Following the successful “World Tea Expo 2023 Hadong, Korea,” the festival solidified Hadong’s reputation as a “tea-refreshing cultural city.” The diverse program includes tea cup busking, moving art galleries, music and art spaces, tea classes, book discussions, meditation and refreshing programs, and trekking on the 1000-Year Dahyang Trail, providing ample opportunity to fully experience Hadong and its tea culture. ◎ 1000-Year Dahyang TrailHadong’s proximity to the Seomjingang River results in frequent fog and high humidity, coupled with significant temperature variations, creating an ideal environment for tea cultivation. Historical records indicate that tea has been grown here for a thousand years, marking Hadong as the birthplace of Korean tea cultivation.

Haeundae Light Festival (해운대 빛축제)

280 Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan

The Haeundae Light Festival features light sculptures, media art exhibitions, and various performances, creating healing spaces and urban art spaces in the city center.

Haeundae Sand Festival (해운대 모래축제)

280, Haeundaehaebyeon-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan

Held every year between May and June, the Haeundae Sand Festival is Korea’s largest sand festival. Set on Haeundae Beach, one of the nation's most iconic seaside destinations, the festival celebrates the beauty of Haeundae and highlights the value of sand as an important marine resource. Each year, world-class sand sculptures, hands-on programs, and performances are presented under a new theme. In 2026, the festival will be held under the theme “Busan,” showcasing the city’s dynamic transformation from past to present and into the future, while highlighting the unique charm that has captivated visitors from around the world. The festival runs from May 15 to 18, while the sand sculpture exhibition will remain open through June 14.

Hahoe Byeolsingut Tallori (Mask Dance Drama of Hahoe) (하회별신굿탈놀이 상설공연)

3-15, Hahoejongga-gil, Andong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do Hahoe Village Mask Dance Theater

Hampyeong Butterfly Festival (함평나비대축제)

27 Gonjea-ro, Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do

The arrival of spring, the blooming of flowers, and the fluttering of butterflies signal the beginning of the Butterfly Festival in Hampyeong. The festival holds exhibitions on flowers, butterflies, and insects, as well as cultural and art performances featuring various stories about the environment. There are also displays of butterfly and insect specimens from around the world at the Butterfly Ecology Center. Visitors can enjoy various eco-activities, including kite flying, a visit to the dairy farm, and traditional folk games. The most popular activity for families is trapping butterflies in small bottles and setting them free in the flower gardens. At the festival, there is also a food market and a special performance for visitors on Children’s Day.

Hangang River Festival (한강페스티벌)

62 Ichon-ro 72-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Hangang Park

In May, the Hangang River offers a range of activities that appeal to both children and adults. Programs include plays based on Korea's folklore, as well as family-friendly experiences. Visitors can also participate in silent yoga sessions using headsets or enjoy the natural scenery of Seoul through activities such as kayaking, yachting, and river cruises. These programs provide a variety of ways to experience the Hangang River during the spring season.

Hangover(행오버)

서울특별시 종로구 대학로12길 69 (동숭동) Jeong Theater

Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival (한산모시문화제)

1089 Chungjeol-ro, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

Ramie fabric is a traditional Korean cloth with good ventilation, making it the fabric of choice for summer clothing. Hansan’s ramie is used to make high-end clothing due to its delicate and elegant texture. It is also an eco-friendly fiber that is extracted from ramie grass and weaved into a loom. Hansan’s ramie weaving was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011 in recognition of its unique production technology as well as its ability to strengthen community solidarity in the process. At the Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival, visitors can participate in the “Ramie School” program and learn the weaving process. Other attractions include Gilssam Nori, a ramie-weaving work, and a fashion show featuring clothes made from Hansan ramie is a highlight not to be missed.◎ TipDuring the festival, a free shuttle bus operates from the Hansan Mosi Hall parking lot to the festival venue.

Homigot Sunrise Festival (호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전)

136 Haemaji-ro, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Homigot Village, the main venue of the Homigot Sunrise Festival, is located on the easternmost point of the Korean Peninsula. Homigot Village means "a village on a tiger’s tail," in reference to the Korean peninsula looking like a tiger. The festival includes local cultural performances, a New Year celebratory event, fireworks show, sunrise concert and other diverse performances. Visitors may sample free tteokguk, a traditional New Year’s Day dish. Other events such as kite-flying and launching hope balloons with wishes attached will provide enjoyable moments to reflect on the previous year and create new year resolutions.

Hongseong Global BBQ Festival (홍성글로벌바비큐페스티벌)

20 Amun-gil, Hongseong-eup, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

The Hongseong Global BBQ Festival held in Hongseong, a city of aesthetics, is a festival where visitors can enjoy various barbecue cultures from home and abroad in one place. You can taste unique barbecue dishes based on Hongseong's livestock resources such as Hongseong hanu (Korean beef) and Hongseong handon (Korean pork), and there will also be cooking demonstrations by famous YouTubers and chefs. Various performances such as drone shows, busking performances, and other live music performances, as well as hands-on experiences, are prepared for family visitors, making it a festival that people of all ages can enjoy.

Hongseong Namdang Port Jumbo Shrimp Festival (홍성남당항 대하축제)

1-1 Namdanghang-ro 213beon-gil, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

Namdang Port, located at the west end of Hongseong, is a famous west coast port known for its exceptional seafood. Surrounded by the clean waters of Cheonsuman Bay, Namdang Port is home to a wide array of sea life including blue crab, cockle and webfoot octopus. Namdang Port also draws throngs of visitors from early September to mid-October every year for the country’s largest Jumbo Shrimp Festival.

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (얼음나라화천 산천어축제)

137, Sancheoneo-gil, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do

*The information below is based on the 2026 festivals. Details for the 2027 festivals will be updated as they become available.*Held in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is a one-of-a-kind winter event that was named one of CNN's “Seven Wonders of Winter” in 2011. The festival takes place every January, when the famously pristine waters of Hwacheoncheon Stream freeze solid. Visitors can catch sancheoneo, mountain trout often called the "Queen of the Valley", through ice fishing or even with their bare hands. The freshly caught fish can be enjoyed immediately as raw slices or grilled on the spot. Beyond fishing, the festival features a wide range of winter attractions, including ice sledding, snow sledding, and bobsledding, drawing more than one million visitors each year.