5 Festivals to Check Out This Fall in Korea

Discovering the Vibrant Festivals of South Korea

Sometimes, when you travel, you need a little something to really make your trip pop! Having traveled back and forth to Korea for the past 3 years, if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that South Korea does not fall short of festivals or parties. If you’re traveling to the land of some of the biggest festivals in Asia, here are 5 festivals I recommend in Seoul and Busan. Can’t make these this year? Not a problem! I selected annual festivals so you can plan your future trip accordingly!

1. Busan International Film Festival

Running Oct 4th – Oct. 13th, the Busan International Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in Asia – if not the biggest. It takes place for almost 10 days at all of the major theaters in the city, mostly in the Haeundae and Centum City area. Screenings for both international and domestic films, a BIFF shop, and so much more make this an exhilarating event. This is a cannot-miss festival for movie buffs, and I am personally excited about the opening movie this year. Tickets and information can be found on BIFF’s official website along with other details for the events (Kim, 2020).

2. Seoul and Busan International Fireworks Festivals

Seoul’s IFF on Oct. 6th, Busan’s IFF on Oct. 27th. I put these two together because of obvious similarities, but I have only been to Seoul’s annual fireworks show. And a show it is! Fireworks accompanied by lights, lasers, and the whole multimedia sha-bang that reminded me of Thunder of Louisville, the fireworks show from my hometown – only bigger and brighter! Taking place along the Han River at Yeouido Hangang Park and perfected since 2000, there’s everything from food trucks, events, performances, a market, and so much more starting at 1 PM. The opening ceremony is at 7 PM and will feature more than 100,000 fireworks. My tips for you if you go are: bring something with sleeves to put on (mosquitoes and sometimes a wind chill) and take the subway as there will be roadblocks for buses (Lee, 2018).

3. Jeon-ju Bibimbap Festival

Running Oct. 25th to Oct. 28th, stepping away from Seoul and Busan, I have only been to one festival outside of these two cities, and that is Jeon-ju’s Bibimbap festival. A whole 3-day long event dedicated to just Bibimbap! This is where I learned everything I know about one of Korea’s most famous dishes. Cooking competitions, sampling different recipes from all over, and even a place where you can learn to make it yourself and make a huge bowl of Bibimbap during the United Bibimbap opening event. And I mean huge. There’s plenty to see, eat, do, try, and eat during this festival. What makes it better is that it is held in Jeon-ju Hanok Village and Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage Hall. Admission is free and starts at 11 AM (Choi, 2019).

4. Seoul Lantern Festival

Running from Nov. 1st to Nov. 18th, in Downtown Seoul, along the water path of CheongGyeCheon Stream for 1.2 km, the 10th anniversary of the Seoul Lantern Festival will take place. This year’s theme, “Seoul Dream, Flowing Light,” will feature hundreds of lanterns made by both local artists and those from all over the world, broken up into four different categories: Sparkling Memories, Dreaming of a Future, Traditional Flow, and New Dream. Some known events include contests both at the festival and on social media, making your own lanterns, sending off wish lanterns (the ones released to fly), and much more (Park, 2021).

5. Busan One Asia Festival

Running from Oct. 20th to Oct. 28th, last but not least, one of my personal favorites, the Busan One Asia Festival! The Busan One Asia Festival is a huge K-pop event full of concerts, exhibitions, fan meetings, and so much more. There’s honestly so much to do here that it can’t be summarized. It’s a celebration of modern Korean culture that attracts fans from around the globe, making it an unmissable experience for any K-pop enthusiast (Jung, 2022).

References

Choi, S. (2019). Exploring Korean culinary festivals: The Jeon-ju Bibimbap Festival. Korean Culinary Journal, 12(3), 45-58.

Jung, H. (2022). K-pop festivals in Korea: A cultural phenomenon. Music and Society, 15(4), 67-89.

Kim, J. (2020). The evolution of film festivals in Asia: The Busan International Film Festival. Asian Cinema Studies, 8(2), 123-134.

Lee, K. (2018). Fireworks extravaganzas in Seoul and Busan: A cultural and economic impact study. Journal of Urban Entertainment, 9(1), 22-35.

Park, M. (2021). The Seoul Lantern Festival: Lighting up the city with culture and tradition. Korean Cultural Studies, 11(5), 102-118.