Where to go in Korea in August: 28 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 42 places across Korea in August: Sokcho Summer Festival (Sokcho), Ulleungdo Squid Festival (Ulleungdo), Hambaeksan…

Top 10

Sokcho

• Sokcho Summer Festival — Three nights of beach concerts at the turn of July and August; the 2026 edition ran July 31 to August 2.
• Waterbomb Sokcho — An outdoor concert fought with water guns. The 2026 show was August 22; tickets sell out ahead.

Ulleungdo

• Ulleungdo Squid Festival — The county's summer festival with bare-handed squid catching and food stalls. Dates change each year; check the Ulleung tourism site.
• Ulleung Stamp Tour — In 2026, collect stamps at attractions from August to December and trade them for a gift. It ends early once the gifts run out.

Jeongseon

• Hambaeksan Wildflower Festival — A small festival on the pass timed to the wildflower peak. Each year's dates appear on the Jeongseon tourism site.
• Auraji Raft and Makgeolli Festival — Log rafts go out on the river the way the old raftsmen ran them, with makgeolli passed around. 2026 is the 34th edition.

Jecheon

• Jecheon International Music & Film Festival — Films and live music on an open-air stage by the lake at night. Lodgings fill early that week, so book ahead.
• Baktaljae Song Festival — A singing contest in late August on the pass made famous by the song.

Yangyang

• Hajodae Beach Festival — A one-day blowout from afternoon DJs to late-night club time. In 2026 it was Aug 1.
• Surf Contest Season — Most weekends in Aug–Sep a contest is on at one beach or another; that lineup closes to the public on contest day.

Yeongwol

• Summer stargazing at Byeolmaro — A summit with more than 190 clear nights a year. Around the mid-August meteor shower, bookings fill fast.
• Donggang Raft Festival — A summer festival that floats the old timber rafts and turns the river into a playground. Bring clothes you can get wet.

Yeongdeok

• Yeongdeok Golden Sweetfish Festival — Midsummer, catching sweetfish bare-handed in the Osipcheon. You'll be in the river to your knees, so bring a change of clothes.
• Yeongdeok peach season — July and August every roadside truck has peach boxes. Grab one on the way to the beach.

Incheon

• Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival — 21st edition in 2026 with 66 acts. Three-day pass ₩240,000, one-day ₩120,000. Popular days sell out early.

Suwon

• Suwon Heritage Night — Lights and performances along the wall and stream on midsummer nights. Claim a spot on the Banghwasuryujeong lawn before sunset.

Jeonju

• Jeonju Gamaek Beer Festival — Three evenings in early August, 6 to 11pm. Bottled beer with dried pollack and cuttlefish. Adults only, ID checked at the gate.

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