Where to go in Korea in September: 38 festivals

Festivals and seasonal sights in 34 places across Korea in September: Seoul International Fireworks Festival (Seoul), Suwon Jazz Festival (Suwon),…

Top 10

Seoul

• Seoul International Fireworks Festival — One Saturday night in September at 20:00, the river's most crowded night of the year. Stake a lawn spot before 13:00 and walk an hour afterward rather than fight the subway.
• Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour — Spring (Apr-Jun) and autumn (Sep-Oct), Thursday to Sunday nights, a guided walk through the palace with paper lanterns. Entry is by lottery on Ticketlink about a month ahead.

Suwon

• Suwon Jazz Festival — Free outdoor jazz on the lawn by the lake. Bring a mat and something to eat.
• Suwon Hwaseong Media Art — Projection show on the gates and wall. Hwaseomun showings at 19:30, 20:30 and 21:30.
• Suwon Drone and Fireworks Festival — Drone show and fireworks over the lake. The exits jam afterward, so settle your bus home in advance.

Pyeongchang

• Hyoseok Culture Festival — Ten days of walking between white buckwheat fields. Entry is free, and the museum is free during the festival. The 2026 edition ran September 4 to 13.
• Pyeongchang Zinnia Festival — The riverbank goes red and yellow with zinnias. Usually held in early September.
• Bongpyeong Five-Day Market — Stalls fry buckwheat crepes to order. It's busiest on a market day that falls inside the Hyoseok festival.

Cheongju

• Jikji Culture Festival — Timed to September 4, the day Jikji joined the UNESCO Memory of the World register. In 2026 it ran September 4–6, free.
• Cheongju Craft Biennale — Two autumn months in odd-numbered years. The 2025 edition ran September 4 to November 2; the next is 2027.

Ganghwa

• Ganghwa Starry Night Festival — Early September: night lighting, performances and food stalls in the old-town lanes. Walkable with the Anglican church and palace site.
• Hwagae Garden Festival — Held between September and October in the gardens on Gyodong's Hwagaesan. Show ID at the Gyodong Bridge checkpoint.

Sancheong

• Sancheong Herbal Medicine Festival — Each autumn the whole village turns into a herb fair: dig-your-own herbs, herbal tea tastings and medicine stalls. Weekend afternoons mean a long walk from parking.
• Gisan Gugak Festival — Traditional music performances in the gugak hall courtyard inside the stone-wall village each September; easy to pair with a village walk.

Jindo

• Myeongnyang Daecheop Festival — Haenam and Jindo take turns as the main venue. The battle reenactments are the draw.
• Jindo International Intangible Culture Festival — Jindo's rituals and songs, like ssitgimgut and ganggangsullae, in one place.

Incheon

• Crab and Prawn Season at Sorae — September and October bring the fattest blue crab and prawns. Buy downstairs and the upstairs restaurants will steam them.
• Bupyeong Pungmul Festival — Late September to early October; the main road is closed and percussion troupes fill the street.

Gyeongju

• Gyeongju Heritage Night — Three nights in mid-September, 6 to 11pm, when Woljeonggyo and the Gyochon hanok lanes open up with performances and hands-on programs. In 2026 it ran September 18–20.
• Pink Muhly at Cheomseongdae — From mid-September to early October a field of pink muhly grass spreads out beside Cheomseongdae. Best backlit near sunset.

Andong

• Buckwheat bloom at Maenggae — Cross the river by tractor and the fields are white. It lasts little more than a month in September; call ahead to confirm they are running.
• Andong Mask Dance Festival — Mask dance troupes from around the world and street parades for ten days. Rooms sell out first; book the moment the dates are out.

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