Festivals - Korea travel and tourism information

Deoksugung Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (덕수궁 왕궁수문장교대의식)

2024-11-28

99, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-2-737-6444

Deoksugung Palace has held a guard changing ceremony since 1996 after thorough historical research by leading historians. The ceremony, which is held in front of Daehanmun Gate of Deoksugung Palace, is a tradition similar to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace and offers a rare opportunity to experience royal culture. The royal gate is opened and closed at pre-determined times, and the gatekeepers in charge of guard duty and patrols hold a shift ceremony three times a day.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a highly recommended event for tourists. It is held three times a day, with each ceremony following the same procedure and lasts for forty minutes to an hour, and the ceremony is free of charge. There are no ceremonies on Mondays as well as on severely cold or hot days.

As the ceremony begins, the changing of the guards commences replete with traditional musical instruments, and exchanges a password for verification. An eight-minute guard ceremony ensues, followed by a seven-minute change ceremony, and finally a patrol that completes the ceremony. The procedure takes a dramatic turn when 18 guards in six official positions beat a drum and bellow some orders.

The Royal Guard Changing Ceremony is a great opportunity to experience a rare traditional scene. The guards’ splendid costumes, with their brilliant primary colors, are a pleasure to view. Once the ceremony is over, visitors can take pictures with the gatekeepers.

Damyang Bamboo Festival (담양대나무축제)

2025-01-07

119 Jungnogwon-ro, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do
+82-61-380-3152

In Damyang, a town where bamboo grows abundantly, there used to be a day when villagers gathered to plant bamboo, known as the Day of Jukchwi (bamboo planting day). This tradition has evolved into an annual festival celebrated in May since the Goryeo Dynasty. The festival takes place around the famous bamboo forest, Juknokwon, and the natural monument forest, Gwanbangjerim Forest. Various bamboo-related activities are available, such as making bamboo kites, shooting bamboo water guns, and riding bamboo rafts and canoes. A stroll through the bamboo forest, which emits phytoncides and negative ions, offers a relaxing charm during the festival. Visitors can also enjoy Damyang’s local food on the lawns, watch performances, and participate in various events, immersing themselves in the celebration of Damyang and bamboo.

◎ Day of Bamboo Planting
May 13 on the lunar calendar is a good day to plant bamboo. It is recommended that bamboo shoots be planted during the rainy season, as bamboo loves water.

Goseong Myeongtae Festival (고성통일명태축제)

2022-12-28

125, Haeoreumhaebyeon-gil, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info:+82-33-682-8008

To ensure a good haul and community prosperity, this festival is held at Geojinhang Port, known as the primary place of Pollack fish in Korea. The festival includes numerous hands-on events such as a sea festival, a cultural festival, and a local culture experience.

The festival has helped the city to promote their local seafood, farm products and other specialties, thus contributing to the growth of the local economy.

New Year's Bell-ringing Ceremony (새해맞이 시민의 종 타종행사)

2020-03-25

37-55, Yongdusan-gil, Jung-gu, Busan
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-51-501-6051

The New Year's Bell-ringing Ceremony in Busan is an event for local residents and tourists to wrap up the end of the year and greet a new year. It is a representative winter themed festival of Busan, held December 31 to January 1.

Toji Literature Festival (토지문학제)

2020-09-17

76-23, Pyeongsari-gil, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-55-880-2363

Toji Literature Festival is held annually in Hadong-gun, the setting of one of Korea's greatest historical novels, Toji, written by Park Kyongni. The festival pays tribute to the novel Toji, depicting the modern history of Korea between the years of the Donghak Revolution in 1897 and the Liberation of Korea in 1945. It has become one of the nation’s major literature festivals.

Korean Folk Art Festival (한국민속예술제)

2023-09-07

673 Danju-ri, Yeonggwang-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do
+82-2-580-3272

The Korean Folk Art Festival aims to encourage visitors to discover and preserve Korea’s traditional folk art while fostering the public’s awareness of traditional culture. The special characteristic of this festival is that a different city hosts the event every year to showcase talents from cities around the country. The festival features many intangible cultural heritages of Korea.

Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony (수문장 교대의식)

2024-10-29

161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3210-1645

In the Joseon dynasty, the royal guards of the palace were gatekeepers who were responsible for guarding the the main gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the main gates of the city such as Heunginjimun Gate and Sungnyemun Gate. The royal guards worked in shift duties and were in charge of opening and closing Gwanghwamun Gate. Before the royal guard system was enforced in 1469, the palace gates were protected by soldiers of the central army. The Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony held at Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Gwanghwamun area reenacts the guard-changing procedure that took place during the Joseon dynasty, along with the reproduction of costumes and weapons, based on historical records.

Danjong Culture Festival (단종문화제)

2024-04-22

29-7 Hasong-ri, Yeongwol-eup, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do
+82-33-375-6353

The Danjong Culture Festival, a major festival of Yeongwol-gun in Gangwon State, is a historic cultural event held annually since 1967 in memory of King Danjong, the 6th monarch of the Joseon dynasty. The festival includes a range of activities and programs open to all visitors.

Mungyeong Chasabal Festival (문경찻사발축제)

2025-03-10

932 Saejae-ro, Mungyeong-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
+82-53-253-4729

Home to many ceramic masters and artisans, Mungyeong holds the Mungyeong Chasabal (Tea Bowl) Festival every year to honor and develop traditional Korean pottery and ancestral craftsmanship. The festival holds an exhibit with more than 200 kinds of high-quality and high-end ceramics and an online auction of luxury tea bowls. There is also a performance, “A Day of a Mungyeong Potter,” in which craftsmen tell stories and provide explanations behind their tea bowls to add fun and content to the festival. Visitors can mold their own clay and make tea bowls, and children can partake in various programs, such as playing with clay and performing a tea ceremony.

◎ Chasabal
Chasabal, also known as dawan, is a bowl used for drinking tea. Mungyeong’s traditional tea bowl is made in a firewood kiln called “Mangdaengi,” which uses wood rather than modern gas or electric kilns to make a fire.

The National Folk Museum's Korean Folk Performances for Visitors (국립민속박물관 우리민속한마당)

2021-07-07

37, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) • For more info: +82-2-3704-3114

The National Folk Museum is the leading museum depicting Korean folk culture that attracts 3 million visitors every year. Every Saturday, the museum offers free performances where Korean music, traditional dance, martial arts, and mask plays are performed for Korean and international spectators to illustrate Korea’s major seasonal events, special exhibitions, and traditional intangible cultures.

Festivals - Korea travel information