All Events
October 2, 2026
Gangnam Festival 2026
Gangnam's district festival takes over COEX and Yeongdong-daero from October 2 to 5, 2026 (dates listed as planned), built around a K-pop concert on the ten-lane boulevard, an opening parade, a fashion festa and a K-culture and food zone.
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Holiday
October 3, 2026
National Foundation Day
National Foundation Day (Gaecheonjeol, October 3) is a public holiday commemorating the legendary founding of the first Korean kingdom by Dangun in 2333 BC. Government offices and banks are closed; tourist sites, convenience stores, and most restaurants remain open. Ceremonies are held at significant historical sites. The holiday falls during the golden autumn season —...
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Festival
October 3, 2026
Seoraksan Autumn Foliage Festival 2026
Korea's most spectacular autumn foliage season, centred on Seoraksan National Park where the mountain's granite peaks turn amber and crimson from early October. The festival week includes traditional performances, night trail access, and photography contests. Weekends in peak colour (typically second week of October) draw massive crowds — arrive at the park gate before 7...
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October 4, 2026
King Jeongjo’s Royal Procession Re-enactment 2026
The re-enactment of King Jeongjo's 1795 procession to his father's tomb moves through Seoul on October 4, 2026 (listed as planned), from Gyeongbokgung toward the old Siheung Royal Villa site — one segment of a route staged jointly by Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Suwon and Hwaseong.
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Festival
October 7, 2026
Busan International Film Festival 2026 (BIFF)
Asia's largest film festival and the premier platform for new Asian cinema. Over 200 films from 70+ countries screen across the Busan Cinema Center, CGV, and Lotte Cinema venues. Opening ceremony tickets are hard to get but most screenings are publicly bookable from 7,000 KRW. The Haeundae beachfront BIFF Square fills with outdoor screenings and...
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October 7, 2026
Royal Culture Festival 2026 — Autumn Edition
For five days, October 7–11, 2026, Seoul's four main palaces and Jongmyo Shrine are handed over to performances, night programmes and hands-on events. Organised by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service — the one week of the year when the palaces are used rather than only visited.
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Holiday
October 9, 2026
Hangeul Day
Hangeul Day (October 9) is a public holiday celebrating the invention of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong the Great in 1443. Government offices and banks are closed; most tourist attractions, restaurants, and shops operate normally. The National Hangeul Museum near the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan often holds special programs. It is a...
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October 17, 2026
Seoul Silver Grass Festival 2026 — Haneul Park
Haneul Park's silver grass field turns the colour of dry silver every October, and from October 17 to 23, 2026 the park runs its festival around it — opening ceremony, busking, hands-on booths and evening opening. Free, and one of the few places in Seoul where a whole hilltop is given over to one plant.
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October 23, 2026
Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival 2026
Songpa-gu's festival for the Hanseong Baekje period — when today's southeastern Seoul was the capital of the Baekje kingdom — returns to Olympic Park from October 23 to 25, 2026, in its 25th edition, with opening and closing performances, experience booths and food markets.
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Festival
November 1, 2026
Seoul Lantern Festival 2026
Two weeks of illuminated lantern sculptures lining the Cheonggyecheon stream through central Seoul. Each year a different theme shapes the installations — past editions have featured Korean folk tales, zodiac animals, and world cultural heritage sites. Free to walk, best visited after 7 PM when the stream reflections double the effect. The Jongno section near...
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General
November 11, 2026
Pepero Day
Pepero Day is celebrated on November 11, 2026. The unofficial observance is marked by exchanging chocolate-coated biscuit sticks. It has become a popular commercial and social celebration in Korea.
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Holiday
December 25, 2026
Christmas Day
Christmas Day (December 25) is a public holiday in Korea and one of the most commercially celebrated dates of the year. While Korea is not a predominantly Christian country, Christmas is widely observed as a festive cultural event — shopping districts like Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Gangnam are heavily decorated and packed with shoppers and couples....
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