11 Festivals In Seoul To Look Forward To This Spring

Winters are long in South Korea. That’s why everyone is especially excited when the weather gets warmer and spring finally arrives. Seoul hosts a great variety of festivals during this time of the year, and there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

1. Nami Island Blossom Festival

Located just outside of Seoul, Nami Island is a picturesque island located in the middle of a large lake. Once you get to the island, bicycles are available for rent that seat up to four. You can ride along the many paths throughout the island and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. In spring, the entire island is covered in flowers of all kinds. Check it out during the spring months, and be sure to bring your camera.

1 Namisum-gil, Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, South Korea

Cherry Blossoms at Nami Island | © Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe/unframe.com/Wikimedia Commons

2. Seongbuk Global Food Festival

While South Koreans love their own customs and traditional festivals, they are also eager to explore new things from other nations. That’s why the Seongbuk Global Good Festival has become such a hit in recent years. Visitors can experience other cultures through local food and art. This year, the event takes place on May 21 and is ideal for locals and foreigners in Korea alike who would like to broaden their horizons.

37, Seongbuk-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Spring Festival of the Garden of Morning Calm

One of Korea’s largest botanical gardens, the Garden of Morning Calm outside of Seoul attracts over 700,000 tourists each year. In the spring, there is a large festival when the garden is showered with a tapestry of rainbow colors from hundreds of flower and tree species. Come here to explore the beauty of spring on over 330,000 square meters of gardens. The festival takes place from the middle of April until the end of May.

432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-d, South Korea

3. Lotus Lantern Festival

Dating back over 1,200 years, the lotus lantern festival is a very important event for Koreans, especially those who belong to the Buddhist faith. It is customary for participants and spectators to light lanterns and pay respects to ancestors and to the Buddha. This year, the festival takes place from April 28 to April 30; the festival attracts thousands of visitors from around the world who can’t resist the spiritual atmosphere and beautiful light of the lanterns at night.

55, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Lotus Lantern Festival | © travel oriented / Flickr

4. C-Festival

This festival is truly a one of a kind. Focusing on “making dreams come true,” Seoul’s C-Festival is a fun event focusing on all the things that make us happy. Besides K-Pop concerts and other performances, you will also find a craft beer section, food booth, flower garden, and cultural activities here. The aim of the event is promoting the “urban playground.” The festival is held from May 3 until May 7.

513, Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

5. Royal Ancestral Memorial Rite of Joseon

Memorial, Shrine

On the first Sunday of May every year, you can take part in a piece of Korean history, The royal ancestral memorial rite of Joseon begins with an enormous royal parade where over 1,000 people dressed in traditional Korean clothing march from Seoul’s main palace, Gyeongbokgung, to Jongmyo shrine. The festival takes place on May 7.

157, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Royal Ancestral Memorial Rite of Joseon | © Noh Mun Duek/Wikimedia

6. Seoul Drum Festival

Music festivals are not uncommon in South Korea. One of its most exciting is the annual Seoul Drum Festival in spring. The festival takes place in front of Seoul City Hall and is a joyful event for all ages. On June 2 and 3, there aren’t only countless musical performances by renowned drummers, but visitors also have the chance to try out their skills themselves.

110, Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

7. Seoul Jazz Festival

Stadium

On May 27 and 28, 2017, the Seoul Jazz Festival celebrates its tenth birthday with renowned jazz artists performing live in the open air. The festival has become so popular that it is held in Seoul’s largest venue, the Olympic Stadium. Tickets sell out fast due to the high-quality line-up of Korean and international artists.

424, Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea

8. Seoul Africa Festival

A group of African embassies in Seoul organizes the annual Seoul Africa Festival, which has become increasingly popular year after year. Locals and visitors alike enjoy the exciting activities showcasing African cultures at Seoul’s Cheongye Square. African food, music, and cultural activities are showcased to connect and promote the large continent overseas. This year, the festival will be held on May 21.

Cheongye Square, Seoul, South Korea

9. Seoul World DJ Festival

Camping

This festival, too, celebrates its tenth birthday this year. Taking place at the Nanji Campground on the banks of Han River, the festival is the largest DJ festival in South Korea. Besides world-class DJs, the festival also offers art exhibitions, a BBQ party, camping, and outdoor games. The festival takes place on May 13 and 14.

Jamsil 1(il)-dong Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea

10. Seoul Book Festival

Library

If you are a true bookworm, you will enjoy the Seoul Book Festival. Aiming to improve the quality of life for its citizens, the city’s libraries organize this annual event with true passion and determination. From June 14 to 18, the event takes place in Seoul’s largest library at city hall, showcasing contemporary literary masterpieces as well as new books and activities related to reading and literature.

110 Sejong-daero, (Taepyeong-ro 1ga, City Hall) Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Seoul Library | © Wonderwallpress/Wikimedia Commons

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.