September events calendar

Credit and hat tips go to Korea4expats and 10 Magazine for compiling the excellent events you're about to see.

There will be plenty to see and do in the month of September - and no excuses about the weather being as hot as it was! All events are in Seoul unless otherwise mentioned.

  • 4th-5th - Oktoberfest (Seoul) - not sure why a festival with 'Oktober' in it's name is celebrated in September, but for 100,000 won you get a night's worth of unlimited beer and authentic food, along with celebrations, competitions, and lots of other stuff. Korea4expats is offering a 10% discount by going through them - check out this page for more details.
  • 9th-15th - Jeju International Delphic Games. Different performances of music, arts, crafts, design, visual art, architecture and much more. Learn more at http://www.delphic2009.com/
  • 10th - All you NFL fans, find your way to Rocky Mountain Tavern (Itaewon and Hongdae) to watch the first of many games. NHL fans, preseason starts on the 14th and the real deal starts on October 1st.
  • 10th-13th - the International Body Painting Festival in Daegu. Certainly a colorful sight, and not as risque or unprofessional as you might think. It's certainly worth the trip to Daegu - Duryu Park, near Duryu station (line 2 on Daegu's subway system).If you can't make it, or aren't yet convinced, view some of the jaw-dropping artwork at http://dibf.co.kr/eng/index.html
  • 11th-13th - Namhansanseong (AKA Nam mountain fortress) is holding a festival reenacting the various struggles of Koreans defending against the Chinese. It's a good excuse to get out of Seoul - and I had fun both times that I went.
  • 18th-20th - The Daehangno Culture Festival - also known as the Hyehwa area, the festival sounds like a non-clubbing form of Hongdae, and will include a couple cook-off along with an 'off-beat' market of unusual items. Hyehwa station, line 4, exit to street level.
  • 18th - October 7th - Bucheon Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo - not to be outdone by Incheon's festival, Bucheon (just west of Seoul) offers a variety of international performances and displays. Cheaper and a little closer to Seoul than Incheon, check out their website (in English) for plenty of info. Near Songnae station (line 1) at the Bucheon Image Culture Complex.
  • 23rd-27th - Heungtaryeong Dance Festival (Cheonan) - see some of the traditional dances, songs, and costumes of Korean history. Although some distance from Seoul, Cheonan is connected to Seoul by subway or train for the rest of the country. More information in English at http://www.dancefestival.or.kr/english/1introduce/intro_1.asp
  • 23rd-27th - Jeonju International Sori Festival - considered by some to be the greatest music festival in Korea. I haven't been personally, so I can't say. Promising indie, rock, and punk, the website has yet to upload it's schedule (??), but is worth checking back on once things are finalized.
  • 26th-27th - Seoul Drum Festival - last year was lots of fun, and this year promises more of the same. Seoul Forest (Ttukseom station, line 2, exit 8).
  • 27th - October 4th - Namsan International Folk Music Festival - a full week of crafts, fireworks, and performances from 10 countries, with international performances happening on the 2nd. Look around Namsan Park and the Hanok Village in Namsan.


Every Saturday night in September, there are also various performances happening in both Seoul Plaza (in front of City Hall; 7:30pm start time) and along the Banpo part of the Han River (see here for a map) - just follow your ears in either case. Don't forget about the baseball games across the country and the entire list of events at Korea4expats.com. 10 Magazine also does an excellent job at covering almost every event happening across the country - check them out as well.

Creative Commons License © Chris Backe - 2009