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Out of more than a thousand festivals celebrated in Korea, 44 ‘Culture & Tour Festivals’ have been selected for 2011 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism based on the festivals’ popularity, organization/management, uniqueness and development potential.
At the top of this year’s list of the 44 selected festivals are ‘Gangjin Celadon Festival’ highlighting the excellence and uniqueness of the Goryeo celadon, and ‘Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival’ featuring an extravagant parade of lanterns from different nations around the world. The ever-popular ‘Boryeong Mud Festival’ and ‘Andong Maskdance Festival’ have been appointed as Korea’s signature festivals after serving as the nation’s top festivals for three consecutive years since 2008. This year’s festivals are divided into three different categories: eight ‘Best Festivals’; 10 ‘Second-Best Festivals’ and 24 ‘Up-and-Coming Festivals’.
Let’s take a closer look at each of Korea’s 44 ‘Culture & Tour Festivals’.
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 The Gangjin area has long been known for its blue celadon production, made possible by the advanced marine transportation as well as the right ingredients and conditions for celadon production such as clay, fuel, water and climate in the area. The Gangjin Celadon Festival, through its differentiated showcasing of the excellence and uniqueness of the Goryeo celadon, has been gaining recognition among visitors.
Dates: July 30, 2011 - August 7, 2011
Venue: Jeollanam-do Gangjin-gun Daegu-myeon Goryeo Celadon Doyoji area
 At the Jinju Namgang Yudeung (lantern) Festival, colorful lanterns parade along the Namgang Waterfronts across from Jinjuseong Fortress and Chokseongnu Pavilion to create a spectacular view. Visitors will be able to enjoy and participate in various events such as the exhibition and parade of traditional lanterns from around the world, lantern floating, and wish lantern hanging.
Dates: October 1, 2011 - October 12, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangnam-do Jinju-si Chiram-dong Namgang Riverside area
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* Andong Maskdance Festival  Andong Maskdance Festival takes places in Andong, home to the highest number of tangible and intangible cultural assets in Korea. Through such indigenous mask dances as Chajeonnori (men’s battle demonstration), Notdaribalgi (women’s ‘human bridge’ reenactment), Hwajeonssaum and Haengsangsori (a funeral ceremony demonstration), the festival seeks to promote the traditions and culture of Andong.
Dates: September 30, 2011 - October 9, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangbuk-do Andong-si Hahoe Village, Talchum (탈춤, Mask Dance) Park and downtown area* Boryeong Mud Festival Boryeong mud is rich in minerals and great for skin. The high-quality sea mud is even used to make cosmetic products such as mudpacks, mud soaps and more. Of the festival’s multiple events, the mud bath, where visitors give themselves baths or receive massages with quality mud from the Daecheon Beach and surrounding tidal flats, is the best known one. Other attractions include a giant mud tub, mud wrestling, mud sliding, a mud prison, and mud military training. This exciting summer festival is a crowd’s favorite, and definitely one that should not be missed!
Date: July 16, 2011 - July 24, 2011
Venue: Chungcheongnam-do Boryeong-si Daecheon Beach and downtown area
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| ♠ Culture & Tourist Festivals 2011 by month : January-June |
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Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is a unique wintertime celebration that draws over 1,000,000 visitors every year. To promote it as the nation’s largest and most popular winter festival, the organizers plan a variety of programs and fun activities. The most popular programs are ice fishing in the clean waters of Bukhangang River, ice football played on a thick ice of the frozen river, and ice sledding.
Date: Festival for 2011 Cancelled
Venue: Gangwon-do Hwacheon-gun Hwacheon-eup and 5 villages near Hwacheon
Festival Category: Best Festivals
Related Article: The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2010
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 | Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival |
Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival is a unique wintertime celebration held in Taebaeksan Mountain, well known for its beautiful winter scenery and pure white snow. Programs and performances include an international snow artist exhibition, giant snow and ice sculptures, snow trains and ice pagodas representing Korean and international pagodas.
Date: Festival for 2011 Cancelled
Venue: Gangwon-do Taebaek-si Hwangji-dong O2 Resort, Taebaeksan Provincial Park area and Hwangji Pond
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
Related Article: 2010 Taebaeksan Mountain Snow Festival
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On the first full moon of the lunar calendar year, one of many hills on Jeju-do Island is set ablaze in a petition for a plentiful harvest. The festival originated from Jeju’s traditional farming custom of burning rice fields and vegetable gardens in early spring to exterminate vermin and ease cultivation.
Date: Festival for 2011 Cancelled
Venue: Jeju-do Jeju-si Aewol-eup Bongseong-ri Saebyeol Oreum
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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 | Jindo Sea-parting Festival |
Jindo’s sea-parting is a natural phenomenon that is reminiscent of Moses’ miraculous parting of the Red Sea. Korea’s world-famous ‘parting of the sea’ reveals a 2.8-kilometer-long and 40-meter-wide path between Gogun-myeon Hoedong-ri and Uisin-myeon Modo-ri in Jeollanam-do. The Jindo Sea Parting Festival is held when the tide differences are at their peak, hence rendering a natural stage for the festival’s great selection of events. The festival is gaining increasing recognition overseas, with visitors flocking to the quiet town of Jindo-gun every year during the festival period.
Date: The festival for 2011 has been cancelled, but visitors are welcome when the sea-parting occurs in March
Venue: Jeollanam-do Jindo-gun Uisin-myeon Modori to Gogun-myeon Hoedong-ri
Festival Cateogry: Second-Best Festival
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Yeongam, Jeollanam-do has been a major trading hub for Korea, China and Japan since the ancient times. The Yeongam Wangin Culture Festival commemorates Dr. Wangin who was a pioneer in introducing the Korean culture to Japan during the Baekje Dynasty 1,600 years ago. The festival presents a variety of events and cultural performances including a show titled ‘Dr. Wangin Chunhyang Daeje’.
Time: Festival for 2011 Cancelled
Venue: Jeollanam-do Yeongam-gun Wangin Park, Gurim Village, Dogi (ceramics) Cultural Center, Dogapsa Temple, Wolchulsan Mt. and nearby areas in Yeongam
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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 | Goryeong Daegaya Experience Festival |
Goryeong Daegaya Experience Festival started in April 2005 in an effort to promote Daegaya, an ancient kingdom known for its quality steel production. Ever since, the festival became a landmark celebration that introduces the true culture of Daegaya. Activities at the festival include hands-on experience programs based on the deep-seated history of the region.
Date: April 7, 2011 – April 10, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangbuk-do Daegaya Museum and Goryeong-eup area
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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 | Hampyeong Butterfly Festival |
The luscious green pastures and stunning canola flowers of Hampyeong make the famous Hampyeong Butterfly Festival an irresistible gathering place for visitors and butterflies alike. Every spring, tens of thousands of butterflies flutter among the bright yellow canola flowers, creating an almost surreal atmosphere for this interesting and educational festival.
Date: April 29, 2011 - May 10, 2011
Venue: Jeollanam-do Hamgpyeong-gun Hampyeong Expo Park
Festival Category: Best Festival
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 | Mungyeong Traditional Tea Bowl Festival |
Mungyeong Traditional Tea Bowl Festival is an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation for the unassuming beauty of the Korean tea bowl or ‘chatsabal’ (찻사발). The festival takes place in Mungyeong Saejaegol, a town famous for its pottery. Masters of the chatsabal demonstrate how to make the traditional tea bowls and facilitate hands-on experience programs.
Date: April 30, 2011 - May 8, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangbuk-do Mungyeong Saejae area (KBS filming location, Ceramics Museum Plaza)
Festival Category: Second-Best Festival
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 | Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival |
Hadong, nestled between Jirisan Mountain and the southern coast, is most breathtaking during the Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival. The Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival is held annually at the peak of the green tea season, showcasing a variety of programs including handpicking green tea leaves, participating in a traditional tea ceremony and making traditional tea bowls.
Date: May 4, 2011 - May 8, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangnam-do Hadong-gun Hwagae-myeon Tea fields in Ssanggyesa Temple and Jingyo-myeon Byeongnyeon-ri Chatsabal Doyoji area
Festival Category: Best Festival
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This traditional folk festival is based on the fidelity and love of Chunhyang, the protagonist in Korea’s most famous love story, “Chunhyangjeon.” An array of events depicts the time-tested story of Chunhyang in the town where the two lovers lived.
Date: May 6, 2011 - May 10, 2011
Venue: Jeollabuk-do Namwon-si Gwanghalluwon Garden, riverside of Yocheon stream, the plaza of Love, and Namwon tourist attractions
Festival Category: Second-Best Festival
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Daegu Yangyeongsi is known for its rich history and tradition of the oriental medicine culture. Designated an official Culture & Tour Festival in 2001, the festival has since become a signature celebration that promotes the Korean oriental medicine culture worldwide. Throughout the festival, visitors can learn the history of Korean oriental medicine and experience traditional oriental medical treatments.
Date: May 3, 2011 – May 7, 2011
Venue: Daegu-si Jung-gu Yakryeongsi Conservation Committee Exhibition Hall and Oriental Medicine Wholesale Market
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Festival is held at a site of the ruins from the Paleolithic Era. This family-oriented festival provides visitors with a fun way to learn more about the human history through historical experience programs as well as educational and entertainment events. The Yeoncheon Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Festival has been voted ‘the most preferred festival’ by family visitors.
Date: May 4, 2011 - May 8, 2011
Venue: Gyeonggi-do Yeoncheon-gun Jeongok-eup Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Site
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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Jeollanam-do, Damyang is known throughout Korea for its bamboo. The Damyang Bamboo Festival exposes visitors to the many uses of bamboo including food, spirits and other products.
Date: May 3, 2011 - May 8, 2011
Jeollanam-do Damyang-gun Munhwa (Culture) Park, Venue: Juknokwon, Jughyang Munhwa Village and Korean Bamboo Museum area
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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The Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival is a perfect destination for urbanites looking for a healthier way of life. Visitors can look around the herbs that can be raised at home for cooking and medicinal purposes.
Date: May 4, 2011 - May 11, 2011
Venue: Gyeongsangnam-do Sancheong-gun Sancheong-eup Geumseo-myeon Gyeonghogang River area and Korean Traditional Herbal Medicine Tourist Resort
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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The Chuncheon International Mime Festival is the leading performing arts festival in Korea, and its fame has now spread across the globe. Each year, renowned artists from home and abroad give outstanding live performances. On the weekends of the festival period, performances are held practically nonstop!
Date: May 22, 2011 – May 29, 2011
Venue: Gangwon-do Chuncheon-si Mime House, Chuncheon Culture & Arts Center, Bomnae Theatre and Festival Theater M (Gongjicheon and Children’s Hall area)
Festival Category: Best Festival
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 | Ulsan Whale Festival |
Ulsan, which advocates the Whale culture, is home to whale-related attractions such as the Bangudae Petroglyphs (rock drawings/carvings), a whale museum and the Whales & Ocean Experience Center. The only one of its kind in Korea, Ulsan Whale Festival features whale watching cruises and water performances with the whale theme on the Taehwagang River throughout the festival.
Date: May 26, 2011 – May 29, 2011
Venue: Ulsan-si Nam-gu Taehwagang River and Jangsaengpo area
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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Hansan Mosi Cultural Festival is held in Chungcheongnam-do Seoceong-gun, a region most famous for ramie (a flax-like plant) production. Visitors can attend the Ramie fashion show, try on ramie clothing or watch the fabrication of ramie.
Date: June 04, 2011 – June 06, 2011
Venue: Chungcheongnam-do Seocheon-gun Hansan Mosi Fabric Hall area
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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Muju Firefly Festival is an environment-themed event that celebrates fireflies, which are indigenous only to the Namdaecheon Stream in Muju, in Korea. The festival also aims to promote the area and its natural environment through programs that educate the important connection between the environment and the agricultural way of life in this beautiful mountain area.
Date: June 3, 2011 - June 11, 2011
Venue: Jeollabuk-do Muju-gun Muju-eup Hanpungno, Namdaecheon, Bandiland area
Festival Category: Second-Best Festival
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The environment-friendly Haeundae Sand Festival showcases fantastic sand sculptures on the Haeundae Beach. With the concept of “seeing, feeling and enjoying,” the festival allows visitors to engage in activities using sand, in addition to enjoying the sea, beach sports, performances and fireworks.
Date: June 3, 2011 – June 6, 2011
Venue: Busan-si Haeundae-gu Haeundae Beach
Festival Category: Up-and-coming Festival
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