Gamaksan Flower-Star Trip
Sep 18 – Oct 11, 2026 · Happening now · Gyeongsangnam-do
Overview
The 6th Gamaksan Flower-Star Trip is a signature autumn festival held from September 18 to October 11, 2026, around Byeolbaram Hill at the summit of Gamaksan Mountain in Sinwon-myeon, Geochang-gun. This year's theme is 'A Purple Comma for Myself,' blending a variety of performances, experiences, and food against the backdrop of autumn's atmosphere and Gamaksan's natural scenery. The festival officially kicks off with an opening ceremony on September 18, featuring a pre-opening performance, an opening performance, and a tour of the gujeolcho (wild chrysanthemum) fields. During the festival, visitors are welcomed by a variety of stages, including busking performances, a Sunset Hill concert, a congratulatory performance by the Geochang Music Friends Association, and a magic show for children. The hands-on programs are also plentiful. Visitors can receive souvenirs through photo zones set up around the venue, a stamp tour, and an SNS certification event. On Byeolbaram Hill, a slow mailbox will be installed where visitors can write letters and receive them before next year's event, offering plenty to see. Food is also one of the festival's great pleasures. At the Flower-Star Market, featuring local farms and businesses, visitors can find Geochang's specialty and processed products. In addition, at the food market run by the Namsang-myeon and Sinwon-myeon women's associations, visitors can enjoy hearty dishes such as bibimbap, gukbap, jeon, and dubu-kimchi at affordable prices, while the food truck zone offers convenient snacks like coffee, sikhye, and hot dogs. Also, for this year's 6th Gamaksan Flower-Star Trip, those without a car can use the shuttle bus, and those driving should check the official website and make a reservation in advance before visiting.
Photos
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization
Other festivals in Gyeongsangnam-do
Gyeongsangnam-do
Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival
Oct 2 – Oct 11, 2026
Celebrating its 26th edition, the Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival is a Korean medicine and wellness festival inspired by Donguibogam, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, and the pristine natural environment of Jirisan Mountain. Held at Donguibogam Village, the festival explores the history and culture of traditional Korean medicine through hands-on activities, exhibitions, performances, and health and wellness programs. Signature programs such as Sancheong Hyeminseo, My Body’s Herbal Remedy Experience, and the Korean Medicine Wellness Hall give visitors opportunities to experience Korean approaches to healthy aging and wellness firsthand. The festival also features local specialties, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities, while highlighting Sancheong’s medicinal herbs and other Korean medicine resources, its anti-aging industry, and its health and wellness tourism offerings. By expanding programs for international visitors and overseas promotion, it aims to share Sancheong’s Korean medicine culture with the world and grow into a global festival attracting visitors from Korea and abroad.
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Seongju Gayasan Golden Fields Grasshopper Festival
Oct 3 – Oct 4, 2026
The Seongju Gayasan Golden Fields Grasshopper Festival, Seongju-gun's representative autumn festival, is a resident-led, eco-friendly rural experience festival held against the backdrop of the pristine nature of Gayasan and the Daegacheon streamside and the golden fields. Rural experience programs such as catching grasshoppers, a grasshopper observation area, digging sweet potatoes, apple fishing, and catching catfish are offered, along with an autumn field day featuring activities like breaking piñata-style gourds, jegichagi (Korean shuttlecock kicking), group rope jumping, and rubber-shoe archery, in which families from children to older adults can take part together. In addition, experience programs such as communal garaetteok (rice cake) making, jeolpyeon (rice cake) stamping, a stamp tour, a capsule treasure hunt, a golden fields treasure hunt, a traditional games field, and a wooden playground are held, together with performances such as a cotton candy show, a circus challenge, and a stilt-walking clown balloon show. Free tastings of livestock products, the sale and promotion of local agricultural specialties, and the operation of restaurants and food trucks add a variety of sights and food to enjoy at the festival.
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Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival
Oct 3 – Oct 18, 2026
The tradition of yudeung, or floating lanterns, dates back to the Battle of Jinjuseong Fortress, one of the three major victories of the Imjin War (Japanese invasions of Korea, 1592–1598). During the battle, lanterns were floated on the Namgang River as military signals to communicate with Righteous Army forces outside the fortress and as a means for families to exchange messages and check on one another. Jinju has carried on this tradition by organizing the Yudeung event as part of the Gaecheon Art Festival, first held in 1949 and regarded as Korea's first comprehensive regional arts festival. Since 2000, the festival has been held independently as the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.
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Dates and programs can change. Check the official site before you go. Official site