Korean Festivals : History, Food and Music

1. Dongnae-eupseong History and Culture Festival

Dongnae-eupseong (동내읍성) is a fortress located in Dongnae-gu, Busan. This wall-fortress was erected to protect the town from invasions. Although the first time the fortress was mentioned in historical records is that the wall was repaired in 1021, it's believed that the fortress was built on the current site around the 1st century BC, after the Samhan period. 

The fortress, along with Busanjinseong Fortress became the first target when the Japanese started their invasions to Korea on April, 14, 1592 and accordingly a lot of lives, including General Song Sanghyeon and all the other officials, troops and common people, were lost from Siege of Dongnae. 

Dongnae-eupseong went through a repair and expansion in 1713, extending its circumference to 5,240 meters. However, the fortress was demolished in 1910 by Japanese Government and had to be repaired again after the Japanese colonial period. 

Actors playing the reenactment musical of the battle.

Dongnae-eupseong History and Culture Festival was designed to commemorate and honor the history of suffering that lies within the fortress. 

This Korean festival has been successfully promoting the interests and historic education for this generation since its commencement in 1995 and become one of the most praised festivals in Busan. 

The Korean festival aims to combine education and entertainment, thus, besides honoring the history of the battles or invasions of the fortress, the festival provides a number of entertaining events, programs and activities that you can take part in and learn more about the tradition of Korea. 

Traditional Korean choreography performance.

Tourists trying out Hanbok (Korean traditional costume).

Traditional combat weapons.

Firework events at night.

Where : Area of Dongnae Culture Center, Dongnae-gu, Busan Metropolis City, Korea

When : Every October. Specific schedule / duration may vary by year. (Since 1995)

What : Historical reenactment performances, Traditional performances / activities, Food, etc. 

Admission : Free

Inquiries : +82-51-550-4000

* Visit the official website of the festival and find out more. 

*All rights regarding the images above are reserved to Dongnae-eupseong History and Culture Festival.

2. Icheon Rice Culture Festival 

Icheon is a relatively small city in Gyeongi provine and regarded as the best area of rice production throughout the whole country, thanks to its rich, fertile land. Rice has long been the symbol of Icheon since the Joseon Dynasty. It's no wonder the city designed and promoted the festival. 

This South Korea festival is mainly focused on educating people with the history of rice eating culture in Korea, introducing traditional cultivation methods, rice cookers, diverse food made of rice, as well as offering traditional performances, so many fun activities that you can participate in and familiarize yourself with the produce.

People in Korean traditional costumes will demonstrate how the ancestors cooked rice, using the traditional methods and rice cooking pots (cauldrons). 

Little do people know about rice than just as white grains packed in a bag in supermarkets. But there's a lot more to it and it takes a long time as well as much effort to get that clean white grains in the bag. This informative korean festival will show you how it's farmed, cultivated and distributed. 

If you have kids, in particular, the festival will be very beneficial and educational since you can get closer to the agricultural surroundings and activities. It's a good way to educate them, letting the kids feel it themselves. 

Of course, there will be a lot of food experiences available, including demonstrations of cooking, heaps of food stalls with a variety of options, Icheon native rice selling booths and more. If you're not very familiar with food made of rice, you will be amazed at how diverse it can be and how good it can taste. 

Don't be afraid and just grab a chance to experience one of the most exotic food there, that's what the festival is for. 

Playing Korean traditional jumping rope games. 

Picking rice grains with chopsticks challenge. 

Playing Korean traditional tug-of-war games.

Dancing to Korean traditional music.

The festival offers a number of fun, traditional activities and games that you can take part in yourself. The festival is not only full of the educational aspect of rice and agriculture of the city but also a lot of traditional activities and performances that will entertain you throughout the whole time. 

Icheon rice and culture festival is recommended to those who are interested in getting to know more about the history of rice, as the main source of food culture in Korea, as well as fun, traditional activities where you can have a closer look at the real local culture. 

Where : Seolbong Park area, 167-29, Gyeongchung-daero 2697 gil, Incheon-si, Gyeonggi-do.

When : Every October. Specific schedule / duration may vary by year. (Since 1999)

What : Icheon rice / agriculture celebration, traditional demonstration / reenactments, activities, games, performances and parades. 

Admission : Free

Inquiries : +82-31-644-4125 / 4127

* Visit the official website for more info about the festival. 

*All rights regarding the images above are reserved to Icheon Rice Festival.

3. Jarasum International Jazz Festival

There's an island in a small leisure city Gapyeong, called Jarasum (Jara Island). Jarasum is an artificial island that was made from the Cheongpyeong Dam construction. Jara means a terrapin or a tortoise in Korean and it refers to the shape of the surrounding area. The area is really chill, scenic and eco-friendly and makes the festival more enjoyable. The fresh air and pleasant weather of autumn complemented by the best jazz experience is quite irresistible. 

Jarasum International Jazz Festival has been one of the most popular music festivals in South Korea, attracting approximately 100 thousand visitors every year. This south korea festival offers lot of different subcategory genres of Jazz music, including swing, bebop, world music, electric and more. It's appealing regardless of the age group and you'll see many families and older people besides the younger generations. 

Jazz as a music genre was not really familiar to most Koreans when the festival was first launched in 2004. The festival has been working on teaching people how awesome the genre is and also nurturing jazz musicians from all across the world.

The festival invites the world's renowned jazz musicians for the best jazz performances that the country has ever offered. Some of the performances will make you rave and jump and some will make you relax and daydream. 

There are a multiple of small stages and booths all over the place in addition to the main stage so keep wandering and take advantage of the scenic environment, you will find a lot of different programs and hidden gems. 

Also, there's a zone called "Village Gapyeong" that provides local food, souvenirs, activities and exhibitions so grab some food and get to know more about the city. 

Jazz goes on even after the festival. The city Gapyeong, the host of Jarasum International Jazz Festival, turns into a huge auditorium for jazz music during the festival and you'll be soaked with the vibe throughout the city, from literally anywhere, including restaurants, cafes, streets, etc. 

The program is called Midnight Jazzcafe and will go on til late night in places of the city so do not let go of a chance to see your favorite jazz musician right in front of you and interact with people, too. 

As the pioneers of disseminating jazz music in Korea, the festival offers a lot more than just being an entertainment. 

This dedicated-to-jazz-music festival provides opportunities for young jazz musicians in and outside Korea by holding international jazz concours where you can win 10 million KRW as well as the chance to perform at the festival in the following year. Pretty amazing opportunity especially if you're into jazz music, so don't miss out. 

From day to night, Jarasum International Jazz Festival is packed with so many fun experiences. Music, food, nature, exhibitions, activities, fireworks at night.. What you hesitating for? Bring all your friends and families to this amazing festival and have the best jazzy night of your life!

Where : Jarasum and the surrounding area, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do.

When : Every October. Specific schedule may vary by year. (Since 2004)

What : Jazz music performances, camping, music classes, jazz concours, all-night cinema, local food booths, youth programs and more. 

Admission : One-day 50,000 KRW / Two-day 80,000 KRW / Three-day 100,000 KRW. 

Inquiries : +82-31-581-2813 ~ 4

* Visit the official website of the festival and find out more.

* All rights regarding the images above are reserved to Jarasum International Jazz Festival.