What's on in Busan, South Korea through the year

Busy — Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Seollal

  16–18 FebLunar New YearClosuresCrowded

  Three days when small businesses and the fish market close and the country travels home. The beaches are empty and so are the restaurants. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Seollal, Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Seollal (16–18 Feb)

Busy — Cherry blossom, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Cherry blossom

  25 Mar – 10 Apr · usuallyCrowded

  The south coast blooms a week before Seoul; Dalmaji Hill above Haeundae and the naval town of Jinhae an hour west are what people come for.

Busy — Cherry blossom, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Cherry blossom (25 Mar – 10 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Jangma, the rain front

  25 Jun – 31 Jul · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The monsoon front sits over the south coast first and hardest, delivering the year's heaviest rain in bursts and taking the beaches out of use for days.

Peak crowds — Beaches officially open, Summer break (yeoreum banghak) in South Korea

• Opening

  Beaches officially open

  1 Jul – 31 Aug · usuallySea warm enoughCrowded

  Haeundae, Gwangalli and Songjeong are staffed with lifeguards and swimming zones for the two summer months only; outside them the water is technically off limits. Source ↗

• Festival

  Busan Sea Festival

  1–6 AugMajor festivalCrowded

  Six days of concerts and water events across five beaches in the first week of August, when the whole country is on holiday at the same time. Source ↗

Still on: Jangma, the rain front (25 Jun – 31 Jul (usually))

Peak crowds — Beaches officially open, Busan Sea Festival

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyClosures

  Busan takes the brunt of the systems that reach Korea. A landfall closes the port, floods Gwangalli and stops the trains for a day. Source ↗

Still on: Beaches officially open (1 Jul – 31 Aug (usually)), Busan Sea Festival (1–6 Aug)

Peak crowds — Chuseok, Chuseok in South Korea

• Holiday

  Chuseok

  24–26 SepHarvestClosuresCrowded

  The harvest holiday empties the city for three days; markets and family restaurants close and the roads and trains out are solid in both directions. Source ↗

Still on: Typhoon season (1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, Busan International Film Festival

• Festival

  Busan International Film Festival

  6–15 OctCrowdedBook early

  Ten days centred on the Cinema Center in Haeundae in early October, in the best weather of the Busan year. Haeundae beds are gone; Nampo-dong is on the subway. Source ↗

Still on: Chuseok (24–26 Sep)

Busy — Busan Fireworks Festival

• Festival

  Busan Fireworks Festival

  7 NovMajor festivalCrowded

  An hour of fireworks over Gwangalli bridge on a Saturday in early November, watched by around a million people, with the beachfront closed to traffic. Source ↗

Busy — Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.