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

Peak crowds — Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival, Jeongdongjin New Year sunrise

• Holiday

  Seollal

  16–18 FebLunar New YearClosuresBook earlyCrowded

  Seollal, the Lunar New Year, is a three-day public holiday when much of Korea travels to family homes. Train, express bus and domestic flight tickets sell out weeks ahead, highways jam, and many small restaurants and shops close on the day itself. Source ↗

Still on: Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival (24 Nov – 31 Jan (usually)), Jeongdongjin New Year sunrise (30 Dec – 2 Jan (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Seollal (16–18 Feb)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Spring wildfire weeks

  1 Mar – 30 Apr · usuallySmoke season

  The east-coast strip burns most springs, when a dry wind comes over the ridge and drives a fire down to the sea in hours. Evacuations and closed coastal roads are the usual shape of it. Source ↗

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Spring wildfire weeks (1 Mar – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Gangneung Danoje, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Gangneung Danoje

  25 May – 25 Jun · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Shamanic rites, mask drama and a huge open-air market on the Namdaecheon riverbed, timed to the fifth lunar month. It is the oldest festival in the country and the town books out for the main week. Source ↗

Busy — Gangneung Danoje, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Gangneung Danoje (25 May – 25 Jun (usually))

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

• Season

  Beaches open

  1 Jul – 25 Aug · usuallySummer season opensCrowded

  Gyeongpo, Gangmun and Anmok run lifeguards and beach bars for about eight weeks and the train from Seoul sells out most weekends. Outside those weeks the sand is empty and nothing on it is open. Source ↗

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

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Beaches open (1 Jul – 25 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Chuseok, Chuseok in South Korea

• Holiday

  Chuseok

  24–26 SepNational holidayClosuresBook earlyCrowded

  Chuseok, the autumn harvest festival, is a three-day public holiday when Koreans travel home. Train and express bus tickets sell out as soon as they go on sale, highways jam, and many small restaurants and shops close for the holiday, while big attractions stay open. Source ↗

Busy — Gangneung Coffee Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Gangneung Coffee Festival

  1–31 Oct · usuallyFood & drink festivalCrowded

  The city trades on coffee and gives it a weekend in October at Anmok, where the beachfront roasters are why people drive over the pass the rest of the year anyway. Source ↗

Still on: Chuseok (24–26 Sep)

Busy — Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival

• Festival

  Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival

  24 Nov – 31 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Wolhwa Street and the Anmok Coffee Street cafes light up from a late-November tree-lighting through the new year, with a snow-flower tunnel, a Christmas market and craft workshops on the busiest weekends. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival, Jeongdongjin New Year sunrise

• Festival

  Jeongdongjin New Year sunrise

  30 Dec – 2 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Half of Seoul comes east on the night train to watch the first sunrise of the year from the beach at Jeongdongjin. Every room on this coast is taken and the road back is solid by mid-morning. Source ↗

Still on: Gangneung Christmas Winter Festival (24 Nov – 31 Jan (usually))