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

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea

• Holiday

  Seollal

  16–18 FebLunar New YearClosuresCrowded

  The lunar new year closes shops and restaurants for three days and puts the country on the road at once. Palaces are free to enter and half the city is elsewhere. Source ↗

Still on: Ski season an hour out (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Seollal (16–18 Feb), Ski season an hour out (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Cherry blossom

• Hazard

  Fine dust season

  1 Mar – 15 May · usually

  Spring brings the worst air of the year, part local, part dust and pollution blown in from the west. Warnings are issued by district and masks reappear on the street. Source ↗

• Nature

  Cherry blossom

  28 Mar – 15 Apr · usuallyCrowded

  The front reaches Seoul at the start of April; Yeouido and the Han riverside are walked at night and the peak lasts under a week.

Still on: Ski season an hour out (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Cherry blossom

• Festival

  Yeouido Spring Flower Festival

  8–12 AprCherry blossomCrowded

  The city closes the road behind the National Assembly for the blossom for about five days, adds stages and food stalls, and everyone in Seoul goes. Source ↗

• Festival

  Lotus Lantern Festival

  25 Apr – 25 May · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  Lanterns hang through the temple courtyards for weeks and a parade fills Jongno on the weekend before Buddha's Birthday, which is usually in May. Source ↗

Still on: Fine dust season (1 Mar – 15 May (usually)), Cherry blossom (28 Mar – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, Lotus Lantern Festival

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Fine dust season (1 Mar – 15 May (usually)), Lotus Lantern Festival (25 Apr – 25 May (usually))

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Jangma, the rain front

  25 Jun – 31 Jul · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The monsoon front parks over the peninsula for a few weeks and delivers the year's rain in short, very heavy bursts rather than steady drizzle.

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Summer break (yeoreum banghak) in South Korea

Nothing new starts in July.

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

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Summer break (yeoreum banghak) in South Korea

• Hazard

  Typhoon risk

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyTyphoon season

  Late summer systems track up from the south; most weaken before Seoul, but one a year is enough to stop the trains and flood the Han riverside parks. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Chuseok, Chuseok in South Korea

• Holiday

  Chuseok

  24–26 SepHarvestClosuresCrowded

  The harvest holiday empties the city as families travel home. Small restaurants close for three days, the roads out are solid, and the palaces are quiet and free. Source ↗

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

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Autumn colour

  20 Oct – 10 Nov · usually

  The mountains that ring the city turn from the top down through late October, and Bukhansan on a Saturday is as busy as any street in Seoul.

Still on: Chuseok (24–26 Sep)

Shoulder season — between the peaks

• Festival

  Gimjang, kimchi-making

  15 Nov – 10 Dec · usuallyMajor festival

  The communal cabbage-salting season, on UNESCO's heritage list, fills courtyards and apartment car parks for a few weeks before the ground freezes. Source ↗

Still on: Autumn colour (20 Oct – 10 Nov (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea

• Season

  Ski season an hour out

  10 Dec – 5 Mar · usually

  The Gangwon resorts run on cold, dry, machine-heavy snow from December, and the day trips from Seoul are the reason people ski here at all. Source ↗

Still on: Gimjang, kimchi-making (15 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))