Seoul October 2026 Events & Festivals / South Korea Events

Visiting Seoul in October? From Seoul Autumn FESTA to the K-Royal Culture Festival at the Royal Palaces, there is lots to do and epic events to enjoy in October 2026 in Seoul.

Plus it’s the final month of the Seoul Garden Festival and the sky lights up with two special Seoul drone shows including a Marvel themed drone show for Seoul Halloween (31 October).

Enjoy one of several Seoul FC K-League soccer games or sit back and relax at the Seoul Outdoor Library, on until 1 November.

Seoul Concerts in October 2026 include the Electric Daisy Carnival with Tiësto plus Charlie Puth, Persona and the Grand Mint Festival all rock into town

Here is our pick of the best Seoul events in October 2026 along with several other South Korea festivals in October like the Andong International Maskdance Festival, Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and Gwangju Kimchi Festival.

Here is our pick of the best Seoul and South Korea events in October 2026.

This article was originally published on 30 August 2025.

South Korea Public holidays in October 2026

There are three national holidays in South Korea this October:

Saturday 3 October is National Foundation Day – as it is a Saturday, it is marked as a National Holiday on Monday 5 October.

Friday 9 October is Hangeul Proclamation Day, another public holiday in Korea

Please note Chuseok, the major holiday is earlier this year in September.

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You might like – 50 best things to do in South Korea >

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Seoul October 2026 festivals

Seoul Outdoor Library

Until 1 November 2026

The annual Seoul Outdoor Library is definitely something you’ll want to ‘bookmark’ for your October 2026 Korea trip – it is open every Friday through Sunday in October.

Across October until 1 November, the Seoul Outdoor Library pops up in several picturesque locations across the city including Seoul Plaza near Myeongdong.

Each of the Seoul Outdoor Libraries provides chairs, books and entertainment including an alfresco library which opens along the city’s Cheonggyecheon stream near Dongdaemun – sometimes there is music and performers too.

The 2026 Seoul Outdoor Library opening times are 11am to 6pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (but on hot / extreme weather days, this changes to 4pm to 10pm). During the summer months and public holidays, there may be occasional later openings.

Read our guide to Seoul Outdoor Library >

You might like these Seoul neighbourhood guides:
Dongdaemun
Euljiro
Gangnam
Hannam-dong
Hongdae
Ikseon-dong 
Insadong
Itaewon
Myeong-dong
Seongsu-dong
Sindang

Or check out our best neighbourhoods in Seoul Guide >

Seoul International Garden Show 2026

Until 27 October 2026 at Seoul Forest Park

Twice as big as last year, the 2026 Seoul International Garden Show is back bigger and better than ever before and is themed “Seoul, Green Culture”. It takes place at Seoul Forest with other pop-ups at Ttukseom Hangang Park and in the Seongsu neighborhood.

Over 150 garden displays (up from 111 in 2025) are on show until late October and Hechi (Seoul’s cute tourism mascot) will be part of the proceedings again. Lots of K-companies and iconic Korean brands are taking part including SM Entertainment Nongshim noodles, Musinsa fashion and Clio K-Beauty.

We visited the Seoul International Garden Show 2026 in May and spotted everything from the Kakao Friends garden to the Pokemon Secret Forest. That said, we were slightly underwhelmed with our visit as it was quite corporate and many gardens were quite small. Maybe a Seoul festival to combine with half a day in Seongsu-dong.

Open daily from noon until 7pm, check out the official Seoul International Garden Show 2026 website here >

Seoul Drone Shows October 2026

9 and 31 October 2026

During the fall months, Seoul’s famous Hangang River parks are full of locals eating and drinking, having autumnal picnics and watching the sun set over the city – including a special Marvel themed Seoul drone show on 31 October (Seoul Halloween).

The October 2026 Seoul drone shows takes place at Ttukseom Hangang Park between 8.30pm and 8.45pm – there is also a cultural arts performance before the drone show from 7.30pm to 8.30pm and another arts performance from 8.45pm to 9.15pm.

We were lucky enough to catch the recent Star Wars Seoul drone show in May and it was epic – very busy and chaotic but worth it (just). We expect the Seoul Marvel themed drone show to be amazing!

A variety of indoor and outdoor performances and pop-ups along the Han River, famous monuments and Seoul theaters.

Sub festivals will include the Seoul Street Arts Festival, Seoul International Dance Festival, and Seoul Opera Festival (all various dates).

So if you are visiting Seoul in September consider a FC Seoul K League Game at the Seoul World Cup stadium. The Home FC Seoul games in October 2026 take place on 10 September vs Jeju SK FC, on 17 September vs Gimcheon Sangmu FC and on 24 September 2026 vs Gangwon FC.

South Korea K League game tickets are easy to purchase (and very cheap) plus the World Cup Stadium in Seoul has good transport links with its very own subway station.

From purchasing K League tickets for FC Seoul through to what types of food, drink and entertainment you can expect at the stadium, here is our guide to all things K League South Korea and the Seoul World Cup Stadium >

The K-Royal Culture Festival is one of South Korea‘s largest national heritage festivals, showcasing traditional cultural performances and pop-ups against the backdrop of historic palaces.

Lighting up the Hangang River with floating light installations, one of South Korea’s biggest laser shows and nightly performances, Seoul this October is looking ‘well lit’.

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A post shared by Seoul (@seoulcity)

Locals will enjoy the self BBQ zone (it will smell goooooood) whilst foreign guests can buy amazing Korean BBQ snacks from various stalls. Read more on their official website >

Persona
3 October 2026 at YES 24 Live Hall

Ezra Collective
8 October 2026 at YES24 Muv Hall

Charlie Puth
11 October 2026 at Goyang Stadium

Grand Mint Festival with LEE SEUNG YOON
18 October 2026 at Seoul Olympic Park

This world renowned comedy cooking show has been packing in audiences worldwide since 1997. Possibly the best known Korean theatre show, NANTA Theatre has been performed over 50,000 times in over 60 countries and is a fun mix of slapstick and physical comedy.

There are very few spoken words used throughout so not understanding Korean (or English) won’t be an issue.

Myeongdong NANTA Theatre has at least two NANTA performances every day, with evening shows held at 5pm and 8pm Monday to Saturday (on Sundays, it is 2pm and 5pm).

Book your Myeongdong Nanta Theater Show Ticket >

To be honest, we thought it was going to be naff (terrible) but it was surprisingly good and the theatrics and artistry were amazing. Even if you don’t like K-Pop style shows, the way they create incredible paintings from nothing is spellbinding.

Korean ‘idols’ recreate famous paintings such as Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Heaven’ and Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Self-Portrait’ with splendid choreography and live drawings. It sounds like it will be kitsch AF but we both loved it. There is also a photo opp with the boys at the end.

For more info and tickets, check out ‘The Painters’ on Klook >

For something a little more ‘adult’ and for women over 19 years of age, check out the “WILD WILD: After Party” in Euljiro, Seoul or the ‘Touch Five’ show musical – remember to pick a ‘touch’ or ‘no touch’ sticker!

Seriously for us, this had to be one of the top 5 things to do in Busan, not just Gwangalli. It is also a great thing to enjoy in Busan with kids.

Every Saturday night at 8pm and 10pm in September over 300 aerial drones take to the skies of Gwangalli Beach and create an incredible skyborne spectacle, with various scenes and characters created.

Each week, the official Gwangalli drone show website lists what the theme will be that Saturday.

More things to do in Gwangalli >

• 2026 World Island Exhibition Yeosu Korea – 5 September to 4 November 2026
• Gimje Horizon Festival (김제지평선축제) – 1 to 5 October 2026
• Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival – 3 October to 18 October 2026
• Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) – 6 October to 15 October 2026
• Gwangju Kimchi Festival – 23 to 25 October 2026

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