Busan Mackerel Festival

부산고등어축제

Since 2008, the Busan Mackerel Festival has animated Songdo Beach, Korea's first public beach, every October. Leveraging Busan's position as the hub for 90% of domestic mackerel catches and 80% of national fish trades, the festival combines cuisine, arts, culture, and tourism. Beyond delicious seafood, visitors enjoy unique experiences like barehanded mackerel catching, kayak fishing expeditions, surprise auctions, paper boat races, and tours of the local fish market. Opening concerts, street performances, physical challenges, and local markets celebrate Korea's fishing heritage and support the regional economy.

Book on the official site

Dates: Oct 30, 2026 → Nov 1, 2026
Venue: 100 Songdo Haebyon-ro, Seo-gu, Busan (Amnam-dong) · 🌊 Busan
Price: Free
Ticketing: Official event site

Practical information

Opening hours: 10:00~21:00
Exact location: Busan Songdo Beach
Organiser: Seo-gu, Busan
Phone: 051-231-4085

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🎟️ How to book — Official event site

1
Most regional festivals are free entry
Korean municipalities fund a huge number of free festivals (flowers, food, light shows) — free entry is the norm, not the exception, sometimes with paid stalls or activities on site.
2
Check the event's official site
The link sits on the event's VisitKorea page — it's the most reliable source for the program, hours, and any last-minute changes.
3
Book via a Korean platform if a reservation is required
When a festival has paid premium activities or an attached concert, booking usually goes through NOL or YES24 — see the matching guide on this page.
4
Call 1330 when in doubt
Korea's tourism hotline answers in English, Chinese and Japanese, 24/7 — handy for confirming a time or address when the official site is Korean-only.

💡 Good to know

When a price shows as "see details", the organiser simply hasn't published one in advance: in almost all of those cases entry is free and only some on-site activities are paid. Bring a little cash — many stalls don't take cards.