Festivals, sights across Korea

The country's largest sand festival runs through Monday at Haeundae Beach in Busan, highlighting the coastline and sand's role as a marine resource. The 2026 edition is themed after the city itself, tracing its past, present and future.

World-class sand sculptors will produce works that stay on display through June 14. Visitors can try sand sculpting or sandboarding and check out a sand-themed observatory and the play and rest areas. Performances, media art projected onto the sand works and additional exhibitions round out the lineup. Most programs are free.

The Sejong Nakhwa Festival runs for just one night, on Saturday, around Sejong Lake and Central Park. The event is a contemporary take on the city's Sejong Buddhist nakhwa ritual, which was designated an intangible cultural heritage in February 2024.

Nakhwabong are hung from tree branches, poles or ropes and lit, sending sparks drifting like falling petals while the sticks crackle through the night forest. The ritual traces back to ceremonies tied to the Buddhist Lotus Lantern Festival, the first full moon of the lunar year, Dano and the seventh lunar full moon, performed to drive out negative energy and call in good fortune.

The main program runs about two hours. Food trucks operate on-site.

Admission is free.

The 18th Ulsan Grand Park Rose Festival runs from Wednesday to May 25 at the rose garden inside Ulsan Grand Park, with about 3 million roses in bloom across what organizers call the country's largest rose garden.

Opening day features a parade, lighting ceremony, fireworks and an opening performance. Concerts, including the Rose Valley Concert and Love Music Concert, run through the week, alongside experience booths, food trucks and a Rose Square installation. Evening lighting gives the garden a different feel after dark.

Admission to the rose garden, which includes zoo access, is 2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for teens and 500 won for children.

The Busan Lotus Lantern Festival runs through Sunday, marking Buddha's Birthday with a regional take on Korea's UNESCO-listed Yeondeunghoe tradition, which dates back roughly 1,200 years.

The main event takes place on Saturday at Busan Citizens Park's Dasom Plaza. Starting at 4 p.m., it features a Buddhist celebration ceremony and a lantern parade. A separate cultural showcase runs through Sunday at Songsanghyeon Plaza, with a traditional lantern exhibition and wish-lantern writing scheduled for Sunday. A special lantern exhibition opens on Wednesday at the Dasom Gallery inside Busan Citizens Park and runs through Thursday.

Most programs are free to attend.

Set along Yangjaecheon, the Yangjae Art Salon is a multi-arts festival that combines nature, performance and local culture.

Visitors can explore weekly themed programs, from live performances at the Sunset Stage to a handmade market at Yangjae Atelier. The Healing Lounge offers picnic lawns, photo zones and book corners, while Bridge Dining features food trucks under Yeongdong Bridge. Special themed weeks include jazz, meditation and family-friendly activities.

The festival runs through Sunday at Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu. Admission is free, though fees are charged for select programs.