With four distinctive seasons and a unique geological environment, you will be fascinated by the beauty of the country regardless of the season. Unique food festivals held each season will add to your pleasure of travelling through the country.
BOSEONG GREEN TEA FESTIVAL
MAY
With subtle flavor and a mild taste as well as health benefits, green tea has long been a popular choice among tea lovers around the world, and Korea is no exception. Boseong, located in the southern region of the country, is the largest producer of quality green tea in Korea. If you want to buy green tea, make sure it is from Boseong, which is famed for its quality green tea with superb flavor as well as its health and beauty benefits. The right time to visit the region is May, when the fields turn bright green and right around when the Boseong Green Tea Festival is held. Various green tea-related programs await you, including green tea leaf picking, green tea roasting and tea ceremony classes, just to name a few. Also, green tea exhibitions and performances as well as a variety of green tea-based products are not to be missed. Boseong is the perfect healing spot for those who want to refresh their mind and body.
GWANGJU WORLD KIMCHI FESTIVAL
MAY–DEC.
Fermented food makes up a good majority of Korean cuisine, and kimchi is one good example. In Korea, no meal is complete without a side of kimchi. Also, it is a health food that is known around the world. In Gwangju, the city of gourmet food, there are 4 rounds of kimchi festivals themed with seasonal kimchi: spring and summer kimchi in May; autumn kimchi and various cultural events in September; a kimchi master contest in November; and making kimchi and sharing it with neighbors in December. Each festival offers various kimchi-making programs as well as kimchi sampling.
DAEGU CHIMAC FESTIVAL
JUL.
Chimac, a chicken-and-beer combo, is a favorite combination among Koreans. Chicken and beer play an essential part of leisurely hours among close friends in Korea and is the perfect snack for a baseball game. If you really want to enjoy this popular combo, visit Daegu, the hottest city in summer, in July when the Daegu Chimac Festival is held. This popular festival saw as many as 1 million visitors in 2016 alone. Chilled beer and scrumptious fried chicken dishes will cool you off in the sweltering summer. An EDM party, a water slide, and a beer-drinking contest are also not to be missed.
CHUNCHEON DAKGALBI & MAKGUKSU FESTIVAL
AUG.
Surrounded by a beautiful lake and picturesque mountains, Chuncheon in Gangwon-do is called the lake city. It also is the filming spot of the popular Korean drama titled Winter Sonata. However, superb landscapes are not the only attraction for tourists. Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and makguksu (buckwheat noodles) are loved by tourists, as well as loyal patrons. If you plan to visit the city, make sure to join the various activity programs, including cooking classes where you can learn about the local dishes of Gangwon-do like spicy stir-fried chicken and buckwheat noodles. Also, there is madangnori (traditional Korean outdoor performances), the dakssaum (one-legged fight) contest, and performances by foreign performance teams to help boost the atmosphere.
