Damyang Bamboo Festival
담양 대나무축제 · Damyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju
– Past
This edition has finished.
Korean festivals usually keep to roughly the same window each year, so the next
one should land near those dates — but the organizer publishes the confirmed
dates and they move, sometimes by weeks.
Last verified: 2026-08-22.
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Bamboo crafts and programs around Damyang's bamboo forest.
Who it suits: Walkers and anyone who liked Juknokwon. The festival adds programs to a bamboo forest that is worth the trip on its own.
When, where, how much
From the organizer
Organized by Damyang Bamboo Festival Committee. These pages are the organizer's own and open on their site. They are usually Korean only — but that is where the confirmed programme, stage times and site map appear first, and times and prices read the same in any language.
Program: Celebration Performances (YB, Ali, Nam Jin, Hwang Min-ho, and others), Juksinje Ritual, “Masi Jugyeojune (Incredibly Delicious)” Cooking Contest with Traditional Sauces and Bamboo Shoots, National Speed Drone Competition & Experience Programs…
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization · visitkorea.or.kr · KOGL Type 3
Where it is
Where it is in the country — 249 km south of Seoul
About 146 km across — 10 other places we cover sit inside it. The pick of them is listed below.
249 km south of Seoul, in Damyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju (straight-line distance from Seoul City Hall, calculated from the venue's official coordinates).
We have not timed these connections ourselves, so rather than print a number we have not checked, here is the route on the two apps Koreans actually use — Damyang Sports Complex, Juknokwon, Dambit Music Hall as the destination, already filled in:
- Directions on Kakao Map — live bus and train times, and which platform
- Naver Map — the stronger of the two in English
From Seoul, journeys to Damyang start at Seoul Station (KTX and regular rail) or the Express Bus Terminal. Which of the two wins depends on how many cities you are stringing together — our rail pass guide works through the break-even, and getting around Korea covers why these two apps beat Google Maps once you are on the ground.
Nearby, if you are making a trip of it
Within about 20 km of the venue, by distance:
- Gwanbangjerim Forest (0.2 km)
- Juknokwon (Bamboo Garden) (0.4 km)
- Damyang Metasequoia-lined Road (1.5 km)
- Korea Bamboo Museum (2.0 km)
- Damyang Safety Experience Training Center (KOSHA) (3.9 km)
- Myeonangjeong Pavilion (5.0 km)
Places and distances from the Korea Tourism Organization's location data. We have not visited all of them.
Getting there and staying
For a bed near the festival, Klook's accommodation search for Damyang is the quickest way to see what is left — festival weeks fill local rooms earlier than you would expect.
Outside the big cities, wifi is not something to plan around. Shuttle stops, stage times and the day's program are posted on the organizer's Korean-language page or a Naver Map pin, and they change on the day. A Korean eSIM is the cheapest way to have it working before you land.
Planning a trip around it
On at the same time
If your dates are fixed, these run within ten days of Damyang Bamboo Festival and are worth checking before you commit to a route.
- Yeoju Ceramic Festival — 2026/03/19 – 05/01, Yeoju, Gyeonggi, 67 km from Seoul.
- Icheon Ceramics Festival — 2026/04/24 – 05/05, Icheon, Gyeonggi, 47 km from Seoul.
- Hampyeong Butterfly Festival — 2026/04/24 – 05/05, Hampyeong, Jeonnam-Gwangju, 282 km from Seoul.
- Boseong Green Tea Festival — 2026/05/01 – 05/05, Boseong, Jeonnam-Gwangju, 317 km from Seoul.
- Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival — 2026/05/01 – 05/05, Hadong, South Gyeongsang, 267 km from Seoul.
- Mungyeong Chasabal Festival — 2026/05/01 – 05/10, Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang, 132 km from Seoul.
Other festivals in Jeonnam-Gwangju
Same province, different times of year — useful if you are choosing when to visit Jeonnam-Gwangju rather than when to leave home.
- Gwangyang Maehwa Festival — March, Gwangyang, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Gurye Sansuyu Festival — March, Gurye, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Hampyeong Butterfly Festival — April, Hampyeong, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Boseong Green Tea Festival — May, Boseong, Jeonnam-Gwangju
- Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival — July, Jangheung, Jeonnam-Gwangju
Other museums within reach
- Gwangju National Museum — Gwangju, Jeonnam-Gwangju, about 18 km away.
A mountain in the same trip
Korea's national parks charge nothing to enter, and these are close enough to pair with the rest of this trip rather than needing one of their own.
- Jirisan Hiking — about 63 km away.
The coast from here
- Getting In the Mud — Hajeon Village, Gochang, North Jeolla, about 42 km away.