Hwaseong Boating Festival
화성 뱃놀이 축제 · Hwaseong, Gyeonggi
– 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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The Seoul capital area's largest marine festival, with yacht and powerboat rides, a sea cable car and tidal-flat programs on Hwaseong's own stretch of the West Sea.
Who it suits: Anyone who wants sailing and powerboat rides on the west coast without going as far as Incheon or Taean.
Where it is
Where it is in the country — 51 km south-west of Seoul
About 108 km across — 12 other places we cover sit inside it. The pick of them is listed below.
51 km south-west of Seoul, in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi (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 — the venue 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 Hwaseong 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.
Getting there and staying
For a bed near the festival, Klook's accommodation search for Hwaseong 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 Hwaseong Boating Festival and are worth checking before you commit to a route.
- Yeon Deung Hoe — 2026/05/16 – 05/17, Seoul, 1 km from Seoul.
- Chuncheon Mime Festival — 2026/05/24 – 05/31, Chuncheon, Gangwon, 74 km from Seoul.
- Haeundae Sand Festival — 2026/05/15 – 05/18, Haeundae-gu, Busan, 331 km from Seoul.
Other festivals in Gyeonggi
Same province, different times of year — useful if you are choosing when to visit Gyeonggi rather than when to leave home.
- Yeoju Ceramic Festival — March, Yeoju, Gyeonggi
- Icheon Ceramics Festival — April, Icheon, Gyeonggi
- Suwon Hwaseong Festival — October, Suwon, Gyeonggi
- Bucheon International Comics Festival — September, Bucheon, Gyeonggi
- Siheung Gaetgol Festival — September, Siheung, Gyeonggi
Other museums within reach
- Sihwa Tidal Power Moon Observatory — Daebudo, Ansan, Gyeonggi, about 15 km away. Sea and ecology rather than history.
- National Museum of Korea — Yongsan, Seoul, about 48 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.
- Bukhansan Hiking — about 58 km away.
The coast from here
- Muuido and the West Coast Beaches — Muuido, Jung-gu, Incheon, about 37 km away.
Filmed near here
- Seoul Drama Filming Locations — Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, about 49 km away.