6 best summer music festivals in South Korea

A festival trip makes for an unforgettable travel experience – from discovering new artists to making memories while dancing with friends, family, and fans.

To inspire you to live in the moment and book that trip now, we’ve rounded up some of the best events in the South Korean music scene. Read on for six of the most incredible festivals this summer, featuring all the top things to do and see, as well as places to stay nearby.

2023 dates: August 4–6

Where: Songdo Moonlight Festival Park, Incheon

The ultimate Korean rock festival, Pentaport has been running for three days every August in Incheon’s “smart city,” Songdo, since 2006. It’s one of the biggest live music events in the country and always features a line-up that’s hotter than the summer weather.

Expect big headliners like Nine Inch Nails, Muse, Dua Lipa, My Bloody Valentine, The Prodigy, Vampire Weekend, and Japanese Breakfast. You’ll find an energetic crowd of all ages and backgrounds dancing all weekend long.

Kick-start the festival with a stay at the nearby Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Incheon Associated with Accor, and unwind in a vast cypress bathtub with views of the city’s Central Park. While in Songdo, you can also visit Haedoji Park for an extra dose of nature and activities like canoeing and kayaking.

2023 dates: June 23–25

Where: Seoul (plus events across South Korea, Thailand, and Japan)

As the name suggests, Waterbomb Festival is essentially one enormous water fight – to a live soundtrack of hip-hop, K-Pop, and EDM. It’s an incredibly popular summer event, and has drawn names like Kai, Jay Park, and BIBI to perform in the past.

The huge crowd (mostly wearing swimwear) is continuously sprayed with water, and there are even water fights between musicians on stage. Though the original main event is set in Seoul, it also has offshoots in eight other South Korean cities: Gwangju, Incheon, Daejeon, Suwon, Daegu, Sokcho, Busan, and Jeju.

Look out for the color you’re assigned for the Team Battle Water Fighting, and enjoy the refreshing water cannons fired every 30 minutes throughout the festival. Stay close to the venue, the Jamsil Sports Complex, at Park Hyatt Seoul.

2023 dates: June 2–4

Where: Venues across Seoul Land, Gwacheon

World DJ Festival in southern Seoul is a great way to kick off the summer party season. Returning to South Korea’s Seoul Land amusement park in early June, it promises three days of acclaimed EDM acts covering a range of dance music genres.

From house to trance, it brings people together to dance in the summer heat to world-class DJs like Jedd, Nikki Romero, Medeon, Galantis, Vini Vici, Acraze, and Showtek. Head back to stay at voco Seoul Gangnam.

2023 dates: June 24–25

Where: Seoul Olympic Park

Seoul Park Music Festival is a giant picnic music festival held in downtown Seoul. Coming back in June 2023 with a star-studded two-day line-up including Kyuhyun, Crush, Nerd Connection, LUCY, and Sunwoojunga, the festival champions a wide array of genres and emerging talent.

Between dancing sessions, take a picnic in the sunshine and enjoy the scenic grounds, including the spectacular 88 Garden waterfront stage. Stay close to Seoul’s Olympic Park, where the festival takes place, at the stunning Signiel Seoul.

2023 dates: September 2–3

Where: Seoul

Though the focus of RAPBEAT is hip-hop and rap, the line-up still offers plenty of musical diversity. For two days in September, festival-goers can revel in the energy of the booming K-hip-hop scene, knowing that typhoon rain will only amp up the party. Whether you’re after well-known or indie acts, you’ll find something at one of the multiple stages, each one offering a different vibe from R&B to pop and rap.

Past headliners like CL, Aminé, BIBI, and Zion.T tend to take to the main stage, but with sets kept relatively short, you can easily catch a variety of different acts. Stay close to the festival at the highly rated Orakai Cheonggyesan Hotel in Seoul.

2023 dates: July 26–August 5

Where: Pyeongchang

Taking place in the Winter Olympics host city of Pyeongchang, this festival brings together some of the world’s premier classical musicians for one glorious summer week. Founded in 2004, this year the festival has the renown cellist Sung-Won Yang as artistic director, following in the footsteps of Hyo Kang, Myung-wha Chung, Kyung-Wha Chung, and Yeol-Eum Son.

Enjoy chamber music and orchestral performances from established as well as lesser-known classical talent in the forested, mountainous surroundings of the beautiful Gangwon-do region. Stay at Pyeongchang The White Hotel.