Music comes to life at Seoul's Drum Festival.

Summer is still in full swing and so are many of Korea’s festivals, which will be hoping to catch the last of the sun’s rays now fall is beginning to creep up on us. Among some of the great festivals on this month include the World Martial Arts Festival in Chungju, the DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival, and the Seoul Drum Festival. Be sure to check out many other great events happening across the country before winter comes along.

Chungju World Martial Arts Festival
Period: Sept. 2-8
Region: Chungcheongbuk-do
This festival showcases all of the world’s martial arts forms, as well as Korea’s traditional martial arts.

 Hyoseok Cultural Festival
Period: Sept 9-18
Region: Gangwon-do
Hyoseok Cultural Festival is held to commemorate modern Korean writer Lee Hyo-seok and his popular novel ‘When Buckwheat Flowers Bloom.’

 Gwacheon Hanmadang Festival
Period: Sept 21-25
Region: Gyeonggi-do
Gwacheon Hanmadang Festival, held every fall, is a unique celebration embodying the unique spirit of the street art culture.

Cheongju International Craft Biennale
Period: Sept 21- Oct 30
Region: Chungcheongbuk-do
Since its debut in 1999, the Cheongju International Craft Biennale (CICB) has run under a variety of different themes: ‘Hands of Harmony,’ ‘The Breath of Nature,’ ‘Use,’ ‘Temptation,’ and ‘Creative Evolution.’

DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival
Period: Sept 22-28
Region: Gyeonggi-do
As the world’s only DMZ documentary film festival, this event offers an important opportunity to learn more about one of the world’s most unique political situations.

Millennial Anniversary of the Tripitaka Koreana
Period: 09-23-2011 ~ 11-06-2011
Region: Gyeongsangnam-do
‘Goryeo Daejanggyeong,’ also known as the Eighty-thousand Tripitaka or the Tripitaka Koreana, is a set of ancient Buddhist scripture woodblocks housed in Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon-gun County.

Seoul Drum Festival
Period: Sept 23-24
Region: Seoul
At Seoul Drum Festival, professional and amateur percussionists from around the world gather to stage exciting performances featuring different types of percussion instruments.

Icheon Ceramic Festival
Period: Sept. 24- Oct 23
Region: Gyeonggi-do
Icheon has 1,000 years of history in ceramic arts and its ceramics festival is one of the most famous in Korea.

7080 Chungjang Recollection Festival
Period: Sept 27- Oct 2
Region: Gwangju
The 7080 Chungjang Recollection Festival is one of Gwangju’s most famous gatherings. It takes place for 5-6 days every October. The festival is themed on a revisit to the 70’s a& 80’s.

Cheonan World Dance Festival
Period: Sept 28- Oct 3
Region: Chungcheongnam-do
The Cheonan World Dance Festival celebrates the traditional dances, songs and costumes of Korea. Visitors may participate in singing and dancing competitions, or attend a re-enactments.

Seoul Performing Arts Festival
Period: Sept 28- Oct 31
Region: Seoul
Every year, the Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) creates a buzz among the public and the media by introducing major international and domestic contemporary performances.

Wonju Hanji Festival 2011
Period: Sept 28- Oct 2
Region: Gangwon-do
In early Fall every year, the Hanji Festival with the theme of Hanji (traditional Korean paper) is held in Wonju (Gangwon-do), a city with rich history of producing Hanji.

Yangyang Songi Festival (Pine Mushroom Festival)
Period: Sept. 29- Oct 3
Region: Gangwon-do
Known to many as ‘golden mushrooms,’ ‘diamonds in the woods,’ and ‘mystic and magical mushrooms,’ songi mushrooms that naturally grow under old pine trees are strictly prohibited from public access.

Andong Maskdance Festival
Period: Sept 30- Oct 9
Region: Gyeongsangbuk-do
The Andong region has many highly renowned historic and cultural sites, such as Hahoe Village, however the major cultural attraction of the region is the Andong Maskdance Festival.

Jeonju International Sori Festival
Period: Sept 30- Oct 4
Region: Jeollabuk-do
Jeonju International Sori Festival is a global music festival centred on Korean vocals and music. It is a top performing arts festival where exquisite Korean and global music are brought together.