Jeju's fall calendar is packed with festivals and events
Jeju will host sports, cultural and international events throughout October as the island builds on its faster-than-ever rise past 10 million annual visitors.
Cosmos flowers are seen in Jeju in fall 2025.CHOI CHOONG-IL
JEJU — Jeju is filling its fall calendar with a National Sports Festival, cultural festivals and international events as it courts visitors through the peak autumn season.
The 107th National Sports Festival will be held across the island from Oct. 16 to 22, the Jeju provincial government said Monday. About 30,000 athletes, officials and others are expected to attend.
The 2026 World Heritage Festival, centered on the Unesco-listed Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, runs from Saturday to Oct. 18. The 65th Tamna Cultural Festival follows from Oct. 17 to 21, and the 32nd Seogwipo Chilsimni Festival is set for Oct. 23 to 25.
International events are also lined up. The Jeju International Art Fair will take place from Oct. 8 to 11. The 27th Inter-islands Tourism Policy Forum, where island regions around the world share tourism policies, will be held from Oct. 28 to 30.
Evening programs are on offer as well. The Sinsan Dochaebi Light Festival continues through Oct. 11, and the Seogwipo Saeyeon Show, featuring fireworks and performances, runs until Oct. 31. Seomyaseason, a night tour of Jeju's old downtown, takes place on Oct. 17 and 18, and the night city tour bus operates until Oct. 10.
The province will also hold the Jeju Travel Festa from Oct. 16 to 24. Discounts on Tamnao, an online travel platform, continue until Oct. 11.
Chinese-speaking tourists wearing hanbok take photos at Jeju Mokgwana, the island's Joseon-era (1392-1910) government office complex, in Samdo 2-dong, Jeju City, on Sept. 21.CHOI CHOONG-IL
To attract visitors from the greater Seoul area, Jeju will open a two-day pop-up in Songdo, Incheon, starting on Oct. 17. The pop-up will package festivals with discounted lodging.
Overseas, the province is targeting China's National Day holiday from Thursday to Oct. 7 and Taiwan's Double Tenth Day — its national holiday — on Oct. 10.
Since Sept. 19, Jeju has been working with five Korean restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai on a monthlong promotion that offers Jeju-themed dishes and travel information. The campaign is aimed mainly at people in their 20s and 30s.
The Iho Tewoo Beach in Jeju City at sunset.CHOI CHOONG-IL
To steer Chinese tourists toward local businesses, the province has also created three walking routes that link tourist sites and shops in Seogwipo's old downtown. An event on Chinese platforms encourages visitors to stop at shops along the routes.
Travelers on a cruise-linked tour package from Japan will arrive in Jeju on Wednesday. The province also plans a familiarization tour for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, for representatives from 10 major travel agencies in Singapore.
For the European market, the province is arranging a scouting trip with the London office of the Korea Tourism Organization to develop travel products.
Chinese tourists walk along a street near the Shilla Duty Free store in Yeon-dong, Jeju City.CHOI CHOONG-IL
Jeju passed the 10 million visitor mark for the year eight days earlier than in 2025. The island welcomed 10,028,346 visitors as of Sept. 18, up 3.4 percent from the 9,700,949 who visited over the same period last year, the Jeju Tourism Association said. The island crossed the 10 million mark on Sept. 26 last year.
“We will further strengthen our emphasis on safe travel so that tourists can enjoy Jeju safely and comfortably during the fall peak season,” Hwang Gyeong-seon, head of the provincial government's tourism and exchange bureau, said. “Building on international events in October, we will also actively pursue hosting the 2028 Group of 20 [G20] summit.”
A foreign cruise ship is seen at the cruise terminal at Jeju Port on April 5.CHOI CHOONG-IL
Korea will hold the G20 presidency in 2028 in addition to hosting that year's summit.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
