From helicopter rides to bakery crawls, summer festivals kick off across Korea
Summer festivals, from the Jochiwon Peach Festival to the "Pang Pang Day" bread festival, are embracing their respective and distinctive regional specialties and traditions.
Black Hawk helicopters are at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 18, 2025.YONHAP
From Black Hawk helicopter rides above peach orchards to bakery crawls, Korea’s summer festivals have been embracing their respective and distinctive regional specialties and traditions.
During the 24th Jochiwon Peach Festival in Sejong, a total of 480 participants will soar high above the sky on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from an Army battalion on July 25 and 26. The city government accepted applications for the special flight experience through a Google Form accessible via the QR code on the event poster from June 11 through Saturday.
After taking off from the battalion’s runway in Yeonseo-myeon, the helicopter will take passengers over Gobok Natural Park, the city’s outdoor sports complex on festival grounds, and Osong Station for a roughly 10-minute flight.
A poster for the Jochiwon Peach Festival that recruits applicants who aspire to ride a Black Hawk helicopterJOCHIWON PEACH FESTIVAL
“Participants will have a rare opportunity to enjoy Sejong’s natural scenery and the Jochiwon Peach Festival from the air,” a Sejong city official said.
Foreigners, even those who live in Sejong, were not eligible for the event. Only Korean nationals who are registered Sejong residents and over the age of 13 as of June 10 could apply.
However, children ages 6 and older could participate via the “family dress code” application track, in which families submitted a photo of themselves wearing pink clothing or accessories associated with the peach festival. The festival’s official merchandise can be purchased at local farm-to-consumer markets in Dodam-dong and Jochiwon.
If the number of applicants for the family dress code track exceeds that of available spots, participants will be selected through a public lottery. Winners will be notified by text message on Thursday.
The upcoming Jochiwon Peach Festival will take place around Sejong’s outdoor sports complex and Dodori Park, an agricultural theme park, from July 24 to 26 and will include a special peach sale and event in which people can gather to drink peach beer.
South Chungcheong’s Cheonan hosted a citywidepastry-themed festival dubbed “Pang Pang Day”from June 13 through 14. Ppang refers to bread in Korean.
Seventy neighborhood bakeries offered their signature breads and pastries at a 10 percent discount, according to Cheonan city officials.
Giveaways of locally produced milk and rice also took place. Customers who spent less than 10,000 won ($6.50) received one 200-milliliter (8.6-ounce) carton of milk, and those who spent 10,000 won or more earned 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of locally grown rice for free.
People purchase bread and baked goods at the 2025 "Pang Pang Day" festival in Cheonan in South Chungcheong on Oct. 19, 2025.CHEONAN CITY HALL
The festival also chose some 450 so-called bread pilgrimage teams — from a pool of 1,813 teams — to join the festival. They were required to visit two designated neighborhood bakeries, one of Cheonan’s eight scenic views, a traditional market, Yuryang Food and Culture Street and a local eatery, then post reviews of their experiences on social media.
The pilgrimage program was designed to promote Cheonan’s local bakeries and tourism resources.
The festival also held hands-on workshops for making walnut pastries and flowerpot cakesat the lobby of Cheonan City Hall on June 13. During preregistration, the event attracted 19 applicants for each available spot.
The city even handed out discount coupons for taxi rides within its jurisdiction.
“We hope that both residents and tourists have a special opportunity to experience the flavors and charm of Cheonan,” said Kim Seok-pil, the acting mayor of Cheonan, ahead of the festival.
People re-enact a Danoje ritual, which pays tribute to a shamanic god representing Daegwallyeong ridge, in Gangneung in Gangwon on May 31, weeks ahead of the main Gangneung Danoje Festival scheduled in mid-June.YONHAP
Danoje, a ritual that pays tribute to a shamanic god representing Daegwallyeong ridge, wishes wellness, peace and agricultural prosperity on local villages.
Visitors wearing hanbok (Korea’s traditional attire) — this year’s official dress code — could enjoy discounts at the food court and win commemorative gifts.
Guests also had the opportunity to attend the inaugural Dano Changpo Water Festival on Saturday. The program featured water-gun fights and traditional pot-breaking games designed to wash away misfortune and pray for good health.
The festival’s special performances included “The Gangnam,” a production combining the music of Gangneung Dano-gut and the southern region’s Byeolsin-gut, and the Jindo Ssitgimgut, a national intangible cultural heritage-designated ritual to erase any lingering regrets of the deceased. Gut refers to a traditional Korean shamanic ritual.
Additionally, the festival organizers planned digital activities and services — such as augmented-reality games and QR-code-based performance guides — for all guests, as well as an international cultural exchange program involving participants from the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, China and Mongolia.
“This year’s Gangneung Danoje Festival combines advanced technology with community-based growth, and we hope that people across the country will take great interest and actively participate in the event,” said Kim Dong-chan, the chairperson of the Gangneung Danoje Festival committee, ahead of the festival.
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.
