What to See, Eat and Do in Korea (and Beyond)
One of our favorites things about September is the number of cultural festivals and events that take place in early autumn. October has harvest festivals while November has a number of smaller local neighborhood festivals. But September is when we have multiple festivals and events centered around the historical royal court of Korea, each of which are amazing and definitely worth checking out.
September is a great time to visit Korea. We are slowly coming out of the sweltering heat of August and moving towards our personal favorite time of year… autumn! There’s a lot of fun things to see and do this time of year. Here are a few tips to help plan your trip!
While I’m not really a summer person, one thing that I look forward to every year is Hanbok Expo! What is Hanbok Expo? Hanbok Expo (한복상점) is a yearly convention where hanbok designers (both traditional and modern) from all across the country gather to sell, showcase and promote… well… hanbok! The hanbok industry has flourished so much since I first wrote about it back in 2016.
Just last week I found myself braving Korea’s terrible monsoon weather to attend V’s ‘ARTSPACE: TYPE 1’ Exhibition and Pop-Up Store. Somehow I found myself once again braving the terrible summer weather this week to get into Jimin’s “MUSE” Smeraldo Garden Pop-Up which was in celebration of the release of his second solo album, “MUSE.”
It seems like Hybe is going full steam ahead with these BTS pop-ups and we’re all here for it. This time it’s an exhibition for the one and only Kim Taehyung aka V. And the ‘ARTSPACE: TYPE 1’ exhibition coincides with the release of his latest 224 page photo book ‘Type 1.’
It should come as no surprise that Incheon International Airport has its own pop-ups. And, yes, they are definitely worth visiting. This time around, we were at ICN Terminal 1 checking for a flight when we came across an Aespa pop-up for their Armageddon album at the SMART PASS ID booth on the 3rd floor.
The city of Seoul has really ramped up their festival line up for the summer this year. In fact, it seems like there’s always something going no matter what day of the week it is. This rings especially true for the Gwanghwamun Knock Knock K-Food Festival that will be running until the end of 2024.
If you’re visiting Korea in May, dress for warm weather but make sure to bring a light jacket or sweater for the nights when the temperature drops low. there are quite a few night events and festivals in May, so you want to make sure your wardrobe is flexible.
BTS might be in the military, but their brand sure isn’t. Just this year alone, I’ve been to three birthday events, and two pop-up events. The most recent of which was Monochrome and let me tell you… I’ve never experienced such highs and lows in a single event.
Pokemon Town 2024 is the first Pokemon pop-up at the Lotte World Mall this year. Every May, Lotte and the Pokemon Company host a variety of events including pop-up stores, TCG events, and one event last year that invited fans to battle against gym leaders from Scarlet and Violet… in person! This year, true to the event’s name, they set up a mini-Pokemon town outside of the Lotte World Mall with games, prizes, and, of course, photo zones.
If you’re visiting Korea in May, dress for warm weather but make sure to bring a light jacket or sweater for the nights when the temperature drops low. there are quite a few night events and festivals in May, so you want to make sure your wardrobe is flexible.
Matthew Chang Perfumes specializes in floral inspired fragrances that really give off this romantic fairytale vibe. I’m not usually into flowery scents, but this line is so light, lovely and perfect for the spring that I couldn’t resist! So, while they’ve totally won me over with their perfumes they just dropped their new line of hand wash and body lotion and I wanted to check it out.
