Festival guide

Busan Mackerel Festival 2026 — Catch Mackerel by Hand, Fireworks & Getting to Songdo Beach (Oct 30–Nov 1)

Free seaside festival at Songdo Beach · bare-hand mackerel catching, auctions, opening-night fireworks

By Busan.net editors · Published Oct 25, 2026 · 한국어로 보기

The 17th Busan Mackerel Festival runs from Friday, October 30 to Sunday, November 1, 2026, around Songdo Beach in Seo-gu, Busan. The opening concert and fireworks are on October 30 from 6:30 p.m., and on October 31 and November 1 you can catch mackerel by hand, watch surprise mackerel auctions and try kayak and cooking activities. Entry is free; some activities cost 5,000–20,000 won.

At a glance

When	Fri Oct 30 – Sun Nov 1, 2026 (17th edition)
Where	Songdo Beach, Seo-gu, Busan (stage, activity area, beach and sea); some events at Songdo Ocean Park and the Busan Cooperative Fish Market
Cost	Free to enter. Activities 5,000–20,000 won; food extra.
Highlights	Oct 30, 6:30 p.m. opening concert and fireworks · Oct 31 & Nov 1 bare-hand mackerel catching, surprise auctions, kayaks · Nov 1 morning bridge walk, evening DJ night
Organizer	Seo-gu Office · Busan Seo-gu Cultural Center · +82-70-8658-4085

Why mackerel?

Mackerel is Busan's official city fish. The Busan Cooperative Fish Market in Seo-gu lands more mackerel than anywhere else in Korea, auctioning boxes straight off the boats at dawn. Songdo Beach, opened in 1913, was Korea's first public beach; the Songdo Cloud Trail over the sea and the Songdo Marine Cable Car are right next to it, so pair the festival with a seaside walk.

Program and activities

• Fri Oct 30, 6:30 p.m. — opening concert on the main stage, followed by fireworks
• Sat Oct 31 — 2:30 p.m. local stars show, 6 p.m. street dance contest; all day: bare-hand mackerel catching, kayak mackerel hunt, mackerel tasting, “mackerel rocket”, surprise auctions
• Sun Nov 1 — 9 a.m. Namhang Bridge walk, 2:30 p.m. traditional performing arts, 3:30 p.m. youth bands, 6 p.m. DJ night; daytime activities continue

Activity	Details
Catch mackerel by hand	On-site sign-up only · Oct 31 & Nov 1 at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. · 100 people per round · 8,000 won · beach activity area
Surprise mackerel auction	Join on site · Oct 31 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m.; Nov 1 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. · central plaza
Fish market dawn tour	Oct 31 & Nov 1, 6–8 a.m. at the Busan Cooperative Fish Market · 12,000 won incl. breakfast · fully booked
Kayak mackerel hunt · tasting · paper-boat race	Pre-registration on the official site; most were full as of Oct 21

Even without pre-registration you can join bare-hand catching, watch the stage shows and the auctions on the day. Bring a towel or a change of clothes if you plan to catch mackerel.

Getting to Songdo Beach

VenueViewing spotSubway stationLocations are approximate

• 1. Songdo Beach festival stage — Opening concert, fireworks, activity area · Google Maps · Kakao Map
• 2. Songdo Cloud Trail — Walkway over the sea · fireworks and sunset · Google Maps · Kakao Map
• Jagalchi Station (Line 1) — City bus (e.g. No. 26) to Songdo, 10–15 min · Google Maps · Kakao Map

Take Metro Line 1 to Jagalchi or Nampo Station, then a city bus towards Songdo (e.g. No. 26), about 10–15 minutes — set “Songdo Beach” as the destination in Naver or Kakao Map. A taxi from Nampo-dong takes around 10 minutes. Public car parks fill quickly on opening night and weekend afternoons, and the narrow beach road gets congested. The dawn fish-market tour meets at the Busan Cooperative Fish Market in Nambumin-dong, not at Songdo Beach.

Food and the same weekend

Try go-galbi, Busan-style salted mackerel grilled over high heat — there's an old go-galbi alley in Gwangbok-dong near Nampo. Grilled-shellfish restaurants cluster at the Amnam Park entrance west of Songdo Beach (take the cable car across). The same weekend, the Yeongdo Bridge Festival is 15–20 minutes away via Namhang Bridge — both have fireworks on Oct 30 evening, so pick one. On Saturday evening there's the Gwangalli drone show, and the Busan Fireworks Festival follows on Nov 7.

FAQ

Sources

• 17th Busan Mackerel Festival official website — Seo-gu · Busan Seo-gu Cultural Center, Oct 21, 2026
• Busan Mackerel Festival programs and registration — Busan Mackerel Festival, Oct 21, 2026
• Songdo Beach — Busan Navi, Oct 21, 2026

Schedules, seats and traffic plans can change. Please check the official notice before you go.