Gilpost · Korea festival calendar · November 2026 · November picks
Late autumn on foot: the Jeju Olle walking festival and Hwadam's maples
Three days walking Jeju's coast with thousands of others, and a botanic garden of maples within reach of Seoul. Early November is the season for both.
A festival does not have to mean a stage and a crowd. November in Korea is good walking weather, and at these two the walk is the whole point.
1
Jeju Olle Walking Festival
제주올레걷기축제
On 5–7 November the festival walks Olle Routes 19 and 20 along Jeju's north-east coast, one stretch a day, with pop-up concerts and village food along the way. Of the November festivals we have read about, this is the one where Korean writers mention foreign walkers most — from Japan, China, Mongolia and Europe. There is an official English page.
Registration and the shuttle buses are both booked in advance in the Olle Pass app; shuttle tickets are not sold on the day. Even in early November, sunny afternoons can be hot, and it gets dark early.
Based on 29 Korean visitor posts · 10 of them mention visitors from abroad
2
Hwadam Botanic Garden autumn foliage festival
화담숲 가을 단풍 축제
A botanic garden in Gwangju, south-east of Seoul, where paths wind through more than 400 varieties of maple. The autumn festival runs 23 October to 15 November.
Entry is by advance booking with a cap on visitors per hour, and the monorail is booked separately — check availability before you plan the day around it. We have not read visitor posts for this one; the dates and booking rules come from press coverage.
Not in the Korea Tourism Organization listings. Dates checked on 2026-10-06 — source ↗
Both involve a lot of walking: wear shoes with ankle support and carry water.
See every festival in November 2026 →
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL), uncropped. Dates can change — check the official site before you go.