Gilpost · Korea festival calendar · November 2026 · November picks
One November weekend in Busan: an illustration fair and the fireworks
On 6–8 November Busan has two very different reasons to visit: an illustration fair at BEXCO by day and the Gwangalli fireworks by night — both on Metro Line 2.
If you only get to Busan once this autumn, make it the first weekend of November. Both events are on Metro Line 2, so you will not need a car, and one of them is indoors, so the weather cannot ruin the trip. Our suggestion: the fair on Friday or Saturday daytime, then the fireworks on Saturday 7 November.
1
Busan Illustration Fair
부산일러스트레이션페어
This is the closest you will get to Korea's huge sticker-and-stationery culture: hundreds of independent illustrators with their own booths, selling stickers, washi tape, postcards and keyrings they drew themselves. In 2024 overseas artists had a row of their own.
You need almost no Korean — prices are on the goods and artists are used to customers who point. Two things to know: some booths take cash only, and the fair is in Exhibition Center 2, not Center 1. Saturday was the busiest day.
Based on 30 Korean visitor posts · 5 of them mention visitors from abroad
2
Busan Fireworks Festival
부산불꽃축제
An hour of fireworks set to music, with the Gwangandaegyo bridge as the stage. It is free to watch except for a block of reserved seats, and the thing visitors say most is simply how big it is. Korean writers noticed plenty of foreign visitors, tour groups included.
The hard parts are finding a spot and getting home. Leave the car and take Line 2 — many get off at Geumnyeonsan rather than Gwangan. When it ends, do not head straight for the nearest station; walk a stop or two. Reserved seats for international visitors are sold on NOL World, and your passport is checked.
Based on 29 Korean visitor posts · 3 of them mention visitors from abroad
Book your room early — writers found hotels full two months before the fireworks. BEXCO (Centum City) and Gwangalli are a few stops apart on Line 2, so staying around Haeundae or Centum puts you close to both.
See every festival in November 2026 →
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL), uncropped. Dates can change — check the official site before you go.