21st Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival Opens October 7... Five Days at Sangrim Park

Wild Ginseng Sales, Harvesting Experiences, Wellness Programs, and Performances Run Through October 11

Opening Day Proclamation: "2027 Year of Visiting Hamyang" and 400-Drone Light Show

The 21st Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival will be held for five days from October 7 to October 11, 2026, across the Sangrim Park area in Hamyang County, Gyeongnam Province.

The county announced that, under the slogan "Immersed in Wild Ginseng, Staying in Hamyang," the festival will feature wild ginseng sales, wild ginseng harvesting experiences, health and wellness programs, performances, food vendors, and activities for children.

This year’s festival will operate a wild ginseng sales center, and all sales booths will handle practical wild ginseng products. Certification tags will be attached to the wild ginseng for quality assurance, and there will also be a payback event where visitors can receive local gift vouchers based on their purchase amounts.

A dedicated space will also be set up for the promotion and sale of agricultural products from the Hamyang area. The county plans to collaborate with local businesses to operate the wild ginseng and agricultural specialty product sales, as well as the food court.

From wild ginseng harvesting to wellness experiences, the festival at Pilbong Mountain Forest will feature a "Find the Golden Wild Ginseng" program three times a day, where participants search for a golden wild ginseng model. Prizes such as pure gold and the festival mascot "Sanisami" dolls will be awarded to participants according to event guidelines.

Every day during the festival, visitors can take part in a "Wild Ginseng Digging Experience," where they learn about the characteristics of wild ginseng and its harvesting methods at an actual cultivation site, and dig up five-year-old wild ginseng themselves.

Other activities will include making wild ginseng infused liquor, a roulette event, and photo zones throughout the festival period.

The anti-aging pavilion will offer wellness programs such as health check-ups, half-body baths, and meditation, as well as hands-on experiences such as making red bean hot packs and gel compresses.

On October 10, a "Barefoot Walking Healing Festa" will take place in the Sangrim Park area, including a barefoot walking contest and health-related lectures.

On the festival’s opening day, October 7, a proclamation ceremony for "2027 Year of Visiting Hamyang" will be held alongside the main performance.

During the proclamation ceremony, Hamyang County will introduce the direction of tourism-related projects for 2027. Following the opening celebratory performance, there will be a light show using 400 drones.

Nighttime programs will also be featured. On October 9 and 10, starting at 7 p.m., the "Sanmak Night" event will combine local foods and performances.

Sanmak Night will be operated with an entrance fee of 10,000 won, providing visitors with wild ginseng Makgeolli or wild ginseng sikhye, along with pork slices and leek pancakes.

On the final day, October 11, programs will include “OrGO Hamyang Summit Day,” a performance by the Gyeongnam Provincial Art Troupe, a closing celebration, and a fireworks show.

Yeonji Park will offer a 6,000-square-meter family zone for families visiting the festival.

A family zone covering approximately 6,000 square meters will be established in Yeonji Park, featuring large sunshades, a children’s playground, and food trucks.

Child and family-friendly experience programs will also be provided, such as a wooden playground, the Hamyang Arcade, instant photo shoots, Sanisami cookie making, traditional games, and crafts like making hanji books and sŏdae.

The Outing Market Zone will host booths for handcrafts and face painting, as well as performances including magic shows, mask changing (bian lian), and balloon play.

The newly prepared picnic zone will be set up as a passageway between the Wild Ginseng Pavilion and Bullro Waterfall. There will be bakeries and cafes run by local youths, beanbags, parasols, mini tents, DJ programs, and wild ginseng auctions—these auctions will be held three times a day.

The food court will accommodate approximately 500 seats. Alongside regular menu items, there will be a separate area serving black pork, a local Hamyang specialty.

A Hamyang County official commented, “We are planning to operate programs such as wild ginseng sales and harvesting experiences, wellness and family activities, and performances. Sales of local agricultural products and foods will also be integrated with the festival programs.”

The 21st Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival will run from October 7 to October 11, 2026, throughout the Sangrim Park area.

This year, the Hamyang Wild Ginseng Festival has notably expanded beyond its traditional wild ginseng sales focus, now featuring programs for harvesting, wellness, nighttime, and family experiences.

Particularly, with the proclamation of the "2027 Year of Visiting Hamyang" during the opening ceremony, attention is focused on how the festival can contribute to sustained regional tourism rather than being a one-off event.

It will also be important to assess whether the sales of wild ginseng and local agricultural products, food, and stay-type programs will actually translate into increased local consumption and longer stays by tourists as a measure of the festival’s effectiveness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.