Hadong Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Flower Festival Wraps Up, Drawing Around 120,000 Visitors in 14 Days

Held from September 22 to October 5... Around 46,000 paid visitors recorded
Residents helped cultivate flower fields despite drought... 20th-anniversary events and rural-experience programs offered

The 20th Hadong Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Flower Festival, held in Bukcheon-myeon, Hadong County, South Gyeongsang Province, wrapped up its 14-day run, drawing around 120,000 visitors, according to figures compiled after the event.

Hadong County said around 120,000 people visited the festival, held in Jikjeon-ri, Bukcheon-myeon, from September 22 to October 5, 2026. Of those, around 46,000 paid for admission.

[Photo provided by Hadong County] Cosmos and buckwheat flowers are in full bloom at the venue of the 20th Hadong Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Flower Festival, held in Jikjeon-ri, Bukcheon-myeon, Hadong-gun. More than 120,000 visitors attended the festival.

Held under the theme “Follow the Flower Paths and Their Fragrance to Bukcheon, a World of Flowers,” this year’s festival featured a range of performances and hands-on activities centered on cosmos and buckwheat flowers.

This year, the prolonged summer drought made it difficult to cultivate the flower fields. Local residents helped maintain them by watering the plants and removing weeds, allowing visitors to enjoy the floral scenery during the festival.

A celebratory performance by the Hadong County Arts Troupe was held on opening day. During the festival, stage events involving residents and visitors included a Chuseok sing-along competition for local residents and a singing competition for tourists.

The festival also held a “Find the Golden Lucky Pouch” event to mark its 20th anniversary. On weekends and public holidays, special rural-experience booths offered family-friendly activities, including flower-themed crafts and experiences showcasing rural culture.

More photo spots were set up around the festival grounds, and new night photo spots featuring landscape lighting were created so visitors could explore the flower fields after dark.

This allowed visitors to enjoy the cosmos and buckwheat flowers during the day and make use of illuminated areas at night.

The festival was organized as a community-driven event, with local residents directly involved in cultivating and maintaining the flower fields as well as running performances and hands-on activities.

Mun Taesu, head of the Hadong Bukcheon Cosmos and Buckwheat Flower Agricultural Cooperative Corporation, said, “The summer drought made it difficult to maintain the flower fields, but thanks to the residents’ participation, we were able to hold the festival. We are grateful to everyone who has visited over the past 20 years, and we will prepare floral displays and programs for next year as well.”

Although the drought made it difficult to cultivate the flower fields, residents’ efforts to maintain them helped bring the festival to a close. Ensuring stable upkeep of the flower fields and expanding visitor amenities remain challenges going forward.

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