Paid Content: South Koreas Boryeong Mud Festival Returns for 29th Year with K-Pop Super Live, New Nighttime Lineup, and Global Shuttle Service

Sponsored ContentBORYEONG, South Korea—One of Asia’s largest summer festivals is back. The 29th Boryeong Mud Festival opens July 24 at Daecheon Beach and runs through Aug. 9, bringing 17 days and 40 programs to South Korea’s western coastline—and for the first time, Kakao Mobility will provide a dedicated shuttle service designed specifically for international visitors.Last year’s festival drew approximately 1.6 million attendees, encompassing both domestic and foreign tourists. Organizers at the Boryeong Festival Tourism Foundation say the 2026 festival will expand on that with new experience zones, a K-Pop concert on opening night, and an extended nighttime program that reflects what sets the festival apart from any other summer event in the region.Approximately 1.6 million domestic and international tourists visited the Boryeong Mud Festival in 2025, and the number of foreign visitors continues to grow. Boryeong Festival Tourism FoundationMud, Music, and a Wellness TraditionThe festival takes its name from Boryeong’s tidal flat mud—a mineral-rich material sourced from Korea’s western coastline that has been used in skincare for decades. The same mud that festival-goers dive into at Daecheon Beach is the active ingredient behind Boryeong’s line of mud cosmetics, which are marking their 30th anniversary this year.Visitors looking for a more curated experience can head to the Boryeong Mud Theme Park’s Mud Hall, where the second-floor Boryeong Mud Skincare Center offers professional skincare sessions led by certified beauty specialists using Boryeong mud cosmetics, with festival discount pricing in effect throughout the event. The first-floor Mud Festival & Cosmetics Showroom sells the full product range, and this year, a second cosmetics showroom will open at Mud Plaza in honor of its 30th anniversary.What’s New in 2026The headline addition this year is the Mud Cask Zone—a brand-new, self-directed experience at Mud Plaza set to a continuous DJ soundtrack directly beside the sea. Around 20 self-massage mud barrels surround the newly built Mud Infinity Pool, and entry is approximately ₩3,000 ($1.99), or free for Mud Experience Zone ticket holders.Inside the main Mud Experience Zone at Mud Expo Plaza, the Family Zone adds two new attractions: a 30-meter oval mud lazy river designed for all ages, and a two-person mud slide for parent-and-child pairs. The General Zone’s flume ride has also been expanded in height and slide length compared to last year.The festival has also added two extended night sessions—July 24 and Aug. 6—during which the General Zone and its flagship Mud Mob Scene stage program will run until 9:00 p.m. with special lighting. Organizers describe the move as a response to Korea’s increasingly hot summer daytime temperatures.The Experience ZonesThe Mud Experience Zone—divided into three areas—at Mud Expo Plaza is the festival’s core. The General Zone offers more than 19 programs, including large mud pools over 12 meters in diameter, an obstacle course with around 12 mud challenges, and motorized group rides for up to 10 participants at a time. Its signature daily attraction, Mud Mob Scene, is a DJ-and-dancer stage performance with water and mud spray effects that runs at least twice daily, with notable DJs joining on weekends.The Family Zone runs 10 programs under full shade canopies and restricts entry to children three and older. Beyond the new lazy river and two-person slide, it features mud pools, a climbing structure, a bubble tank, an obstacle course, and a rotating event zone with activities including mud body printing and water gun play.The Waterpark Zone rounds out the experience with large assembly pools, separate toddler and kids pools, and floating ride equipment.The 2025 Boryeong Mud Festival site. Boryeong Festival Tourism FoundationEvery night during the festival, except Aug. 5, Mud on the Beach—a nighttime performance combining live rock bands, EDM, and DJ sets with water spray effects on the sand—takes place at the Mud Plaza beachfront from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m..The NightsThe Boryeong Mud Festival has always extended well into the evening, and the 2026 edition formalizes that with a dedicated nighttime lineup.The Mud Night Parade will run Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. along the Car-Free Street, with around 10 performers in illuminated costumes moving between Sunset Plaza and Mud Plaza. The free Mud Train—a music-playing shuttle that runs the length of the Car-Free Street throughout the festival—will lead each parade. Mud Busking performances featuring local artists will occur from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Friday through Sunday at the beachfront plazas.On July 25 and Aug. 9, a Drone Light Show will begin at 9:50 p.m. over the sea in front of Mud Plaza, featuring 3D drone formations set to music. Boryeong has been designated a carbon-neutral city, and the drone shows are part of its commitment to environmentally conscious event programming.K-Pop on Opening NightOn Saturday, July 25, the main stage at Mud Expo Plaza will host KBS K-Pop Super Live as the opening night concert. The Korean Air Force Black Eagles aerobatic display team will also perform over Daecheon Beach the same day, with a preview flight on July 24.The concert lineup continues across the full 17 days, including the 8090 Night Show on July 26, a two-part K-Hip-Hop Festival on July 31 and Aug. 1, the Mud Song Festival (its 7th edition, open to entrants nationwide) on Aug. 2, Mud Rock Festa on Aug. 7, the Big Mud Show on Aug. 8, and a closing TV Chosun Super Concert on Aug 9. All concerts will take place at the Mud Expo Plaza Main Stage.Note that Aug. 5 is a full Safety Inspection Day and all experience zones and standing programs will be closed. The Boryeong Mud Festival features a diverse range of Korean concerts across various genres. Boryeong Festival Tourism FoundationGetting There: K.ride for International VisitorsKakao Mobility will be operating a dedicated shuttle service to the festival through k.ride, its platform for international travelers, from July 24 to Aug. 9 (closed Aug. 5). Shuttles depart from five Seoul-area locations—Sadang Station, Seoul Station, Jamsil Station, Hapjeong Station, and Pyeongtaek Base (U.S. Military’s Camp Humphreys)—with all routes terminating at the Daecheon Beach Festival Grounds.K.ride supports about 100 languages through in-app automatic translation chat, accepts overseas-issued credit and debit cards and international mobile payment services, including Alipay+, and requires only a Google or Apple account to register. The service operates across 34 countries.Kakao Mobility and the Boryeong Festival Tourism Foundation formalized a partnership in March 2026 to expand access for international visitors as demand for travel outside Seoul continues to grow.Korean domestic travelers can book through Kakao T, which runs the same shuttle from 16 departure points—nine in the Seoul metropolitan area (Nowon, Migeum, Bupyeong, Sadang, Seoul Station, Yeongton, Jamsil, Hapjeong, and Pyeongtaek Base) and seven regional cities (Gwangju, Daegu, Daejeon, Busan, Jeonju, Cheonan, and Cheongju).2026 Boryeong Mud Festival Poster. Boryeong Festival Tourism Foundation