2026 Busan Mackerel Festival: Complete Guide to Dates, Guest Performers, Activities, Food, and Songdo Parking

If you’re looking for a festival where you can enjoy autumn in Busan with your child, consider adding the 2026 Busan Mackerel Festivalto your calendar.

The 17th Busan Mackerel Festival will run from Friday, October 30, to Sunday, November 1, around Songdo Beach in Busan.

The program includes food and activities such as catching mackerel with your bare hands, oven grilling, a seafood auction, and performances by guest artists.

This year’s festival slogan is “Mackerel tastes great! Seo-gu is having fun!”

You can enjoy performances and food overlooking the sea at Songdo, as well as visit nearby attractions, making it a family weekend outing to consider.

On Saturday, October 31, activities, local performances, and a dance competition are scheduled, making it a date worth considering if you plan to visit with your child.

When choosing a date for your visit, first check the guest performers and the performances scheduled for each day.

The opening ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30,followed by the opening celebration performance from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The guest performers on stage that day are Na Sang-do, Baek Su-jeong, and Countdown, a mixed-gender quartet.A fireworks show is also planned as part of the opening event, but it’s best to check on-site announcements for its exact time.

The evening program on Saturday, October 31, is the street dance competition, not a guest artist concert,so keep that in mind when checking the schedule.

At 3:30 p.m. on November 1, performances by Tandanji, Loco Band, and SORA are scheduled.

This will be followed by a performance featuring DJ Mino and Vista at 6:00 p.m.

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If you plan to watch the daytime performances with your child and stay until evening, bringing an extra layer may help protect you from the coastal breeze.

One of the festival’s popular activities is catching mackerel with your bare hands.

The activity will run for two days, October 31 and November 1, with registration available on-site.

Each session lasts about 1 hour, and the number of participants is limited.

Since registration is on-site, arrive with plenty of time if you’d like to participate, and first check where the registration desk is and whether spaces remain.

If you’re going with a child, be prepared for getting wet and slippery surfaces. Bringing a change of clothes, a towel, and waterproof shoes can make cleanup afterward much easier.

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As of October 30, all programs requiring advance registration through the website—including kayaking, an on-site visit to Busan Cooperative Fish Market, a mackerel menu tasting, Mackerel Rocket, and the paper boat race—were fully booked.

It has not been confirmed whether additional on-site registration will be available on the day, so check the latest updates in the official announcements.

Grilling and tasting the mackerel you catch yourself is another festival activity to look forward to.

The oven-grilled mackerel program lets participants grill and eat on-site the mackerel they catch in the hands-on activity.

It will operate on October 31 and November 1, from noon to 6:00 p.m., with on-site registration. The fee is 3,000 won per fish.

The surprise mackerel auction offers a chance to experience the atmosphere of a live auction.

If you’re with a child, you can also use it as an opportunity to talk about how seafood is sold and how prices are set.

A food market and seafood sales area will also be operating, but menus and prices may vary by booth.

When serving grilled fish to a child, carefully remove the bones and take care to avoid burns around the oven.

Visitors may crowd the area on weekends, so check parking locations and public transportation options before setting out.

The main public parking lots listed in the festival’s official information are:

Check parking fees on the on-site signs,and keep in mind that lots may be full and nearby roads congested on the day of the festival.

If traveling by public transportation, take city buses 7, 26, 30, 71, or 96and get off at the Songdo Beach stop.

Also, vehicle restrictions are scheduled for the Namhang Bridge walking event on Sunday, November 1, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

The restricted route runs from Songdo Base Station, past the main entrance of Songdo Hillstate Ijin Bay City, to the Namhang Bridge access road.

During this time, vehicles will be restricted from entering the area around Songdo Base Station of the Songdo Marine Cable Car, and Songnim Parking Lot will also be unavailable.

The alternative parking lot indicated by the cable car operator is Namhang Parking Lot (40 Chungmu-daero 94beon-gil, Seo-gu, Busan). You will need to walk from the lot.

If you’re also planning to ride the Songdo Marine Cable Car, note the standard round-trip fares.

The Crystal Cruise has a transparent cabin floor, offering views of the sea below.

The cable car operates separately from the festival. According to the official information as of October 30, its operating hours are 09:00~21:00, and ticket sales close 30 minutes before closing.

Operating hours may change depending on the date and weather, so check again on the day of your visit for service status, wait times, fares, and discount conditions.

If you’re visiting with a child, plan a route that fits activities, meals, and performances together without rushing.

Suggested itinerary for Saturday, October 31One option is to arrive around lunchtime, check whether registration for hands-on mackerel catching is still open, then enjoy oven-grilled mackerel and the surprise mackerel auction.

Watch the Local Star in Seo-gu performance starting at 2:30 p.m., then consider Songdo Cloud Walk or the Songdo Marine Cable Car depending on your child’s energy.

If you’re visiting on Sunday, November 1, it may be easier to come in the afternoon to avoid the morning vehicle restriction period.

Even if you didn’t reserve an activity, you can still enjoy an outing centered on a beach walk, performances, and the food market.

If you bring a stroller, stick to the beach promenade rather than crowded areas inside the performance venue, and check the locations of restrooms and places to take a break in advance.

The 2026 Busan Mackerel Festival is an autumn event in Busan where you can enjoy free performances, mackerel activities, and a variety of food in one place.

However, as of October 30, advance registration for some programs was closed, and performance and activity schedules may change due to the weather or on-site operating conditions.

Check the latest announcements on the official website before visiting, and in particular confirm the November 1 vehicle restrictions and parking availability.

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