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Witness / Attend in AndongKR
Korea's capital of Confucian heritage on the Nakdong river, home to the UNESCO-listed Hahoe folk village and, each autumn, the international festival celebrating Korea's UNESCO-listed mask dance tradition.
Organized by Andong City (Andong Festival Tourism Foundation), which publishes the official dates and program.
Dates & details verified against: Official event site ↗
Why here
Korean talchum, the satirical masked dance-drama that mocked aristocrats and monks for centuries, joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2022, and Andong is where it lives: the Hahoe village byeolsingut is the most famous of the surviving traditions, and the Andong International Mask Dance Festival each autumn gathers Korea's talchum troupes alongside masked-performance companies from around the world. The festival grounds pair performances with mask-making workshops and the UNESCO-listed folk village itself, thatched houses still inhabited by the Ryu clan, a short bus from the stages. It is Korea's deepest single dose of pre-modern performing culture, timed to the country's most beautiful season.
Best months
Held annually across late September and early October; the 2026 edition runs September 24 to October 4, with the program published on the festival's official site. Early autumn in Andong is dry and mild, prime foliage-approach weather. Weekend performances at Hahoe village draw the biggest crowds.
Getting there & around
Take the KTX-Eum train from Seoul to Andong, about two hours, or drive two and a half. Festival venues split between the riverside grounds in town and Hahoe village, 40 minutes out by bus; the village's own mask-dance performances run on their regular schedule year-round if you miss the festival. Book festival-window rooms a few weeks ahead.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (1)
Andong International Maskdance Festival
OrganizerThe festival organization under Andong's city and tourism foundation, publishing each year's program, venues, and international troupe lineup for Korea's flagship mask-dance celebration.