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Calendar / Andong Maskdance Festival

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Witness / Attend in Andong

Andong Maskdance Festival

South Korea · East Asia

Sep 24 – Oct 4, 2026ConfirmedAndong Maskdance Festival 2026

City-run event

Organized by Andong City (Andong Festival Tourism Foundation), which publishes the official dates and program.

Dates & details verified against: Official event site

Why go

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.

When it runs

Held annually across late September and early October

  • Sep 24 – Oct 4, 2026ConfirmedAndong Maskdance Festival 2026

Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.

These dates are confirmed.

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What to expect

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.

Where it happens

Andong, South Korea.

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