Bangeo Festival Jeju Nov 19 2026: Delicious Yellowtail Experiences Complete Guide

Catch a yellowtail with your bare hands in Jeju this November? 🐟 The Bangeo Festival Jeju runs November 19–22, 2026 at Moseulpo Port, with 3 walk-up activities, a singing contest and closing fireworks. Here’s the full guide: read this before you go. ✨

※ Check the official website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

The Bangeo Festival Jeju runs November 19–22, 2026, and the 3 yellowtail activities are walk-up only. Learn the time slots before you go. 🐟

The Bangeo Festival Jeju (최남단 방어축제, Choenamdan Bangeo Festival, literally the Southernmost Yellowtail Festival) is a winter seafood festival held around Moseulpo Port in Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo, on the southern tip of Jeju Island. Bangeo is the Korean name for yellowtail, a fish caught widely in this area and eaten raw.

According to the VisitKorea English page, the festival is held every November at Moseulpo Port, and visitors can enjoy fresh bangeo there and take some home. The official website’s stage program lists the 26th festival’s opening ceremony, a singing contest, a giant yellowtail dismantling show and a closing ceremony with fireworks, hour by hour over 4 days. This guide is based on the official program as of November 2, 2026. The invited singer lines in the program are blank, so no names are given.

The official website is in Korean only. Your browser’s translate feature (e.g., Chrome → Translate) works well for checking dates and prices.

Official Site (Korean)

1. Bangeo Festival Jeju Venue and Schedule

Thursday, November 19: Opening Ceremony and Pre-Shows

The first day’s program begins at 3:00 PM with a gil-teugi (길트기), a festive procession with a mounted unit, the Marine Corps band, banners, a traditional sori troupe and local officials. Pre-show performances follow, and the opening ceremony runs from 5:00 PM to 5:50 PM. From 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM an invited singer performs, but the name is blank in the program.

Friday, November 20: Singing Contest Preliminaries

On the second day, senior games (yutnori, tuho and ring toss) run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. The singing contest preliminaries are split into two parts, at 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM, with 16 teams in each. At 6:50 PM the finalists are announced, followed by a congratulatory performance.

Saturday, November 21: Dismantling Show and Eating Contest

The third day starts at 11:00 AM with the giant yellowtail dismantling show, followed at 12:00 PM by the giant yellowtail eating contest (walk-up registration). At 1:00 PM comes a turban shell scramble and a haenyeo taewak-making session (haenyeo are Jeju’s female divers, and a taewak is the float they carry). The haenyeo singing contest follows at 2:00 PM. In the evening, local shows lead into an invited singer set at 6:30 PM.

Sunday, November 22: Final and Fireworks

The last day opens with the singing contest final at 4:30 PM, and the awards and raffle are at 7:20 PM. The closing ceremony and fireworks are listed from 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Activities close at 2:30 PM that day, so an afternoon arrival is too late for them.

2. Singing Contest Preliminaries vs Final at a Glance

The singing contest is split between a November 20 preliminary and a November 22 final. Which day you watch changes the atmosphere at the same venue. The table lists only what the program confirms. The number of finalists and the prize money were not confirmed.

💡 Compare Jeju hotels by date on Agoda or Booking.com before you choose your festival night.

To see both the singing contest final and the fireworks, you need to stay until the evening of November 22. The closing ceremony ends around 8:30 PM, so leaving the same night can be tight. Look at hotels near Moseulpo Port first, then work out your transfer time to the airport. Keep a few options open and compare room availability by date.

3. Main Programs: 3 Things to Know

Bare-Hand Catching, Fishing and Auction Activities

The 3 activities are bare-hand yellowtail catching, yellowtail fishing and a yellowtail auction. All are walk-up and run from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM. On one day the program lists the catching activity under a slightly different name, so the label varies a little. Fees and capacity were not confirmed.

Giant Yellowtail Dismantling Show and Eating Contest

The dismantling show is at 11:00 AM on November 21, and the eating contest follows at 12:00 PM. The eating contest is walk-up. The number of participants, prizes and any entry fee were not confirmed, so ask at the festival if you want to join. If you only watch, the two events flow into each other.

Haenyeo Programs and Closing Fireworks

At 1:00 PM on November 21 you can watch the turban shell scramble and haenyeo taewak making, and the haenyeo singing contest comes at 2:00 PM. The closing ceremony and fireworks are at 8:00 PM on November 22. These programs give visitors a window into Jeju’s haenyeo culture.

4. Hands-On Registration in 4 Steps

Step 1: Check the Sign-Up Hours

The 3 activities take walk-up sign-ups from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM from November 19 to 21, and from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM on November 22. No advance booking was found. If you arrive late, you may miss sign-up, so leave yourself time.

Step 2: Choose an Activity

Pick from bare-hand yellowtail catching, yellowtail fishing and the yellowtail auction. Trying all of them may take a while. If you travel with children, decide first which one suits them best.

Step 3: Watch the November 22 Cutoff

On the last day, activities end at 2:30 PM. If you plan to arrive in the evening only for the fireworks, you will not be able to join them. If activities are your goal, pick a day between November 19 and 21.

Step 4: Decide on the Eating Contest

The giant yellowtail eating contest is at 12:00 PM on November 21 with walk-up registration. Entry rules were not confirmed. As a spectator, watching it right after the dismantling show makes a smooth sequence.

Check Sign-Up Times (Korean)

5. Tips for Foreign Visitors

Pick Your Day by the Event

Each day has a different focus: November 20 has the singing contest preliminaries, November 21 has the dismantling show and eating contest, and November 22 has the final and fireworks. Decide which program matters most. If activities are your goal, choose a day earlier than November 22.

Invited Singers Are Not Announced

The program has an invited singer slot each day, but the names were blank. The lineup was not confirmed, so if singers decide your trip, check the official page again. Handy Korean: 방어 (bangeo, yellowtail) and 회 (hoe, sliced raw fish).

Prepare for Winter Sea Wind

It is a port venue, and the sea wind in late November can be cold. A warm coat and gloves help during long outdoor shows. Some activities may leave you wet, so bring spare clothes and shoes. English support on site was not confirmed and may be limited.

Calculate Your Travel Time

If you come from outside Jeju, work out your flight and transfer times first. After the fireworks on November 22, getting back can run late. Payment methods on site were not confirmed, so carry a card and some cash. Look at the timetable page below to compare airport buses.

6. Where to Eat and Stay Nearby

Food Around the Festival

The materials reviewed contained no information on food booths at the grounds or restaurants around Moseulpo Port, so no specific places are named. It is the yellowtail season, so looking for yellowtail dishes at local restaurants is a reasonable plan, but check prices on site.

Booking a Stay in Seogwipo

You can compare hotels by date on Agoda or Booking.com. First decide what matters more to you: distance to Moseulpo Port or distance to the airport. No hotel recommendations were confirmed.

Day Trip or Overnight

If you already live on Jeju, a day trip may work, but visitors from elsewhere will find an overnight stay easier. The November 22 fireworks begin at 8:00 PM and finish at night, so plan a place to sleep.

💡 Compare Jeju flights and stays on Trip.com before you finalize your itinerary.

For a Jeju trip, lock in your flights and hotel first so the rest falls into place. The festival runs Thursday to Sunday, so travelers may crowd in. Choose the day of the program you most want to see, then compare hotels. Read the cancellation terms too, and a change of plans will cost you less.

Frequently Asked Questions

More to Explore

Planning a yellowtail trip to Jeju? Set your flights, hotel and transfers together. The festival runs 4 days, so picking a date is flexible. Compare stays on Agoda or Booking.com by date, then check the airport bus timetable below.

Heading to Jeju by airport bus? Check the timetable in advance — note that this page is in Korean, so your browser’s translate feature will help.

Source: Official Southernmost Bangeo Festival website stage program, VisitKorea English page (as of November 2026)