Gochang Bokbunja and Watermelon Festival

Watermelon, bokbunja, and puncheon eel: where Gochang's summer gathers in one place

At the entrance to Seonunsan on a rainy June day. Watching people who refused to leave the watermelon line even with umbrellas, I thought, "Ah, they really mean it here." The Gochang Bokbunja and Watermelon Festival is a three-day summer festival held every June in the Seonunsan Provincial Park area of Gochang, Jeonbuk. In 2025, it was held for the 22nd time from June 20 to 22, and the opening ceremony began at 2 p.m. on the first day on the special stage at the festival site. Gochang is Jeonbuk's largest watermelon production area and a special district for bokbunja, and with Gochang's specialty puncheon eel added to the mix, the festival's core is tasting and taking home the three flavors of "watermelon, bokbunja, and eel" all at once. Even in 2025, when the rain poured down, more than 90,000 people visited over the three days, making it one of the region's top summer events.

What I liked most was that this was not just a festival for looking around. You can taste Gochang watermelons, which carry the Geographical Indication (GI) mark, right on the spot, buy them cheaper than the market price if you like them, and send them by parcel delivery, while children cool off with water gun battles and a pool. On stage, after the opening with a pre-event performance by a fusion gugak band, there was a watermelon-vine-cutting performance, and trot singers Kim Soochan and Yoyomi appeared to energize the crowd.

Not Line 4, but Seonunsan: an overseas traveler's day route

To be honest, Gochang is not the kind of place you can easily reach by public transportation. The most practical option is a rental car, and if you use public transportation, the usual route is to come by intercity bus to Gochang Public Bus Terminal, then transfer to a county bus bound for Seonunsan. Since the festival site is inside Seonunsan Provincial Park, if you come by car, you park in the parking lot and walk in. Because this is more of a daytime event than a nighttime one, there is less worry about the last bus than at night festivals, but county buses do not run frequently, so I recommend checking the return bus time as soon as you arrive.

The on-site route is simple. There is no separate admission fee, and when you arrive, the agricultural specialties sales area, food zone, stage, and experience zones are all visible at a glance. I tried the watermelon tasting first, right after arriving, and the sweetness was definitely different. If you find a watermelon you want to buy, the right move is not to carry it around, but to send it by parcel delivery from the sales booth near the parking lot. It is hard to carry a heavy watermelon around all day, so if you just pay the shipping and packing fee, they will send it home for you.

• Admission fee: None (separate charges for activities, purchases, and food)
• What to bring: Umbrella and raincoat (June may overlap with the monsoon season), extra clothes and a towel (for the water gun zone), a hat and sunscreen, and some cash
• What to definitely try: Puncheon eel, watermelon tasting, bokbunja drinks

Be ready to get hit by water guns, and enjoy catching eel yourself

The highlight of this festival is the "DJ water gun battle." It is a kind of "Gochang-style soaking show," where you shoot water guns to music alongside a watermelon-themed cocktail show and DJ performance. If you stand nearby, you will get your clothes wet even if you are only watching. That is why you should bring a change of clothes or a towel. If you are bringing children, there is a separate children's pool, so it is a good place for them to spend time playing in the water.

There is also fun in "catching," not just eating. The bare-handed eel-catching experience is popular with both adults and children, and the eel you catch is cleaned on site. If you are lucky enough to catch a "white tiger eel," you even receive a special prize. In addition, there are programs families can join one after another, such as watermelon eating contests, cone-shaped watermelon-finding games, three types of obstacle races, and watermelon carving competitions. In 2025, even though it rained, these programs went ahead unchanged, showing how solid the operation was.

Language-wise, to be honest, this is not an urban festival with well-developed English guides or interpretation. Most announcements and guidance are in Korean. But this is the kind of festival that is easy to enjoy even without understanding the language. You can simply point to a watermelon and buy it, and the water gun battle, eel catching, and pool activities are easy to follow by watching. Another plus for foreign visitors is that there are many tastings, so you can "try before you decide." Still, some of the agricultural specialty stalls and food booths are easier with cash, so bringing a small amount of cash will reduce any awkward moments.

If it rains, it becomes even more charming; things worth knowing in advance

Late June can overlap with the monsoon season. 2025 was exactly like that, and even with heavy rain people lined up with umbrellas, so the event itself continues even when it rains. That said, it is a good idea to bring a raincoat, extra clothes, and shoes with good slip resistance. In some years, shaded tents were expanded to prepare for extreme heat, and the children's water play area was expanded to three locations, so whether it is hot or rainy, there are usually places to rest.

And if you are already going all the way to Gochang, it would be a shame to only see the festival site. Seonunsan Provincial Park is famous for Seonunsa Temple, a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple, and its forest trails. Not far away by car are the Gochang Dolmen Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the tidal flats, a UNESCO Natural Heritage site. The festival can be fully enjoyed in half a day to one day, so if you combine it with a walk along the Seonunsa forest trail in your remaining time, you can truly feel Gochang's summer.

In short, the Gochang Bokbunja and Watermelon Festival is a great fit for family travelers who genuinely want to experience a Korean "rural agricultural specialty festival," and for food-focused travelers who enjoy tasting while shopping. If you can travel by car and do not mind a little Korean, I highly recommend enjoying Gochang's June with a sweet, refreshing slice of watermelon as your starting point.