Boryeong Mud Festival

Origins and history

In the early 1990s, local coal mines closed and hurt Boryeong's economy. The nearby tidal flats, or getbol, had historically kept beach tourism low. Local officials learned from university research that the mud was rich in bentonite and germanium, minerals beneficial for the skin. After initial attempts to sell mud cosmetics struggled because the products were largely unknown, Pai Chai University professor Jeong Kang-hwan suggested launching a festival focused on mud. The first event took place in July 1998 and proved an immediate success, turning a regional marketing project into a globally known gathering.

Attractions and activities

During the festival, large installations known as Mud Experience Land are built right along the seafront. Attendees can splash in mud pools, ride slides, play in a mud prison or compete in mud skiing. Stalls provide coloured mud for body art, while nearby beauty tents offer acupuncture and massage treatments using the local sediment. A central stage hosts live music, visual shows and contests throughout the day. In 2023, organizers introduced a mud barbecue to the beachfront lineup. The festivities conclude with a large fireworks display over the sea.

International appeal and cosmetics

What began as a municipal campaign has become one of South Korea's most attended warm-weather events. By 2007, the festival drew more than two million visitors. It holds particular appeal on its final weekend in mid-July, which attracts large crowds of expatriates, international travellers and domestic holidaymakers. A dedicated seafront market continues to sell creams, masks and other cosmetic goods made from the local flats, maintaining the festival's original connection to skincare and regional trade.

How Boryeong Mud Festival is kept

Visitors gather at Daecheon Beach, where truckloads of coastal mud are set up in giant play zones. Participants buy tickets to enter pools, glide down mud slides, wrestle and take part in mud skiing contests. People cover themselves in natural grey mud or use coloured varieties for body paint. Along the beachfront, guests browse stalls offering mud cosmetics, sample therapeutic massage treatments, watch live stage performances and view the closing fireworks display.

When and where

The festival takes place every year during the summer month of July. It runs across a span of roughly two weeks, with the second weekend typically marking its busiest and most popular final days.

The event is held along Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, a city in South Korea located approximately 200 kilometres south of Seoul. The mud itself is gathered directly from the nearby Boryeong mud flats.

What Boryeong Mud Festival means

The festival celebrates the natural benefits of South Korea's coastal getbol, or tidal flats. Once considered an obstacle to tourism, the mud became a symbol of economic renewal and self-care. The practice of covering oneself in mud represents playfulness, skin rejuvenation and communal fun, breaking social barriers among participants.

Questions people ask about Boryeong Mud Festival

See also

NaengmyeonLong buckwheat noodles in icy broth, born in North Korea and eaten most in summerDouble Ninth FestivalAn autumn festival of mountain walks, chrysanthemum wine and ancestor remembranceDaeboreumA Korean festival of the first lunar full moon, marked by fires, wishes and feastsMid-Autumn FestivalAn annual harvest festival celebrating family reunions, full moons and mooncakes

Good reading and sources

• Boryeong Mud Festival on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.