The 30th Ulsan Whale Festival will be held for 4 days from Thursday, October 15, to Sunday, October 18, across the Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Special Zone in Nam-gu, Ulsan. It is hosted by Nam-gu, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and organised by the Whale Culture Foundation.

To mark its 30th anniversary, this year's festival has the theme 'The Whale's Invitation, a 30th Birthday Party!' and the slogan 'Whales to Be Together With'. Jangsaengpo, the festival's setting, was once a centre of whaling but has since become an ecological city where whales and people coexist, and the festival is rooted in this history of change. The venue is divided into areas including the main stage Whale Theater, the Shrimp Yard, the Whale Experience Yard, a busking zone and a flea market zone reserved for small business owners. A transfer-style welcome gate handling welcome performances and shuttle information will be set up around the Taehwagang Station plaza.

Official events include the opening ceremony and opening theme performance, followed by a 300-member citizens' choir singing 'Ulsan, Beautiful Land' (Ulsan, Areumdaun Gangsan) together. A whale parade symbolising the 30th anniversary and a special fireworks show will also take place, and the programme will close on the last day with a closing ceremony and awards ceremony. At the Jangsaengpo Culture Warehouse, a commemorative archive exhibition, 'Time of the Whales', will look back on the past 30 years.

Performances include the night party show 'Hello 30, Sparkle Tonight!', the orchestra collaboration stage 'WAVE CONCERT', a musical gala concert and world folk performances. An invited performance by the 8th U.S. Army Spartan Band and a contemporary circus about the bond between humans and robots will take special stages, while Ulsan arts groups will present gugak (traditional Korean music), traditional dance, percussion, a senior model runway and youth orchestra performances. For young visitors, there will be the morning 'Goraenara (Whale Land) Kids Festa', the participatory musical 'The Whale's Request' at the Shrimp Yard, a Whale Magic Show and a Whale Balloon Bubble Show, and the character procession 'Cutie Whale Parade' will run throughout the festival.

Competitions and hands-on activities for visitors will also be held. Families can compete in dance at 'Whale Family Dancing Star' and in the 'Whale Family Song Festival 30', and 'Challenge! Whale Rider Challenge' lets visitors try riding and record attempts. There will also be the 'Whale Explorers Family Tour', in which participants collect stamps by completing 5 missions, and the 'Wish Whale Project', completed by collecting wish notes. The 'Whale's Dream AI Zone' offers the AR mission 'Find the Whale', interactive experiences and a Future Whale Lab.

At the food zone 'Goraebapsang' (Whale Table), local volunteer groups and well-known local restaurants will serve food in reusable containers, and a food truck zone, a chimaek (chicken and beer) zone and a whale flea market with local creators and small business owners will also operate. Nearby tourist facilities, including the Whale Sea Tour Boat, the Whale Ecology Experience Center, the Whale Museum, Whales Fantasium and Jangsaengpo Light, are also scheduled to operate in connection with the festival. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and inquiries can be made at 052-270-9324.

Event overview

  • Dates: October 15 to October 18
  • Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Inquiries: 052-270-9324

According to a Festival Times count, 61 festivals are taking place nationwide during the Ulsan Whale Festival. The full October schedule can be filtered by region and date on the festival schedule page.

The detailed schedule is available on the festival details page. Programmes and fees may change at the organiser's discretion.