Busan is good

“2026 Starry Night Busan Night Festa” Opens with the Debut of the Permanent Downtown Performance “Balcony Music Show & Street Festa”

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it will launch the 2026 Starry Night Busan Night Festa in partnership with the Busan Tourism Organization, headed by President Lee Jung-sil, beginning July 25. A variety of nighttime tourism programs will be presented across Busan through the end of the year.

The Starry Night Busan Night Festa is Busan’s signature nighttime tourism brand. It is being implemented as part of a project selected through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s competition to develop specialized nighttime tourism cities. Through locally distinctive content and hands-on programs, the festival showcases Busan’s unique nighttime appeal to residents and domestic and international visitors, establishing itself as a leading nighttime tourism attraction.

In 2026, Busan will introduce the Balcony Music Show & Street Festa for the first time as a permanent performance program centered on the downtown area. Beginning with this event, a wide range of programs, including Night Walk, Night Music Campnic, and Night Market, will be held sequentially throughout the second half of the year to make Busan’s nights even more vibrant.

“Campnic” is a portmanteau of “camping” and “picnic.”

The highlight of this year’s program is the Balcony Music Show & Street Festa, making its debut as a permanent downtown performance.

Opening on Gwangbok-ro on July 25, the program is a newly developed nighttime tourism attraction designed to revitalize tourism in the downtown area. It is Busan’s first permanent street performance program and will be held regularly through December.

Street Festa

The Street Festa will be held twice, in July and December, along the pedestrian-only section of Gwangbok-ro in Jung-gu. Performances combining traditional culture, music, and dance will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

A variety of accompanying activities will also be available, including Korean traditional games, instant four-cut photo booths, a flea market featuring local small businesses, tourism souvenir sales, and distinctive photo zones.

Beginning at 8:00 p.m., a moving stage called the “parade car” will make its first appearance. Together with performance groups including the Dongmija Bicycle Band, it will present “Sing-Along in Parade,” creating an even more memorable night on Gwangbok-ro.

The Street Festa will be held on Saturday, July 25, and Saturday, December 5. The local small-business flea market will operate from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Balcony Music Show

The Balcony Music Show will operate as a permanent performance program on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from August through December.

Performances will feature seasonal themes spanning K-pop, fusion gugak, original motion picture soundtracks, and jazz. The second-floor balcony of the Busan Brand Shop on Gwangbok-ro and the parade car will be used as performance stages, offering a new attraction in the downtown area.

Performances are scheduled for August 8 and 22, September 12 and 26, October 10 and 24, November 14 and 28, and December 12 and 19.

Night Walk, Night Music Campnic, and Night Market will also be held sequentially at locations across Busan. These programs are expected to encourage visitors to stay longer and further strengthen Busan’s distinctive competitiveness as a nighttime tourism destination.

Night Walk

Night Walk is a nighttime walking program following Busan’s illuminated scenery from APEC Naru Park to Millak-dong. It will be held over two days, August 29 and 30, offering participants a memorable midsummer-night experience.

Night Music Campnic

Co-hosted with Saha-gu, Night Music Campnic will take place every Friday and Saturday for three weeks from September 4 through 19 at Dadaepo Beach Park.

The program will combine performances and picnicking, featuring music from a variety of genres as well as “Meongnic,” a picnic experience for visitors with companion dogs, and “Eatnic,” where participants can sample local food.

Night Market

Night Market, the festival’s most popular signature program in 2025, will return in 2026 following its Early Summer season in June. It will operate from Thursday through Sunday each week for four weeks, from September 26 through October 18.

A diverse selection of food and hands-on activities, including a traditional liquor pop-up store and a self-cooking zone, will welcome residents and visitors.

Detailed schedules and participation information for each program are available on the Visit Busan tourism portal at https://www.visitbusan.net and Busan Metropolitan City’s dedicated nighttime tourism channel, @starry_night_busan.kr.

Na Yoon-bin, Director-General of the Tourism and MICE Bureau, said, “The Starry Night Busan Night Festa, which attracted more than 260,000 visitors last year, has returned this year with an even more diverse and appealing lineup.”

“We will continue developing a broad range of nighttime tourism content so that residents and visitors alike can enjoy Busan’s nights in more memorable ways, while further establishing the event as Busan’s signature nighttime tourism brand,” Na added.