Last updated: July 2026
Quick answer: The 27th Busan International Rock Festival runs October 2–4, 2026 at Samnak Ecological Park in Sasang-gu, Busan, with daily hours from 10:00 to 22:00. Korea’s longest-running international rock festival has confirmed Avenged Sevenfold and Korean rock legends Song Golmae in its first lineup, with Megadeth added in the July 2026 second-lineup announcement alongside a wide mix of Korean and international acts. Tickets are sold through the official YES24 Ticket platform, with 1-, 2-, and 3-day passes available.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Busan International Rock Festival, and When Is It in 2026?
- Who’s Playing in 2026?
- How Do You Get to Samnak Ecological Park?
- Where Should You Stay for the Festival?
- How Do You Get Tickets?
What Is the Busan International Rock Festival, and When Is It in 2026?
The Busan International Rock Festival has run since 2000, making it Korea’s longest-running international rock music event, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has designated it a preliminary global festival. The 2026 edition is its 27th, running October 2–4 at Samnak Ecological Park (삼락생태공원) in Sasang-gu, a riverside park along the Nakdong River on the western side of the city, with gates open daily from 10:00 to 22:00.
Beyond the main stages, the festival runs food-court lounges, camping zones, interactive games, and companion programs for emerging acts (Rookies on the BU-ROCK, Road to BU-ROCK) — a full weekend event rather than just a concert.
Who’s Playing in 2026?
The first lineup, announced in June 2026, is headlined by American heavy metal act Avenged Sevenfold, alongside Korean rock legends Song Golmae (founded 1979), Japanese rock band Creephyp making its first Korea appearance, returning Japanese favorites Suchmos, Korean band CNBLUE, and Australian indie rock band Spacey Jane.
The second lineup, announced July 16, 2026, added American thrash metal band Megadeth alongside a broad slate of Korean and international acts including Jannabi, Xdinary Heroes, WOODZ, and Japanese band DYGL, among others. Organizers have indicated more names are still to come; the current full bill is published on the official Busan International Rock Festival site, which is the source to check if a specific artist’s appearance matters to your booking.
How Do You Get to Samnak Ecological Park?
The venue address is 29-50 Samnak-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan. Two subway-based routes get you there without a car:
- Sasang Station (Busan Metro Line 2): Exit 3, then about a 15-minute walk (roughly 800m) west toward the riverside park.
- Gwaebeop Renecite Station (Busan-Gimhae Light Rail Transit): Exit 1, crossing a connecting pedestrian bridge into the park, about a 16-minute walk — or catch city bus 123 or 126 from the same station straight to the festival grounds if you’d rather skip the walk.
Busan sits about two and a half hours from Seoul by KTX high-speed train, running frequently between Seoul Station and Busan Station throughout the day. Festival-weekend seats sell out ahead of the dates, so it’s worth booking a high-speed rail ticket🚄 once your dates are set. From Busan Station, Sasang Station is a short ride away on Busan’s own subway — the same T-money card covered in our guide to getting around Seoul works there too.
If you’re flying in from overseas, Busan has its own international airport at Gimhae, so it’s worth comparing fares into Busan✈️ instead of routing through Seoul, especially if the festival is the main reason for your trip.
Where Should You Stay for the Festival?
Samnak Ecological Park itself is in a residential, low-hotel-density part of Sasang-gu, so most visitors base themselves in a better-connected area and subway in for the weekend. Centum City and Seomyeon both sit on the same Line 2 that runs to Sasang Station, keeping the commute to one straightforward ride. It’s worth comparing rooms across Busan🏨 for your festival dates, ideally well ahead — as with any major Busan event weekend, rates climb and the best-located rooms go first. For a fuller neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown and hotel picks at every budget, see our guide to where to stay in Busan, and for the rest of the city beyond festival weekend, our Busan travel guide.
If you’re stacking this trip with Busan’s other big October date, the Busan International Film Festival runs October 6–15 — just after the rock festival wraps, which makes a combined two-week Busan stay a realistic option for visitors flying in from further afield.
How Do You Get Tickets?
Tickets are sold exclusively through YES24 Ticket, the festival’s official platform, on a first-come, first-served basis. The second early-bird window opened July 16, 2026 at 14:00 KST with a 10% discount: a 3-day pass at 239,400 KRW, a 2-day pass at 173,700 KRW, and a 1-day pass at 108,000 KRW. Prices rise as early-bird windows close, so it’s worth confirming current pricing and on-sale status on the official festival site before you lock in flights and hotels.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence which festivals or events we cover.