This summer, Bukhang in Busan will be transformed into a healing space in the heart of the city where citizens and tourists can look after both body and mind together.
The Busan Meditation Association (BMA) said it will hold ‘the Third Busan International Meditation Festival’ from 4pm to 7pm on 1 August at the grass plaza of Bukhang Waterfront Park.
The event will be staged in conjunction with ‘the 2026 Bukhang Ocean SUP FESTA’, a marine leisure festival, and is set to provide citizens with a new kind of healing experience through a hybrid wellness programme that blends meditation and maritime culture.
A citizen-participation festival to spread meditation culture in everyday life
This year’s festival theme is ‘Meditation in everyday life’.
It has been planned so that anyone—including professional practitioners, ordinary citizens, university students and foreign tourists—can take part freely. The aim is to help modern people manage stress, improve mental health and spread a culture of caring for the mind.
In particular, because it will take place in the open setting of Bukhang Waterfront Park, which looks out to the sea, organisers expect participants will be able to experience at first hand the benefits of meditation alongside the natural environment.
From reclining meditation to tai chi: a variety of hands-on programmes
The event will begin with an opening ceremony, followed by welcoming remarks by BMA chair Master Joo-seok and speeches from key guests.
After that, in the reclining meditation programme—which runs for around 40 minutes with guidance from Master Joo-seok—participants will lie on the grass plaza and focus on breathing and relaxation, taking time to comfortably restore both body and mind.
In the subsequent tai chi demonstration, organisers also plan to introduce an East Asian traditional training method designed to improve physical balance and concentration through gentle movements.
A new festival model where marine leisure meets wellness
After the meditation programme ends, the opening ceremony of ‘the 2026 Bukhang Ocean SUP FESTA’ will follow.
A key feature of the event is that a range of marine leisure content centred on SUP (stand-up paddleboards) will be linked with meditation programmes into a single festival, with the aim of proposing a healthy lifestyle.
At the end of the event, a congratulatory performance by singer Lee Seung-gi is also scheduled, offering summer-night cultural entertainment for both citizens and tourists.
Bukhang Waterfront Park draws attention as a wellness destination in the city
Bukhang Waterfront Park, where the event will take place, is close to Busan Station and offers excellent accessibility. As an open space where the sea and the city come together, it hosts a range of cultural events.
Building on last year’s efforts, the Busan Meditation Association will also hold the international meditation festival at the same location this year, putting meaning in expanding meditation as a everyday living culture that anyone can access easily.
Master Joo-seok said, “Meditation is not a practice reserved for only special people; it is a way to care for your mental health that anyone can practise in daily life. I hope that, for citizens and domestic and international tourists visiting Bukhang, it becomes a time to put everyday life down for a while and experience rest and healing through meditation.”
Expectations rise for growth potential as wellness tourism content
Meanwhile, ‘the 2026 Bukhang Ocean SUP FESTA’ will run from 31 July to 9 August across the Bukhang Waterfront Park area.
During the event period, a variety of content is expected to operate, including the international meditation festival, SUP experiences, a kids’ SUP pool, a moonboat experience, a UFO boat, the Luminous Run, and marine leisure programmes.
Experts are paying attention to the possibility that this festival, which combines meditation and marine leisure, could become a new cultural content platform not only for improving citizens’ physical and mental health, but also for boosting Busan’s competitiveness in wellness tourism.
