The 2026 Gijang Imrang Wellness Festival, organised by Gijang County in Busan, opened at Imrang Beach on Friday 9 October and runs for three days, until Sunday 11 October. Held for the first time this year, the festival brings wellness together with Gijang’s coastline in an interactive event where visitors can experience meditation, movement, music and rest on the beach. Its slogan invites people to discover happiness in their own way. Most programmes are open to all, with advance booking required for some.
Day one: a sea where it is fine to do nothing
The first day, 9 October, features a wellness camping programme called NOTHING WELLNESS. The campsite opens at 5pm, followed by Sunset Logout Meditation at 5.30pm, a tea ritual at 6pm and Imrang Wave, a sound bath, at 6.30pm. From 7pm, NOTHING TIME — a chance to do precisely nothing — continues until midnight. The idea is to take a brief break from busy daily life, watch the sun set over the sea and let the body and mind unwind. Camping requires paid advance booking.
10 October: a day to move and recharge
The second day, Saturday 10 October, is WELLNESS ENERGY DAY, with movement-focused programmes running from 10am to 7.30pm. The day opens with Imrang Morning Rave, featuring DJ Muzie. Unlike a nightclub performance, this wellness programme invites participants to move freely to music in the morning and wake themselves up for the day.
At noon, cognitive psychologist Professor Kim Kyung-il will give a wellness talk. In the afternoon, the focus shifts to movement on the beach: the first Beach Bodywork session, Ballet Fit, starts at 1pm; the second, Active Conditioning, at 2pm; and Imrang Play, a hula dance programme, at 3pm. All are open to anyone who wishes to take part.
As the sun begins to set, the stage changes. From 5.30pm to 7.30pm that day, the Imrang Healing Wave Festa will take place on a special stage at Imrang Beach, with performances by Kim Hyun-chul, Yoon Sang and Lee Sang-woo. The concert is organised by the Imrang Healing Wave Festa Promotion Committee and sponsored by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Gori Nuclear Power Headquarters.
11 October: a ritual for resting well and returning to daily life
The final day, Sunday 11 October, is WELLNESS RITUAL DAY. Programmes run from 10am to 5pm and are open to all; of the three days, this one has the fullest schedule of meditation sessions. The 10am morning ritual is embodied art meditation, followed at noon by a sound bath for a restorative pause. After a sauna ritual at 1pm and movement meditation at 2pm, the festival closes at 3pm with Deep Sleep Therapy Voice Ritual Yoga. Sauna tents and the Three-legged Bookshop will also be available as special programmes running only that day.
The Beach Book Club, Five Senses Ritual and Imrang Beach Bar will operate throughout all three days, giving visitors who cannot make the scheduled sessions a chance to stay on the beach and unwind.
An open door to meditation for those who find it hard to sit still
In these times, when information and notifications pour in without pause, sitting alone in a quiet room with your eyes closed can be a bigger hurdle than expected for anyone new to meditation. This festival’s programme offers several ways to lower that barrier. Visitors can choose from sound baths that invite them to surrender to sound, embodied art meditation combining art and the senses, movement meditation that focuses attention through physical activity, and voice ritual yoga combining voice and yoga — all on the same beach. Those who struggle to sit still can start with activities that involve movement, while those whose busy thoughts make it difficult to rest can try the sound and relaxation sessions. It is a good opportunity to sample several forms of meditation in a single day and discover which suits you.
The festival is also notable for bringing together the local coastline and meditation. Gijang County said it plans to build on the festival to develop Imrang Beach, previously a summer bathing destination, into a marine wellness tourism space where people can spend time and take part in activities throughout the year. Gijang County Mayor Woo Seong-bin said that travellers increasingly value health, rest, self-recovery and meaningful experiences over sightseeing, and that the county would continue to develop tourism content making use of Gijang’s sea and natural environment. As more events bring meditation out of dedicated practice spaces and into local tourism, the stage for presenting K-meditation — combined with Korea’s natural landscapes — to domestic and international audiences is also likely to grow.
Visitor information
Dates: Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October 2026
Venue: Imrang Beach, Gijang County, Busan
Friday 9 October: Wellness camping, 5pm to midnight; paid advance booking required
Saturday 10 October: WELLNESS ENERGY DAY, 10am to 7.30pm; open to all (paid advance booking required for some programmes)
Saturday 10 October, evening: Imrang Healing Wave Festa, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, special stage at Imrang Beach
Sunday 11 October: WELLNESS RITUAL DAY, 10am to 5pm; open to all
Schedule and bookings: check the QR code on the official poster