The 2026 Gijang Imrang Wellness Festival, organized by Gijang County in Busan, opened Friday, Oct. 9, at Imrang Beach and runs for three days through Sunday, Oct. 11. The festival, being held for the first time this year, brings wellness together with Gijang’s sea in a participatory event designed to let visitors experience meditation, movement, music and relaxation firsthand on the beach. Its slogan invites people to discover happiness in their own way. Most programs are open to everyone, while a few require advance reservations.
Day 1: A beach where it’s OK to do nothing
The opening-day program on Oct. 9 is a wellness camp called NOTHING WELLNESS. The campsite opens at 5 p.m., followed by Sunset Logout Meditation at 5:30 p.m., a tea ritual at 6 p.m. and Imrang Wave, a sound bath program, at 6:30 p.m. Starting at 7 p.m., NOTHING TIME—just as the name suggests, a chance to do nothing—continues until midnight. The program invites visitors to step away briefly from their busy routines and clear their minds while gazing out at the sea at sunset. The camp requires a paid advance reservation.
Day 2: A day to move and recharge
Saturday, Oct. 10, the second day, is WELLNESS ENERGY DAY, with movement-focused programs running from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The day opens with Imrang Morning Rave, featuring DJ Muzie. Unlike a nighttime club show, this wellness program invites people to wake up to the day by moving freely to music in the morning.
At noon, cognitive psychologist Kim Kyung-il will lead a wellness talk. The afternoon brings a series of beach activities. Beach Bodywork begins at 1 p.m. with Ballet Fit, followed at 2 p.m. by Active Conditioning and at 3 p.m. by Imrang Play, a hula dance program. All are movement programs open to everyone.
As the sun begins to set, the stage shifts. Imrang Healing Wave Festa runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. that day on a special stage at Imrang Beach, featuring Kim Hyun-chul, Yoon Sang and Lee Sang-woo. The concert is hosted by the Imrang Healing Wave Festa Promotion Committee and sponsored by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Kori Headquarters.
Day 3: A ritual to rest well and return to daily life
The final day, Sunday, Oct. 11, is WELLNESS RITUAL DAY. Programs run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are open to all; meditation offerings are more densely scheduled than on the other two days. The 10 a.m. morning ritual features embodied art meditation, followed at noon by a sound bath for a restorative break. The day continues with a 1 p.m. sauna ritual and 2 p.m. movement meditation, then wraps up at 3 p.m. with Deep Sleep Therapy Voice Ritual Yoga. Special programs available only that day include a sauna tent and Sebal Bookstore.
The Beach Book Club, Five Senses Ritual and Imrang Beach Bar will also be open throughout all three days, giving visitors who can’t make it to a scheduled program a place to stay by the sea and relax.
A welcoming gateway to meditation for those who find it hard to sit still
With information and notifications pouring in nonstop, sitting alone in a quiet room with your eyes closed can be a bigger hurdle than expected for people new to meditation. This festival offers several ways to lower that barrier. Sound baths invite participants to surrender to sound; embodied art meditation combines art and the senses; movement meditation focuses attention through physical activity; and voice ritual yoga brings together voice and yoga—all on the same beach. Those who struggle to sit still can start with movement-based programs, while those who find it hard to relax because their minds are racing can try sound and relaxation programs. It’s a good opportunity to sample several forms of meditation in a single day and find out which approach suits you.
The festival also stands out for bringing together the local coastline and meditation. Gijang County said it plans to use the festival as a springboard to develop Imrang Beach—formerly a summer beach destination—into a marine wellness tourism space where visitors can spend time and take part in activities year-round. Gijang County Mayor Woo Seong-bin said more travelers are prioritizing health, relaxation, recovery and meaningful experiences over sightseeing, and that the county will continue to develop tourism content making use of Gijang’s sea and natural environment. As more festivals bring meditation out of dedicated practice spaces and into local tourism, opportunities are also likely to grow to showcase K-meditation, connected with Korea’s natural landscapes, at home and abroad.
Visitor information
Dates: Friday, Oct. 9–Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026
Location: Imrang Beach, Gijang, Busan
Friday, Oct. 9: Wellness camp, 5 p.m.–midnight; paid advance reservation required
Saturday, Oct. 10: WELLNESS ENERGY DAY, 10 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; open participation (paid advance reservations required for some programs)
Saturday evening, Oct. 10: Imrang Healing Wave Festa, 5:30–7:30 p.m., special stage at Imrang Beach
Sunday, Oct. 11: WELLNESS RITUAL DAY, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; open participation
Schedule and reservations: Check the QR code on the official poster