About this festival
The Seoul Drum Festival began in 1999 as a platform for percussion culture and has grown into a fixture on the Seoul arts calendar. The 2026 edition (May 16 to 17) at DDP runs under the theme Drum Dream People, with a programme ranging from pungmul (traditional Korean percussion) to jazz drum sets, steel pans, and electronic beat production. DDP's outdoor plazas and indoor halls are used in combination, making it a festival with both free outdoor moments and paid indoor concerts.
Getting there
Take Seoul Metro Line 2, 4, or 5 to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station and walk directly to DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza). The venue is about 15 minutes by metro from Seoul Station and extremely central.
Tips
Free outdoor performances make this an easy spontaneous stop for anyone in central Seoul. Ticketed indoor shows can be booked through Naver Booking (Korean interface, major credit cards accepted). The DDP itself is an architectural landmark designed by Zaha Hadid and worth exploring. May in Seoul is warm and pleasant for outdoor events.
Dates by year
- tentative
2026
May 16 – 17, 2026
Source: Manual editorial. Last verified 2026-05-09.