Ulsan Onggi Festival
울산옹기축제
Korea's only festival dedicated to onggi (traditional earthenware), held each May at Oegosan Onggi Village in Ulsan, where potters throw, fire, and sell traditional vessels while visitors try their hand at the wheel.
Oegosan village in Ulju-gun is home to dozens of working onggi kilns, the last place in Korea where the traditional large-vessel earthenware tradition is still practised at scale. The 2026 festival runs May 1 to 3, combining kiln viewing, live pottery demonstrations, and hands-on throwing sessions with drone shows and concerts in the evenings. Onggi are prized as fermentation vessels because their porous walls allow air exchange, making them the original smart container for kimchi and doenjang.
Take the KTX from Seoul to Ulsan Station (about 2 hours 10 minutes), then a local bus or taxi to Oegosan Onggi Village in Onyang-eup, Ulju-gun (about 30 minutes). During the festival, shuttle buses typically run from Ulsan KTX Station.
Admission is free; some hands-on programmes charge 1,000 to 10,000 won. The village operates year-round, so visiting outside the festival is still worthwhile if you want to buy authentic onggi directly from the kilns. Limited food options near the village; the festival brings stalls, but a meal in Ulsan before or after is worth planning.
https://www.onggi.or.kr/ko/