Okay, I’m the worst blogger ever. I am, and I’ll own it…but life has been wild lately. Between a million doctor’s appointments, Ryan’s work schedule, the kids’ sports and modeling schedules, and more, the lack of “free” time has been crazy. But, couple that with the fact that we’re squeezing in adventures every chance we get, and we’ve basically had no down time to even post. At least, that’s how I’m justifying it! A few weeks ago though, we made our way down to Daecheon Beach and finally got out to the 2025 Boryeong Mud Festival.
2025 Boryeong Mud Festival
When we first got to Korea in 2021, we went out to Daecheon to the beach for the first time, and we loved it. However, due to Covid restrictions at the time, they weren’t running the traditional festival. In fact, in 2022, they weren’t running it yet fully again, and we ended up missing it in 2023 – the year we moved to Alaska. So, long story short. We’ve never been to the actual Boryeong Mud Festival before.
But before I share about our trip, you might be wondering…what the heck is the Boryeong Mud Festival, right? Well, essentially, it’s an annual event that was initially staged in 1998 and now, 20-something years later, attracts visitors from around the globe. Its humble origins actually date back to the area trying to attract visitors who, for all intents and purposes, overlooked the area because of its abundance of sea mud. They spun it into gold though, and visitors now flock to Boryeong for the sea mud’s healing properties (and more).
All About the Boryeong Mud Festival
It’s worth noting that there are two areas to the Boryeong Mud Festival these days. There’s an adults-only section for those 140cm and up, and there is a “Family Zone” that’s ideal for those with young children. Though Spencer is 140cm, he was measured shorter, so we ended up spending our day at the Family Zone, which consisted of a mud zone, including mazes, obstacle courses, mud pools, slides, mud painting, and more, as well as a clean zone with pools and water play. Though much more tame than the Adult Zone, the kids had a blast.
It’s worth noting that the adults’ area includes mud pools, mud fights, mud slides, more intense obstacle courses, and varying mud rides. There are also K-Pop concerts, DJ performances, EDM parties, and fireworks. And, it’s an event that goes on for a few weeks both on weekdays and weekends. We went on a Saturday morning, arriving bright and early, and we expected it to feel insanely crowded but, though there were lots of people, it never felt too busy.
Our Favorite Parts of the Boryeong Mud Festival
The boys generally just loved being wild; anything where they could run, climb, splash, and play (which was most of it), and they were in heaven. Mieke was a little more tame, and she was initially unsure about the mud, but she ended up loving it and splashing with the rest of them. And, because Korea is Korea and nobody steals anything, we didn’t feel the need to rent a locker for our stuff and, instead, just left our picnic blanket, food, and belongings outside the activity zones and took breaks as needed.
There’s a whole food and drink area, but we’d come prepared, so we didn’t actually need to buy anything though, again, everything was really reasonably priced. By about 1 PM, we decided we wanted to take a break, and we walked two blocks to Daecheon Beach, where we spent the rest of the day in the ocean. So, when I say there’s something for everyone – I mean it!
Tips for Visiting the 2026 Boryeong Mud Festival
Address: 897-15, Daejeon-ro, Boryeong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 897-15, Boryeong Mud Museum (For Naver – just type “Boryeong Mud Festival,” and it will take you to one of the lots.)
Parking: There is ample free parking available directly behind the event site and only 3 blocks from Daecheon Beach.
Amenities: There are both ADA accessible and normal restroom trailers available throughout the event venue. Food, clothing, and souvenirs are also available for purchase throughout, and they accept both cash and card.
Tickets: You can buy tickets onsite, or you can buy them prior online with either a Korean or foreign card. When you arrive, just go to the ticket kiosk by the entrance, and they’ll ask for the last four digits of the phone number you used to book your tickets. They’ll then provide wristbands for access to the zone you purchased.
Tips: Bring sunscreen and sun gear! Most Koreans wear full rash guards, so we definitely stood out at times, but there was no issue. I also recommend some form of water shoes or water sandals.
