Busan to kick off 10-city night tourism campaign with cinema festival

The coastal city of Busan and the Busan Tourism Organization will host the "2026 Korea Bam Bam Festa Busan" from July 18 to 19 at the Busan Cinema Center, launching a nationwide night tourism festival that will roll out across 10 Korean cities through October.

The festival’s name draws from "bam," the Korean word for night.

Selected through a competitive national grant from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the joint network includes Busan, Tongyeong, Gangneung, Jeonju, Gongju, Daejeon, Incheon, Jinju, Seongju and Yeosu.

As the Korea Tourism Organization's designated national night tourism hub for the year, Busan will host the inaugural leg of the campaign.

Under the slogan "A midsummer night's rest — fill up, empty out, stay a while," organizers aim to capitalize on the global shift toward experience-based travel.

The event transforms the city's architecture into a twilight retreat featuring an outdoor library, candlelight concerts and night market zone.

The outdoor library will feature a night-themed lounge stocked with 500 books, outfitted with bean bags and camping ch ...