Getting Dirty at the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea

My son and I headed to the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach today. We had intended to participate but changed our minds once we got there. It was HOT!! Too hot to stand in those long lines being corralled together under that unbelievably hot sun. Thankfully there were a lot of people who didn’t have the same reservations we did and we were able to watch them enjoying the beautiful day and some really dirty fun. Honestly, I think my son was there to watch a bunch of bikini-clad girls wrestles in the mud. Sheesh, some things never change.

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Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea
Daecheon Beach

This year’s festival began on Friday, July 15, and runs through Sunday, July 24. The city of Boryeong has 136 km (roughly 84 miles) of the coastline of premium sea mud. Many locals believe has the same properties as the Dead Sea in Israel.

Deacheon Beach is everything you imagine a beach town to be. The beach is 3.5km long and 100m wide and very wet. It is one of several beaches on the western tip of the country. There are lots of souvenir shops, seafood restaurants, and resorts. Some of them even have attached water parks. You can rent an ATV vehicle or bicycle. The cicadas sang out loud as we approached the beach.

Beauty and Cosmetics

It looks like the tide rolls in to create a muddy stage for the mud festival that began in 1996. It grew out of a desire to promote the properties of the Boryeong Mud and the cosmetics made from it. The cosmetics, trucked in from the Boryeong Mud Flats is said to be full of minerals and health benefits. The Mud Festival is one of the most well-attended festivals in Korea, attracting more than 300 million tourists per year and is one of a few festivals that attract more and more international visitors every year– more than 300,000.

Parking at the Mud Festival

We parked in the large parking lot across from the water park on the left as you approach the beach. It is the only place that I noticed was free. I didn’t drive my Jeep this weekend. I rented a car because it needs some maintenance.

So guess what the rental car agency gave me to tool around in? Yup, a white Kia– the official car of South Korea. So when we returned to the parking lot, I had to use the remote to locate my car in the sea of other white Kia’s. I rented my car on post at the Gold Tower Rental office in the Exchange building on Camp Walker. Make sure not to park in that parking lot, overnight parking is allowed in the Commissary parking lot.

The Boardwalk

We headed toward the beach and strolled down the boardwalk that straddles the beach. The boardwalk is wide and has all the requisite stores selling beachwear, bicycles, ice cream slushes, and games of chance. There are also several high-end hotels, vendor stalls, and restaurants with a great view of the beach and the people strolling back and forth. It is also the easiest way to find the mud festival activities in Mud Plaza.

Check out how I am living my life in Daegu, South Korea.

Mud Plaza

The Boryeong Mud Festival takes place in Mud Plaza every day from 11-6 pm. The tanks are set up and monitored by festival staff who make sure no one comes into the area with glass or shoes. Tons of muddy shoes line the entrance to each activity. People cue up to participate in every event and you’ll be glad to know that there are separate areas for adults and kids. At one event, there were two huge plastic floating platforms and teams of 8 or so stood on the platform while staff kept it from moving, once they let go, it shifted to and fro as everyone on top tried to keep their balance.

My son stood behind me taking in all the festivities until about 3-4 sisters took their places on the yellow platform, then all of a sudden he made his way beside me.

Americans Got in on the Fun Too

Typical. We just laughed and watched the sisters get their asses handed to them as they tried to be the last ones standing in the mobile king of the mountain game. Another game pitted couples who had to hold hands and balance on one foot while they knocked into other couples. If they lost heir balance or dropped hands they were eliminated. The sheer exuberance of one winning couple made me laugh out loud!!

Final Thoughts

They come to wrestle, slide, swim, and play in the mud. We watched people sit in the mud with their plastic-encased smartphones; they played soccer and sat for colored face and body painting. Participants are also able to get therapeutic mud treatments. We decided to forgo the evening hip-hop concert and fireworks that began at 8 pm. There are outdoor showers and shower trucks at the far end of the plaza.

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