By Ian Werther in News — 14 Mar 2026

Jeju Fire Festival Returns with Restored Torch Procession and Daljip Burning

The 2026 Jeju Fire Festival opened its main events today around Saebyeol Oreum, a volcanic cone near Jeju City on Jeju Island. The festival marks a return of several fire-related rituals that had been scaled back in recent years.

In the event area, local youths carried and lifted heavy stones as part of a traditional Jeju rite of passage, drawing cheers from the crowd as each 100-kilogram stone was hoisted. A village competition to lay traditional thatched roofs with rope also drew steady attention from spectators.

Wooden staircase steps, in the forest of Hallasan Park, Eorimok Trail, at dusk on Jeju Island in South Korea. Long-exposure photography (30 s) — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Participants wrote messages about health and happiness for their families, including grandchildren. A Jeju resident said the notes were meant to preserve blessings for loved ones, while a visitor from Colorado, United States, expressed similar wishes for his family.

At the festival’s center, wooden and straw structures known as daljip are arranged. Visitors are invited to light or burn small wishes, sending them skyward in the hope of good fortune.

This year’s program restores the torch procession and the burning of daljip, with a segment inviting attendees to participate in the wish-burning ceremony. The final day is set to feature a hillside fire-setting display presented in a format that blends tradition with multimedia elements.

Hydrangea macrophylla (hortensia) in front of Seongsan Ilchulbong volcano at blue hour in the evening, in Jeju Island, in South Korea. Long-exposure photography (25 s) — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Jeju City officials say the hillside fire show will be presented as a media-art installation, or media façade, projecting onto the natural amphitheater of the oreum. The arrangement aims to celebrate fire as the festival’s centerpiece and to highlight Jeju’s unique celebration, which organizers say is distinctive to the island.

Running through tomorrow, the festival also features a cooperative market selling regional agricultural and seafood products at discount, along with reenactments of traditional Jeju ceremonies and horse-mounted performances. For U.S. readers, the event highlights Jeju’s blend of culture and technology-driven art, its appeal as a distinctive tourism draw, and the broader importance of Korea’s regional cultural festivals for cultural diplomacy, travel, and visibility of local products in global markets.

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