Group coach transport for Korean festival weekends

The festivals and when they fall

Dates move each year, so any plan should be checked against the organizer's current announcement. The details below are the most recent ones found on organizer or event-listing pages.

• Los Angeles Korean Festival: October 1 to 4, 2026 (Thursday to Sunday, 10 AM to 10 PM), free admission, held at Seoul International Park at Normandie and Olympic Boulevards in Koreatown.
• New York Korean Parade and Festival: Saturday, October 4 in 2025, with the parade on Sixth Avenue between 27th and 38th Streets and the festival on 32nd Street; Wikipedia describes the event as held on the first Saturday of October.
• Korean Festival in the Atlanta area: October 4 and 5, 2025 at Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville, GA, organized by the Korean Festival Foundation and described as drawing over 100,000 visitors a year.
• Taste of Korea in Chicago: September 21, 2025 in Lincolnwood, IL, hosted by IYF Chicago.

Parking and drop-off constraints

The LA Korean Festival's own FAQ says street parking nearby is extremely limited and that the festival provides dedicated parking lots with shuttle service; it also lists transit options. A group arriving on a charter coach should ask the festival and the operator where a coach may legally stop to unload and where it may wait or park for the day,.

In New York, the 2025 parade ran along Sixth Avenue between 27th and 38th Streets and the festival was held on 32nd Street, so a group should expect street restrictions near Midtown and ask the operator for a specific drop-off and pickup plan rather than a general area.

Atlanta's festival is held at Sugarloaf Mills, a shopping center in Lawrenceville, so a coach should confirm with the organizer and venue where buses may drop off and stage.

Chuseok timing

Chuseok follows the Korean lunar calendar and always falls around the autumn equinox. The South Korean public holiday is September 24 to 26 in 2026 and September 14 to 16 in 2027. Because the festivals above fall in late September and October, many groups combine a Chuseok gathering with a festival visit or a church event, which can concentrate coach requests in a few weeks.

Driver hours on a festival day

A festival visit looks like a short trip but can produce a long duty day. Federal rules for passenger-carrying drivers prohibit driving after 15 hours on duty following 8 consecutive hours off duty, and a driver may drive at most 10 hours after 8 off-duty hours. If a coach leaves at 7 AM, waits through a full-day festival that ends at 10 PM, and then drives home, the 15-hour window may be exceeded. Groups should ask the operator whether the driver will remain on duty throughout, whether a second driver will rotate, or whether the vehicle will leave and return.

Vehicle size and seating

Charter industry guides describe mini buses as seating about 18 to 25 passengers, mid-size coaches 25 to 35 and full-size motorcoaches 40 to 56. Groups bringing strollers, instruments or folding chairs should tell the operator in advance, because luggage bays have limited space. Many guides suggest leaving 10 to 15 percent of seats open on trips over two hours.

Tipping

One charter guide suggests $2 to $5 per passenger for a half-day trip and $3 to $10 per passenger for a full-day trip; confirm whether the quote already includes gratuity. A designated person can collect contributions in advance.

Language and quote requests

The booking line for this directory works in English. A group can write its request in Korean in the form but should add an English-speaking contact. Whether a driver or staff member speaks Korean depends on the operator and should be asked about, not assumed. A good request names the festival, the date, the pickup address, the number of passengers, the preferred drop-off point and the expected return time.