On the Edge
Discover compelling stories and insights from around the world.
Music
Summer Sounds
Music events that turn summer into a soundtrack
Pyeongchang
The 23rd Music in PyeongChang
Held in Pyeongchang-gun County and other neighboring areas in Gangwon-do Province, Music in PyeongChang is a premier Korean festival for classical music. Under the theme “Legacy and Innovation,” the 23rd edition presents a medley of performance styles including solo recitals, chamber music, operas and orchestral programs, representing music from the Baroque era to the present day. World-renowned performers and young phenoms are represented in a classical music program that brings generations together.
- 7.23 - 8.2
Budapest
Sziget Festival 2026
Held in Budapest — more specifically, on Óbuda Island on the Danube River — Sziget is one of the biggest music festivals not only in Europe but around the world, earning comparisons to Lollapalooza and Coachella. The international headliners on this year’s lineup include Bring Me the Horizon, Florence + The Machine and Zara Larsson.
- 8.11 - 8.15
Tokyo, Osaka
Summer Sonic 2026
Each summer, Summer Sonic brings one of Japan’s biggest urban rock festivals to Tokyo and Osaka. The event features leading acts from Japan and abroad in genres as wide-ranging as indie, electronic and alternative. Easy access and a star-studded lineup make for a powerful encounter with live music. At the crossroads of global music trends and Japanese pop culture, Summer Sonic deserves its reputation as one of Asia’s leading music festivals.
- 8.14 – 8.16
Art
Must See Exhibitions
Artists who changed the way we see the world through their vision and imagination
© 2026 Hanwha Foundation of Culture
Seoul, Korea
The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision
France’s premier museum of modern and contemporary art, the Centre Pompidou, has opened an outpost in Seoul. Its inaugural exhibition, The Cubists: Inventing Modern Vision, features more than 90 paintings and sculptures by Cubist artists from the Pompidou collection, including Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. A special section titled KOREA FOCUS explores how Western Cubism has interacted with modern and contemporary Korean art throughout the years.
- Centre Pompidou Hanwha
- 6.4 - 10.4
Incheon, Korea
Pale Blue Dot 2247
This futuristic media art exhibition was inspired by Pale Blue Dot, the iconic photograph of Earth taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 from the outer edge of the solar system. This year’s exhibition at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport imagines a future of space migration, with the airport serving as a cosmic transit hub. Multisensory works by the participating artists tackle questions of human existence, migration and strange new worlds, turning the airport into a vast platform for contemporary art.
- Incheon Airport Terminal 2
- 7.14 – 11.14
© Estate of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
New York, United States
Guggenheim Pop: 1960 to Now
The evolution of Pop art continues, with unexpected takes on everyday objects. Guggenheim Pop: 1960 to Now traces the style’s trajectory from the 1960s to the present day with works by more than 20 artists, including Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. These definitive works are exhibited alongside pieces from the collections of a range of contemporary artists, making this much more than a run-of-the-mill retrospective.
- Guggenheim New York
- 6.5 – 2027.1.10
London, United Kingdom
Julio Le Parc, Light. Colour. Action.
This major retrospective celebrates more than 70 years of works by Argentine artist Julio Le Parc, a pioneer of kinetic and optical art. Through immersive installations of light, color and movement, the exhibition invites visitors to alter their perception and experience of art from something merely “seen” to something to be “experienced.” As shifting reflections and geometric forms transform the space, audiences become an integral part of the work itself.
- Tate Modern
- 6.11 – 2027. 5.3
© Studio Tomás Saraceno
Munich, Germany
Tomás Saraceno, Ancestral Futures
This major retrospective celebrates more than 70 years of works by Argentine artist Julio Le Parc, a pioneer of kinetic and optical art. Through immersive installations of light, color and movement, the exhibition invites visitors to alter their perception and experience of art from something merely “seen” to something to be “experienced.” As shifting reflections and geometric forms transform the space, audiences become an integral part of the work itself.
- Haus der Kunst
- 7.17 – 2027.2.7
Festivals
Cities in Celebration
Moments when cities reveal their true energy, identity and spirit
Calgary, Canada
Calgary Stampede
Held every July, the Calgary Stampede is one of Canada’s best-known festivals, celebrating the traditions and culture of the country’s western heritage. Rodeos, chuckwagon races, parades and live music take place across the city, attracting visitors from around the world. For 10 days, Calgary’s streets and public spaces take on a distinctly festive atmosphere, reflecting the city’s long-standing connection to its frontier history.
- 7.3 – 7.12
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Naadam Festival
Each July, in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar and across the country, the Naadam Festival commemorates the nation’s independence. The three traditional sports — horse racing, wrestling and archery — testify to the nomadic lifestyle, pastoral customs and strength of spirit shaped by the vast steppe. Cultural events including traditional music and performances will also be held throughout the festival period.
- 7.11 – 7.13
Salzburg Festival 2026
Salzburg, Austria
This storied classical music and drama festival will be held in Salzburg, the birthplace of immortal composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on the 270th anniversary of his birth. Each year, legendary conductors, vocalists and instrumentalists perform for over 45 days across the city’s historic venues.
- 7.17 – 8.30
2026 La Tomatina
Buñol, Spain
La Tomatina is a world-famous tomato festival held in Buñol, a small town in Spain’s Valencia region. Each year, thousands of participants throw around 100 tons of tomatoes at one another, transforming the streets into a sea of red. Since its beginnings as a local celebration in the 1940s, it has grown into a global event beloved for its vibrant atmosphere and unique sense of liberation.
- 8.26
Notting Hill Carnival
London, United Kingdom
Known as Europe’s biggest street festival, this event lights up London’s Notting Hill district each summer. Created by Caribbean immigrant communities in the 1960s, the festival fills the city with colorful parades, reggae music, street performances and dance. Visitors from around the world can experience an event that embodies London’s multicultural energy and community spirit.
- 8.30 – 8.31
Korea
Jeju
Jeju International Dance Festival
Set against the backdrop of Jeju’s seas, volcanic hills and villages, this unique dance festival brings together around 80 artists from seven countries, with over 200 local participants from children to seniors. Beginning with a gala performance at the Seogwipo Arts Center, the festival presents programs including street performances and collaborations with traditional folk music, all centered around Jeju’s landscape and cultural heritage.
- 7.12 – 7.25
Tongyeong
The 65th Tongyeong Hansan Battle Festival
This historical and cultural festival celebrates the Battle of Hansan Island during the sixteenth-century Imjin War. Celebrating Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s leadership and maritime brilliance, the event features boat parades, naval battle reenactments, traditional performances and hands-on programs across the city of Tongyeong. The mock naval battle on the open water is a stunning achievement in linking past and present.
- 8.12 – 8.16
Gangneung
2026 Gangneung National Heritage Night
This cultural festival is held over three summer evenings in venues including the Gangneung Daedohobu Government Office, Seobu Market and the Myeongju-dong area. Eight nighttime-oriented programs highlight the region’s cultural heritage, while performances, exhibitions and interactive activities unfold across the city. Lights and media art add a soft glow to traditional spaces for a dreamy evening out.
- 8.14 – 8.16
