Autumn Royal Palace Culture Festival to open at four Seoul palaces and Jongmyo
In short
The autumn Royal Palace Culture Festival will run from October 7 to 11 at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo in Seoul, the National Heritage Administration's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the National Heritage Promotion Agency said. A eve-of-festival KBS2 “Immortal Songs” concert is scheduled for 5 p.m. on October 6 at Gyeongbokgung's Heungnyemun plaza. Each palace will host its own programmes, including night viewing and hanbok events at Gyeongbokgung and a traditional street procession at Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung.
Why it matters
The festival is described as the National Heritage Administration's flagship event presenting traditional culture at the palaces and Jongmyo, held twice a year in spring and autumn. The programme spreads events across five heritage sites in central Seoul, tying palace visits to performances, exhibitions and hands-on activities. The documents give no attendance figures or economic estimates.
Key facts
- The autumn Royal Palace Culture Festival runs from October 7 to 11 at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Jongmyo. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- An eve-of-festival concert featuring a KBS2 “Immortal Songs” special is set for 5 p.m. on October 6 at Gyeongbokgung's Heungnyemun plaza. [ 1 ]
- Gyeongbokgung will host “Gyeongbokgung Hanbok Yeonhyang”, made up of a royal walk, a fashion talk show and an ASMR concert, on October 9 and 10. [ 1 ]
- Changdeokgung will host the special exhibition “Joseon Space Aesthetics: The Order of White”, a morning palace walk, a Chogyemunsin workshop and a palace playroom. [ 1 ]
- Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung will host a traditional street procession combining lion dance, gijeop nori and samul nori on October 10 and 11 respectively. [ 1 ]
- The centre and the promotion agency describe the event as a national heritage festival held twice a year, in spring and autumn. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The full programme details for Seoul Shinmun and Newsis readers, beyond the festival dates and venue. Seoul Shinmun provided only a headline and Newsis only photo captions, so their scope of coverage cannot be compared with the detailed programme list.
- Whether any of the listed performances or sessions are ticketed, capped or sold out. The documents list programmes but give no ticket or capacity information.
- Expected visitor numbers or the festival's cost. No attendance or budget figures appear in any document.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Eve-of-festival KBS2 “Immortal Songs” special concert at Gyeongbokgung's Heungnyemun plaza. [ 1 ]
- Asia Economy publishes the full festival announcement. [ 1 ]
- Seoul Shinmun publishes its report on the festival opening on October 7. [ 2 ]
- Newsis publishes its photo item on the festival, a day before it opens. [ 3 ]