Light Festival Illuminating Seoul's October Autumn Nights Opens

Festival Illuminating the Beauty of Night Held in Dobong-gu Pyeonghwa Munhwa Jinji Area, Gangbuk-gu Uicheon, Nowon-gu Danghyeoncheon, and Guro-gu Anyangcheon

Gangbuk-gu Uicheon Lantern Festival 'Gangbuk Dreaming Cloud Water Place'

A light festival that will fantastically illuminate the quiet autumn nights of October will be held across Seoul.

The light festivals held at Dobong-gu Peace Cultural Base, Gangbuk-gu Uicheon, and Nowon-gu Danghyeoncheon will add to the beauty of the autumn nights.

The oldest lantern festival among Seoul’s autonomous districts is the Dobong-gu Lantern Festival. Dobong-gu (District Mayor Oh Eon-seok) will hold the 11th Dobong-gu Lantern Festival from October 26 to November 5 around the Peace Cultural Base and Darakwon Sports Park. The lighting ceremony will be held on October 28 at 5:30 PM.

Main events include lanterns and LED sculptures, light exhibitions, a peace prayer fashion show, performances by local artists, and invited singer performances.

Seoul’s Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Lee Soon-hee) will hold the Uicheon Lantern Festival “Gangbuk Dreaming Fish” for 10 days from the 13th to the 22nd along Uicheon from Suyu Bridge to Ui 2 Bridge. The “Gangbuk Dreaming Fish,” themed on environment and hope, is a festival exhibiting lantern art installations along Uicheon. It is hosted by Gangbuk-gu, organized by the Gangbuk Cultural Foundation (Chairman Kim Sang-bong), and supported by Seoul City. During the 10 days of the festival, lantern artworks will be displayed along Uicheon, and various linked events will be held in collaboration with the Northeast 4 Districts Cultural Foundation, Uicheon Culture and Arts Festival Organizing Committee, and the Korea Disabled Performing Arts Group. The festival begins at 7 PM on the 13th with the simultaneous lighting of lanterns exhibited along Uicheon. Over the 10 days, more than 1,200 eco-friendly lanterns made of hanji (traditional Korean paper), including “Cloud Fish” by artist Pyo Gu-cheol and “Dream Seeds” lanterns made by Gangbuk residents in August, will decorate the beautiful nightscape of Uicheon’s riverside.

Nowon Light Festival Poster

Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) will hold “Nowon Moonlight Walk” themed on the alchemy of light from the 13th for 24 days along Danghyeoncheon.

Started in 2020, Nowon Moonlight Walk is now in its 4th edition and has grown into a representative festival of Nowon-gu with popularity and artistic value, attracting 660,000 visitors last year with an average of 40,000 visitors per day. This year, the scale and number of artworks have been increased. The festival expanded citizen participation works and invited overseas artists from Germany and Taiwan to attempt various experiments and collaborations. The plan is to become a representative festival of Seoul. A total of 18 domestic and international artists (teams) will present 42 artworks and over 150 pieces including artistic lanterns, light sculptures, and new media works along a 2.5 km section of Danghyeoncheon (from Sanggye Station/Nowon Mathematics Culture Center to Junggye Station/Deulgukhwa Children’s Park). Including citizen participation works, about 1,000 pieces will be exhibited.

This year’s theme for Nowon Moonlight Walk is “Alchemy of Light.” It invites visitors into a beautiful world of light by creatively interpreting the meanings of the elements fundamental to alchemy, delivering messages of hope and joy to citizens who have overcome difficult times. The story unfolds in three sections.

Guro-gu Anyangcheon Light Festival

Guro-gu (District Mayor Moon Heon-il) held the Anyangcheon Light Festival for 12 days from the 4th to the 15th, filling the Anyangcheon Ecological Flower Garden with emotional light sculptures, expressing it as a moonlight garden. During the festival, busking performances will be held on the 6th to 9th, 13th, and 14th, featuring groups such as Travel Sketch and Marronnier, enhancing the festive atmosphere. The district operates a children’s theme park and experience booths to allow visitors to enjoy the light festival in various ways. Additionally, convenience facilities such as stores, cafes, food trucks, and restrooms are placed near the event site to improve visitor convenience.

A Seoul autonomous district official recommended, “It would be nice to enjoy the light festivals that will beautifully illuminate the nights of October.”