50,000 Lantern Parade Participants in Downtown Seoul... Tomorrow, NewJeans' 'Buddha Handsome'

Various Events Scheduled from Ganggangsullae to B-boying
Road Closures on 11-12th... 73 Bus Routes Diverted

Ahead of Buddha's Birthday on May 15, 2024 (Buddhist Era 2568), a large-scale lantern parade will take place across downtown Seoul. The event will begin at 7 p.m. on the 11th at Heunginjimun (Dongdaemun) in Seoul and continue through Jonggak Intersection to Jogyesa Temple.

The Lantern Festival Preservation Committee, composed of Buddhist orders including the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, will carry various large, ornate lanterns shaped like baby Buddha statues, lions, elephants, the Lumbini Great Pagoda, lotus flowers, blue dragons, and phoenixes, illuminating the night streets of Jongno together with participants.

A large-scale lantern parade is taking place in the Dongdaemun and Jongno areas of Seoul on May 20, 2023, one week before Buddha's Birthday (May 27).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Lantern Festival Preservation Committee expects about 50,000 participants in the parade, including devotees and the general public from temples nationwide. Buddhist believers who have immigrated to Korea from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, and other countries will also join the procession.

Starting at 7:30 p.m. that day, a special stage will be set up in front of Bosingak Pavilion, where performances by the b-boy team Saengdonggam Crew, fusion band Gyeongseong Club, and rock group Norazo will be showcased. Events that citizens can enjoy together, such as Ganggangsullae and Flower Rain Daedongnori, will also take place.

Before the lantern parade departs, a performance troupe will present rhythmic dances at Dongguk University’s main stadium, followed by the bathing ceremony of baby Buddha (Gwanbul, 灌佛) and a lantern Buddhist service.

On Sunday the 12th, an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) party will be held from 8:45 p.m. on a stage set up at the intersection in front of Jogyesa Temple, where Ujeongguk-ro and Sambong-ro cross in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Comedian Yoon Seong-ho, active as DJ 'NewJeans-nim,' will perform a stage combining Buddhist elements and exciting music, including the track 'Buddha Handsome.'

Following this, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., a traditional culture plaza will operate in the area with booths for lantern-making experiences and popular items from the Buddhist expo. A small-scale lantern parade will also be held from 7 p.m.

To ensure smooth progress of the event, traffic in the Jongno area will be fully restricted. All lanes on the Jongno section from Dongdaemun to Jonggak Intersection, the main route of the lantern parade, will be closed from 1 p.m. on the 11th until 3 a.m. on the 12th. The section from Jangchungdan-ro in front of Dongguk University to Dongdaemun will be closed from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the 11th.

Both directions of all lanes between Sejong-daero Intersection and Jonggak Intersection, as well as Anguk Intersection and Jonggak Intersection, will be closed from 6 p.m. to midnight on the same day.

On the 12th, vehicle traffic between Anguk Intersection and Jonggak Intersection will be fully restricted from 9 a.m. to midnight. Seventy-three bus routes passing through the area will be detoured.