The 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival runs Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28, 2026, at the 88 Lawn Field in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
It turns the neighborhood into a working set of the ancient Baekje kingdom, which kept its capital here for nearly 500 years.
This post covers the main programs, how to get there by subway, and the one event it is easy to confuse with a different festival in Buyeo.
Contents
- Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival 2026: dates and venue
- What Hanseong Baekje was — and why the festival is in Songpa
- Main programs: parade, Experience Village, and the fortress walk
- Line 8 and Line 9 stations put you at the 88 Lawn Field gate
- Not the same event: the Baekje Cultural Festival in Buyeo
- A half-day plan for the post-Chuseok weekend
Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival 2026: dates and venue
The 26th edition runs three days, September 26 to 28, 2026, at the 88 Lawn Field inside Olympic Park in Songpa-gu.
Songpa-gu and the Songpa Culture Center host it, and the district’s official festival page carries the details.
The format is shorter than it used to be — from 2014 the festival ran four days, Thursday through Sunday, but recent editions run three days from Friday to Sunday.
Plan around a single day or a Saturday visit rather than assuming a long weekend of programming.
The dates also matter for scheduling: the festival lands right after the late-September Chuseok holiday, so it works as the following weekend’s plan for travelers staying in Seoul through the holiday.
The official page had not posted the full 2026 notice as of September 8, so check it before locking in specific times.
| Dates | Fri Sept 26 – Sun Sept 28, 2026 (3 days) |
|---|---|
| Venue | 88 Lawn Field, Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul |
| Host | Songpa-gu and Songpa Culture Center |
| Nearest stations | Mongchontoseong (Line 8) Exit 1 · Hanseong Baekje (Line 9) Exit 2 |
| First held | 1994 — 26th edition in 2026 |
What Hanseong Baekje was — and why the festival is in Songpa
About 2,000 years ago, Songpa was the capital of Hanseong Baekje, the early period of the Baekje kingdom, from 18 BC to AD 475 — roughly 493 years.
Three sites from that era still stand in the district: Pungnaptoseong (Historic Site No.
11), Mongchontoseong (No.
297), and the Seokchon-dong tomb cluster (No.
243).
The festival has been reenacting this history since 1994, so the setting is not decoration — the venues are the actual remains of the capital.
That is also why the experience differs from a generic culture fair: the fortress you walk on and the tombs the royal rite is held at are the originals.
If ancient-site context is your main interest, the festival and the sites are worth treating as one visit.
👉 Andong Mask Dance Festival 2026: Sept 24–Oct 4, plus Hahoe Village plan
Main programs: parade, Experience Village, and the fortress walk
Four signature programs carry the festival.
The historical culture street parade moves through the grounds in period costume and formation.
The Baekje Experience Village recreates how Baekje people lived, including a military camp, so it is the closest thing to time travel on the schedule.
The Mongchontoseong wall walk takes you along the ancient earthen fortress that sits inside Olympic Park next to the festival grounds.
The flame-lighting ceremony for the Hanseong Baekje sacred fire opens the event’s symbolic side.
Around these, recent editions also run traditional game booths, the ‘Challenge!
Hanseong Baekje Doctor’ quiz, the Hanseong Baekje Market for food and goods, an opening performance, and the Hanseong Culture Concert as the closing show.
A related rite, the Baekje Gobunje memorial for the early Baekje kings, is held at the Seokchon-dong stone-mound tombs.
The detailed 2026 schedule with times had not been announced as of September 8, so the order of the day is still open.
Line 8 and Line 9 stations put you at the 88 Lawn Field gate
Organizers explicitly ask visitors to use public transit.
The closest stations are Mongchontoseong Station on Line 8, Exit 1, and Hanseong Baekje Station on Line 9, Exit 2 — both drop you within walking distance of the 88 Lawn Field.
From central Seoul, transfer to Line 8 or Line 9 whichever is nearer, since neither line requires crossing the river twice.
Driving is the weaker option: during the 2025 edition, the lot near the Woori Financial Art Hall was closed for construction, and drivers were directed to the P1 lot at South Gate 2 and the P2 lot at East Gate 2.
The 2026 parking arrangement had not been published, so expect the subway plan to be the reliable one.
Olympic Park also runs a real-time parking occupancy checker if you end up driving anyway.
Not the same event: the Baekje Cultural Festival in Buyeo
Two Baekje festivals run in Korea within a week of each other, and search results mix them constantly.
The Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival in Songpa is the September 26–28 event covered here.
The Baekje Cultural Festival in Buyeo is a separate, older festival — its 72nd edition runs October 3–11, 2026 across the Jeongnimsa, Seoktap-ro, and Gwanbuk-ri sites in South Chungcheong Province.
If your dates or train tickets point to Buyeo in early October, that is the other festival.
Both trace the same kingdom, but at different capitals: Songpa holds the early Hanseong period, and Gongju and Buyeo hold the later periods.
Baekje Historic Areas, which includes those later sites, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
👉 Seoul fireworks festival 2026 subway: Which Stations to Use Tonight
A half-day plan for the post-Chuseok weekend
For a single afternoon on September 26, 27, or 28, the order writes itself.
Arrive at Mongchontoseong Station Exit 1 around mid-afternoon, walk the fortress wall inside Olympic Park while it is still light, then move to the 88 Lawn Field for the Experience Village and the market.
Stay for the evening performance if one is scheduled — recent editions close each festival with the Hanseong Culture Concert.
If you are in Seoul earlier in the month, Songpa also runs the ‘2026 Moonlight Heritage Travel’ on September 11–12 at Pungnap Baekje Culture Park, two weeks before the main festival, with a full-moon lighting ceremony, guided fortress walks, pansori by National Intangible Heritage holder Shin Young-hee, and a night food market.
The two events make a natural pair: the September 11–12 evening event for atmosphere, the festival weekend for the full program.
Admission details and exact daily hours for the 2026 festival had not been posted as of September 8, so confirm both on the official Songpa page before you go.
Related posts
📎 Seoul — everything we know
📎 Gyeongbokgung night tour 2026: 3,000 won, Sept 2-Oct 2, and how booking works
📎 Seoul drone show September 2026: Sept 12 Ttukseom, Free 15-Minute Show Expected Around 8 PM
📎 📅 다가오는 일정 — 발매·개봉·발표 캘린더
Sources
- Reenacts 493 years of Hanseong Baekje; first held 1994; fixe (ko.wikipedia.org)
- Flame-lighting ceremony, traditional games, Hanseong Baekje (dh.aks.ac.kr)
- Songpa official festival page with 2025 edition programs, no (songpa.go.kr)
What is still unannounced for 2026
- Confirm the 2026 dates on Songpa-gu’s official Hanseong Baekje page before heading out — the schedule shifted from October to late September recently.
- Check the official page for daily program times, since the parade, concert, and fortress walk each run on their own schedule.
- Use the subway instead of driving — parking near the festival grounds was closed for construction in 2025, and 2026 guidance may differ.
FAQ
Q. Is admission free and are reservations needed?
No available source confirms the 2026 admission fee, so visitors should check the official Songpa festival page for the latest fee and reservation details before going.
Q. What are the 2026 program times?
The detailed 2026 schedule — parade times, performance slots, and Experience Village hours — had not been announced as of September 8, 2026. The closing Hanseong Culture Concert typically ends the final day.
Q. Where do I park?
The 2026 parking guidance is not published yet. In 2025, the lot near the Woori Financial Art Hall was closed for construction, and drivers were sent to the P1 lot at South Gate 2 and the P2 lot at East Gate 2. The organizers’ standing request is to arrive by subway.
Check the official Songpa festival page the week of September 21 for the full 2026 program and admission notice.
#HanseongBaekjeCulturalFestival #HanseongBaekjeCulturalFestival2026 #Seoulfestivals2026 #OlympicParkSeoul #Songpa #ChuseokweekendSeoul #Baekjehistory #Koreafallfestivals
📅Upcoming Dates — 이번 주 16 · D-day 'The Scandal' global Netflix release전체 보기 →
