Changdeokgung Palace hosts festival from 7 to 11 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 03:03 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Changdeokgung Palace hosts the K-Royal Culture Festival in Seoul from 7 to 11 October 2026, bringing exhibitions, guided walks and workshops to the royal complex. The programme places Tracing Joseon Space: The Rhythm of Stillness in Huijeongdang Hall and includes activities in the palace halls and Secret Garden.
Changdeokgung Palace opens festival exhibition from 7 October
The five-day festival is hosted by the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service and organised by the Korea Heritage Agency. Its programme covers Seoul's four royal palaces and Jongmyo Shrine, with Changdeokgung Palace receiving a dedicated craft exhibition and several visitor experiences. The official festival programme lists the dates and venues.
Tracing Joseon Space: The Rhythm of Stillness runs at Huijeongdang Hall from 7 to 11 October, from 10am to 5pm. Directed by Baek Jong-hwan of WGNB, the exhibition examines the relationship between traditional wooden architecture, empty space and the idea of white as an aesthetic order. Awakening the Morning Palace is also offered twice daily, leading visitors through palace areas and the Secret Garden at daybreak.
Festival programmes follow the palace's wooded layout
The site was constructed in the fifteenth century during the Joseon Dynasty and occupies 57.9 hectares in Jongno-gu, northern Seoul. Its official and residential buildings were arranged to work with the natural terrain, while the rear garden, known as the Secret Garden, extends north of the main palace buildings.
That landscape gives the autumn programme a clear connection to the site. The exhibition studies restraint and space inside Huijeongdang Hall, while the morning walks use the palace's courts, pavilions, ponds and wooded garden as part of the experience. UNESCO describes the UNESCO World Heritage listing as an example of palace architecture integrated with its surrounding landscape.
Workshops add royal-library history to the October programme
From 9 to 11 October, the Gyujanggak Chogye Munsin Workshop takes place at 2.30pm. It explores the young civil officials who received special training at Gyujanggak, the royal library and scholarly institution of the late Joseon Dynasty. The programme also includes a search activity linked to the workshop, in which participants look for the festival character Hyangachi around the palace and solve quizzes.
Other festival activities at the site include the Royal Court Games Playroom near Nakseonjae and a display of selected works from the festival's AI video contest. The official programme describes the autumn festival as a mix of exhibitions, performances, hands-on experiences and historical interpretation across the royal heritage sites.
Visiting Changdeokgung Palace: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The K-Royal Culture Festival runs at the palace from 7 to 11 October 2026. Tracing Joseon Space: The Rhythm of Stillness is at Huijeongdang Hall from 10am to 5pm.
- Awakening the Morning Palace offers two daily walks from 7 to 11 October 2026, while the Gyujanggak Chogye Munsin Workshop runs at 2.30pm from 9 to 11 October 2026.
- The palace is in Jongno-gu in northern Seoul, within a complex that includes official buildings, residential buildings, courts, pavilions, ponds and the Secret Garden.
- The site follows uneven natural topography, and the programme includes walks through wooded garden areas as well as palace buildings.
- South Korea's official language is Korean and its national currency is the won.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Changdeokgung Palace
When does the K-Royal Culture Festival take place at Changdeokgung Palace?
The festival runs from 7 to 11 October 2026, with exhibitions, walks and workshops at the palace.
What is Tracing Joseon Space at Changdeokgung Palace?
It is a craft exhibition at Huijeongdang Hall running from 7 to 11 October 2026, from 10am to 5pm.
Where is Changdeokgung Palace and how do you get there?
The palace is in Jongno-gu in northern Seoul, South Korea. Its grounds include official and residential buildings, courts, pavilions, ponds and the Secret Garden.
