Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Seoul's Lotus Lantern Festival set for May 16-17 with major road closures
A promotional poster for the 2026 Lotus Lantern Festival / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
By Jhoo Dong-chan
The 2026 Lotus Lantern Festival, called Yeondeunghoe in Korean, will be held Saturday and Sunday in the Jogye Temple, Ujeongguk-ro and Jongno areas of central Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday.
The festival traces its origins to the Unified Silla period (676-935) and was designated Korea's National Intangible Heritage No. 122 in 2012, before receiving UNESCO recognition in 2020 and being inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
It is organized annually by the Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee, which also runs traditional lantern-making workshops and international academic conferences.
The centerpiece of this year's festival is the Lotus Lantern Parade on Saturday evening, where more than 60 organizations and roughly 20,000 participants will march from Dongguk University through Heunginjimun gate and Jongno to Jogye Temple from 7-9:30 p.m.
Following the parade, a communal celebration will run from 9:30-11 p.m. at Jongak intersection, featuring ganggangsullae (circle dancing), music performances and a "flower rain" finale.
On Sunday, a traditional culture festival will be held in front of Jogye Temple with Buddhist and traditional cultural programs.
To accommodate the events, Seoul will implement phased road closures across central Seoul from 1 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday.
The Jongak intersection to Heunginjimun section will be closed in both directions during that time. Several other sections, including stretches from Sejongdaero intersection to Jongak and Anguk intersection to Jongak, will be closed from 6 p.m. to midnight. Bus routes through Jongno will be diverted, and 10 median bus stops will be temporarily relocated to curbside positions. Residents are advised to use the subway.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.