Seoul garden festival draws record 14 million visitors in 6-month run
Visitors stroll through gardens and landscaped displays at Seoul Forest. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul’s biggest garden festival has drawn 14 million visitors over six months, setting a record for attendance and giving a boost to nearby businesses as the city seeks to make green spaces a larger part of urban life.
The 2026 Seoul International Garden Show concluded Tuesday after running for 180 days, the longest edition yet, with attendance up 34.1 percent from 10.44 million visitors last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.
The festival, held from May 1 through Tuesday under the theme “Seoul, Green Culture,” expanded beyond Seoul Forest into nearby Seongsu-dong, the Konkuk University area and the Han River waterfront, with an autumn garden festival also held at Maeheon Citizens’ Forest.
Organizers created 225 gardens and offered 170 programs involving guided tours, exhibitions, hands-on activities and academic events, drawing about 210,000 participants to the programs.
In a city survey of 2,358 respondents conducted from Oct. 19-25, about 91 percent said they were satisfied with the event, while 82.8 percent said they intended to attend next year.
About 71 percent said Seoul Forest had improved since before the festival, and 87.5 percent said the event helped spread gardening culture and improve public awareness of gardens.
The festival also coincided with increased commercial activity nearby, with average daily foot traffic in Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong rising 7.1 percent and credit card sales climbing 11.6 percent from May through September compared with the same period last year.
Foreign foot traffic increased 22.9 percent, while foreign card transactions rose 38.2 percent, according to the city.
Organizers said more than 19 billion won ($13.2 million) in private investment was secured for gardens developed with companies and institutions, while related markets and food vendors generated more than 4.2 billion won in sales through October.
Of the 225 gardens, 191 covering more than 90,000 square meters will remain in place, alongside expanded park infrastructure and more than double the previous number of seating spaces.
"This year's Seoul International Garden Show saw a dramatic increase in daily visitors alongside its longest run and record attendance, confirming the public's deep interest in garden culture," said Kim Young-hwan, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Garden City Bureau.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.