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Seoul's bridge festival returns for eight Sundays of autumn fun
The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain near Jamsugyo Bridge in Seocho, Seoul, Aug. 2. Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
For eight Sundays this fall, Seoul will trade traffic for food trucks, traditional performances and illuminated nights on Jamsugyo Bridge as its popular pedestrian festival returns.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that the 2026 Car-Free Jamsugyo Bridge Festival will run every Sunday from Sept. 6 through Oct. 25, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Jamsugyo Bridge and nearby Banpo Hangang Park.
The festival has drawn about 6.47 million visitors since it began in 2022, including 1.17 million during the first half of this year, according to the city.
September will focus on play and participation, beginning Sunday with a water gun battle that will accommodate 800 people over two sessions.
The month will continue with performances and activities organized by university clubs, a sports day featuring games such as tug of war, and traditional performances from Korea, Argentina, Bulgaria, Russia, Panama and Kazakhstan on Sept. 27.
October will turn toward food, art and relaxation, with more than 100 food trucks serving dishes from around the world on Oct. 4.
On Oct. 11, media art combining lights and music will transform the bridge after sunset, while a yoga, stretching and meditation program is scheduled for Oct. 18.
The festival will also feature attractions including a 5.2-meter inflatable slide, a giant claw game, bowling, food trucks, handicraft vendors and a market connecting visitors with local farms.
The city said traffic on Jamsugyo Bridge will be restricted from noon to midnight each Sunday of the festival, with transportation measures in place to manage congestion.
The fall edition will be the last before the city’s planned conversion of Jamsugyo Bridge into a fully pedestrian bridge in the second half of 2027, after which officials plan to present a new version of the festival .
Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Future Hangang Office, said the city would use the pedestrian conversion to create a new way for residents to experience the Han River.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.