Jamsu Bridge car-free festival draws record crowds before pedestrian-only conversion
Summary
Seoul’s car-free festival on Jamsu Bridge drew a record 2.38 million visitors this year, as the bridge prepares to become a pedestrian-only crossing. The festival ended on Oct. 25 after running on 15 Sundays from April to June and September to October. Visitors attended performances, markets and other events, while festival vendors recorded record sales. The city plans to hold the festival every Sunday in September and October next year at a new cultural space.
Key Facts
- The festival’s five-year cumulative attendance reached 7.68 million, and this year’s attendance was about 1.4 times last year’s and 2.1 times that of 2022.
- Food trucks, a handicraft market and a farmers’ market sold about 2.58 billion won worth of goods, around 1.7 times the previous record set in 2024.
- Food truck operators donated 53.27 million won of their earnings.
- Oct. 4 was the busiest day, with about 244,000 visitors and record sales of 509 million won during a food-themed night event.
- In a survey, 98 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the festival.
7.68 mil. visitors over 5 years; new pedestrian bridge to host festival from fall 2027
Citizens enjoy this year’s Car-free Jamsu Bridge Ttubeok-ttubeok Festival in Seoul. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul’s car-free festival on Jamsu Bridge drew a record 2.38 million visitors this year, the city said Wednesday. That brings attendance over five years to 7.68 million as the bridge gets ready to become a pedestrian-only crossing.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said this year’s Car-free Jamsu Bridge Ttubeok-ttubeok Festival ended on Oct. 25. “Ttubeok-ttubeok” is a Korean word for the sound of footsteps.
Jamsu Bridge opened in 1976. It sits just above the Han River’s surface, under the upper deck of Banpo Bridge, making it the bridge closest to the water. Cars have been kept off it on festival Sundays since 2022.
This year’s festival ran on 15 Sundays from April to June and from September to October, drawing an average of 159,000 visitors a day. Attendance was about 1.4 times last year’s and about 2.1 times that of 2022.
Food trucks, a handicraft market and a farmers’ market sold about 2.58 billion won ($1.8 million) worth of goods. That is a record, about 1.7 times the previous high set in 2024. Food truck operators donated 53.27 million won of their earnings.
The busiest day was Oct. 4, when about 244,000 people came for a food-themed night event. Sales that day hit a record 509 million won.
Events included parades, a mass acoustic guitar performance, outdoor movie screenings and summer water play. During the Chuseok harvest holiday, dancers from six countries performed traditional dances. Visitors could also watch the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain on Banpo Bridge, which Guinness World Records lists as the world’s longest bridge fountain.
In a survey, 98 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the festival.
Construction has started to turn the 50-year-old bridge into a pedestrian-only crossing. The city plans to hold the festival every Sunday in September and October next year at the new cultural space.
“The festival has grown into one of Seoul’s signature events,” said Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Future Hangang Headquarters.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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