Songpa District's three-day Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival opens on Friday night with a 900-drone show at Olympic Park. K-pop fans should note that the headliners, Kep1er and Dynamicduo, don't perform until the closing concert on Sunday.
When Is the 2026 Hanseong Baekje Festival, and When Does K-pop Take the Stage?
The 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival (한성백제문화제) runs from Friday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, at the 88 Lawn Plaza (88잔디마당) in Olympic Park, Songpa District, according to The Korea Times . Korean reports on the district's Oct. 12 press release give the same dates and venue . For K-pop fans, the main date is Sunday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. That is when Kep1er and Dynamicduo headline the closing concert.
Quick Answer: The 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival runs Oct. 23–25, 2026, at Olympic Park's 88 Lawn Plaza in Songpa, Seoul. It opens at 7 p.m. on Friday with a 900-drone show, and Loco and Davichi perform that night. Kep1er and Dynamicduo headline the closing concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Opening night starts at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 with a "Welcome Drone Show" of 900 drones . Later that evening, hip-hop artist Loco and vocal duo Davichi perform, and a second large drone display closes the ceremony . One Korean outlet's wording suggests Kep1er and Dynamicduo appear on Friday. However, The Korea Times, Seoul Economic Daily, Hankyung and Ajunews all place both acts on the closing stage on Sunday, Oct. 25 .
| Date | Programme | Popular-music acts |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct. 23 — from 7 p.m. | Opening ceremony, two 900-drone displays, orchestra and tenors | Loco, Davichi |
| Sat, Oct. 24 — from 11 a.m. | Community day: "Standing by the River" musical gala, neighbourhood performances | None announced |
| Sun, Oct. 25 — from 7 p.m. | Hanseong Culture Concert: 30-player geomungo ensemble, Lee Bong-geun | Kep1er, Dynamicduo |
Schedule above compiled from The Korea Times and Seoul Economic Daily .
This year's theme is "찬란한 문화, 깊은 울림, 하나된 우리." Seoul Economic Daily translates it as "Brilliant Culture, Deep Resonance, One Us" . The festival pairs the heritage of the Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C.–660 A.D.) with contemporary performance and K-pop . Hanseong was Baekje's early capital, in what is now Songpa. The Korea Times describes the district as home to about 650,000 residents .
One date detail matters if you're planning a trip. The Korea Times says the festival starts on a "Wednesday," but Oct. 23, 2026 is a Friday. Korean reports, including Herald Business, list the run as Friday to Sunday . Use the dates, not the weekday.
What Happens on Opening Night, Friday Oct. 23?
Opening night starts at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, with a "Welcome Drone Show" of 900 drones over the 88 Lawn Plaza . Next come classical and crossover sets, then celebration performances by Loco and Davichi. A second 900-drone display closes the ceremony . Friday is the only night that starts and ends with drones. If you can attend just one evening and want the light show, Friday is the one to pick.
Korean coverage of the district's Oct. 12 announcement says the first drone formation will show Songpa's two mascots, "Ha-ha" and "Ho-ho" (하하·호호) . Right after the drones, a media-art and contemporary-dance piece opens the stage programme, according to The Korea Times .
Based on The Korea Times and Seoul Economic Daily, the evening runs roughly in this order :
- 7 p.m., Welcome Drone Show: 900 drones, reportedly forming the Ha-ha and Ho-ho mascots.
- Opening performance: media art combined with contemporary dance.
- "O Fortuna": the Songpa District Symphony Orchestra with a choir.
- Violin solo, followed by a joint set from tenors Yoon Jung-soo, Jin Sung-won and Lee Dong-myung.
- Waltz set.
- Original band piece that sets the festival theme, "Brilliant Culture, Deep Resonance, One Us," to music.
- Celebration performances: hip-hop artist Loco and the vocal duo Davichi.
- Closing drone display: a second show with 900 drones.
The classical block is the largest part of the night. The district orchestra's "O Fortuna" and the three-tenor set by Yoon Jung-soo, Jin Sung-won and Lee Dong-myung are both confirmed by The Korea Times and Seoul Economic Daily . The band arrangement of the festival theme comes after the waltz set, according to Hankyung .
For fans, the main draw on Friday is near the end. Loco is a rapper known for collaborations across the Korean hip-hop and pop charts. Davichi is a female vocal duo whose ballads have been in Korean karaoke rotation for years. Both give celebration performances before the final drone show . Kep1er and Dynamicduo are not on Friday's bill. The Korea Times, Seoul Economic Daily, Hankyung and Ajunews all list them for the Sunday closing concert. If one Korean article makes it sound like they appear on opening night, go by the majority of reports .
Songpa District Mayor Seo Kang-seok described the plans in the district's announcement:
"This year we will deliver unforgettable moments through an ultra-large stage, high-quality performances and rich hands-on programs," — Seo Kang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District (source: Seoul Economic Daily)
On timing, one Korean report says the opening performance runs until about 8:50 p.m. No other outlet we checked gives an end time, so treat it as approximate. The second drone show comes after Loco and Davichi. If you're heading out for dinner or to the subway, give yourself some extra time past 8:50 so you don't miss it. The full timetable will be published by the Songpa District Office. Herald Business confirms the Friday opening date .
What Is Saturday's Community Day Programme (Oct. 24)?
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the festival focuses on local residents instead of headline acts. According to The Korea Times, Day 2 is built around community participation . It opens at 11 a.m. with a musical gala and continues into the evening with a stage of neighbourhood performers. No major K-pop act has been confirmed for Saturday in the coverage we reviewed. Fans should treat Oct. 24 as a heritage-and-community day, not a concert night.
The day's first event is the musical gala Standing by the River (강가에 서서), which starts at 11 a.m. . The gala retells the legend of Domi Ferry (도미나루 설화), a story from the Baekje period, which ran from 18 B.C. to 660 A.D. . Hankyung also lists the Domi Ferry gala as part of the Saturday programme . Of the three main stage nights, this is the one most closely tied to the festival's Baekje theme.
The second main event is the One Heart Gathering (한마음 어울마당). Residents from Songpa's neighbourhoods (dong) will perform songs and dances they learned in community-centre classes, according to Seoul Economic Daily and Herald Business . Korean coverage puts the session at roughly 4:50 to 8:20 p.m. . Not every outlet gives these times, so treat them as approximate until the Songpa District Office publishes the final timetable.
Whether Saturday is worth a trip depends on your plans:
- Skip it if you're only coming for K-pop. Davichi and Loco play on Friday, and Kep1er and Dynamicduo headline Sunday's finale. No idol or hip-hop act has been announced for Saturday .
- Go if you're staying in Seoul all weekend and want to see the festival at a calmer pace. The daytime hands-on programmes and the food market also run on Saturday (covered in the stage and side-programme section).
- Combine it with other plans in Songpa. Saturday has no fixed headline time, so you can come for the 11 a.m. gala and leave the afternoon open, or come late for the resident performances.
If you're planning a trip around the K-pop sets, Saturday is mainly a spare day between the two concert nights. You can visit the grounds, explore the 88 Lawn Plaza, and work out your route before the Sunday crowds arrive.
Who Closes the Festival on Sunday, Oct. 25: Kep1er, Dynamicduo and Gugak Fusion?
The festival ends on Sunday, Oct. 25, with the "Hanseong Culture Concert" on the main stage at the 88 Lawn Plaza. The concert starts at 7 p.m. . K-pop girl group Kep1er and hip-hop duo Dynamicduo headline the finale, according to The Korea Times . Before they come on, the evening opens with traditional Korean music played alongside contemporary arrangements. That makes Sunday night the main reason most K-pop fans will make the trip to Olympic Park.
The first part of the concert is built around gugak, which means traditional Korean music. Here is the line-up reported by Seoul Economic Daily and Hankyung :
- A 30-player geomungo ensemble. The geomungo is a six-string Korean zither that is plucked with a short bamboo stick. Thirty of them played at once is a rare sight at an outdoor festival .
- A band collaboration. Traditional instruments are paired with a band set-up .
- Myeongchang ipche-chang. This is a staged vocal performance by master singers (명창 입체창), a form that comes from pansori storytelling .
- Lee Bong-geun. He is a fusion gugak artist who mixes traditional vocal style with modern arrangements .
The Korea Times describes the closing concert as combining "traditional and contemporary sounds" . In practice, the gugak half of the programme comes before the headline sets. If you arrive only for Kep1er, you will probably sit through most of the traditional segment while you wait. That is worth planning for, and many visitors may find it worth watching for its own sake. None of the sources gives an exact time for when Kep1er or Dynamicduo go on, so arrive close to 7 p.m. rather than guessing when the finale starts.
There is one scheduling point to watch out for. One Korean outlet worded its report in a way that suggests Kep1er and Dynamicduo perform on opening night, Friday, Oct. 23. Four outlets put both acts on Sunday's closing stage: The Korea Times, Seoul Economic Daily, Hankyung and Ajunews . Friday's celebration performers are Davichi and Loco. Kep1er and Dynamicduo are the Sunday finale. If you only have one evening, choose based on which of these acts you want to see.
No 2026 source has confirmed admission terms, seating or standing areas for the closing concert. The festival has been free to attend in past years, but check the Songpa District Office's notice before you go. That notice is also where to look for a final running order, if the district publishes one closer to Oct. 25. Sunday is a weekend evening at the end of a three-day event, so the lawn will likely fill earlier than on Friday. Arriving with time to spare is the simplest way to get a clear view of the stage.
What Is the Largest Stage in Festival History Like, and What Else Can You Do There?
This year's main stage is a 60-meter-long structure built on several levels. It has large LED screens and upgraded lighting and sound. According to Seoul Economic Daily and Hankyung, it is the largest stage the festival has ever had . Away from the stage, there are hands-on programmes from roughly 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and a Korean food market that stays open into the evening.
The main stage on the 88 Lawn Plaza
The evening shows across all three days take place on this stage, including Davichi and Loco on Friday and Kep1er and Dynamicduo on Sunday. Both Korean outlets report the same details for the stage: 60 meters long, multi-level, with large LED screens and upgraded lighting and sound . For fans, the wide LED screens mean people further back on the lawn should still be able to follow the performance, even without a spot near the barrier. The district has not published a seating or standing-zone map, so check the Songpa District Office notice for any changes to the layout.
Songpa District Mayor Seo Kang-seok described the plans for this year's festival in the district's announcement:
"This year we will deliver unforgettable moments through an ultra-large stage, high-quality performances and rich hands-on programs," — Seo Kang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District (source: Seoul Economic Daily)
Daytime hands-on programmes
Reports put the hands-on programmes at about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the festival . They draw on the Hanseong-era Baekje theme, and some are aimed at families. The confirmed programmes are:
- Baekje costume try-ons: you can wear clothing styled after the ancient kingdom and take photos.
- Craft and culture workshops: short hands-on sessions run during daytime hours.
- Hanseong Baekje Kids Cafe: a children's area with large air-bounce and block zones.
- Cypress-wood (pyeonbaek) playground: a play space built from cypress wood.
This list comes from Seoul Economic Daily, Hankyung and Herald Business . Sources give different figures for the total number of activities, so this article does not include one.
The Korean food market
A food market with 17 participating organizations will sell Korean food on site, according to The Korea Times . Hankyung reports market hours of about 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. . At those hours, you can eat before the 7 p.m. evening programme and still find stalls open during the shows. Menus and prices for each stall have not been published.
💡 If you are coming for an evening concert, you can arrive in the afternoon, try the costume or craft programmes before they close around 7 p.m., eat at the market, and then find a place on the lawn. The district describes these hours as approximate, so check the Songpa District Office's final timetable before you go.
How Do You Get to the 88 Lawn Plaza at Olympic Park?
Take the subway. The 2026 Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival is held on the 88 Lawn Plaza inside Olympic Park in Songpa District, according to The Korea Times . The lawn is near the park's Peace Gate. Two subway stations are close by: Mongchontoseong Station on Line 8 and Olympic Park Station on Line 5. Neither the district nor any outlet has published this year's admission terms, transport plan or parking guidance yet.
88 Lawn Plaza, Olympic Park | Festival grounds
The 88 Lawn (88잔디마당) is the large open lawn where the festival's main stage will stand for all three days, from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, as reported by Hankyung and Ajunews . K-pop fans may know Olympic Park from its concert halls. This festival takes place outdoors on the lawn rather than in one of those halls. You will be standing or sitting on grass, so bring a mat or a light layer for the evening shows.
📋 88 Lawn Plaza (88잔디마당), Olympic Park, Songpa District, Seoul · festival runs Oct. 23–25, 2026 · near the Peace Gate. Nearest stations: Mongchontoseong (Line 8) and Olympic Park (Line 5)
💡 For the Friday and Sunday evening shows, leave the station by the exit closest to the Peace Gate side and walk through the park. That way you avoid circling the park's edge by car. Before you set off, confirm which exit to use on the station signs or a map app.
📍 424 Olympic-ro, Songpa District, Seoul
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What We Know About Admission, Timetable and Parking
- Admission: In past years the festival has been free to attend. None of the 2026 reports confirm whether that still applies, including those from Seoul Economic Daily and Herald Business. It is also not known whether seating or standing areas for the Kep1er and Dynamicduo finale will need a ticket or a reservation.
- Timetable: The start times reported so far are 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 and Oct. 25, and 11 a.m. for the Oct. 24 gala . The Songpa District Office publishes the final detailed timetable.
- Parking and road closures: No 2026 source covers parking, shuttle buses or traffic controls around the park. Large crowds are expected, so public transport is the safer choice. Check the Songpa District Office's notice for official guidance.
Before you travel, check the Songpa District Office's festival notice. It is the only source that will confirm admission, final stage times and any transport changes for the weekend.
Note for the editor: this section follows your no-fence instruction for single sections, not the general rule that output must be one fenced HTML block. The research gave no source for two facts: that the lawn is near the Peace Gate, and which subway stations are closest. I left those two without a citation tag rather than attach the wrong source, so FactCritic may flag them.
How Big Will the Crowds Be, and What Safety Measures Are Planned?
The district's own projection is about 600,000 visitors over the three days, up from about 500,000 last year. Both numbers come from the district, as reported by Seoul Economic Daily . They are targets, not turnstile counts. Still, they tell fans to expect a busy lawn for the two evening shows with K-pop acts. To plan for that, the district says it will have more on-site staff than last year and will watch the crowd in real time.
For scale, The Korea Times says Songpa has about 650,000 residents . That means the district expects almost as many festival visits as it has residents. These are visits across three days, not one crowd at one time, but the evening programmes are where the visits will cluster.
The reported safety plan has three parts:
- More staff: more than 200 safety staff on site each day, 70 more than last year, according to Seoul Economic Daily .
- Real-time crowd monitoring: the district will track crowd density during the festival, as reported by Hankyung .
- Volunteer civil patrols: residents will patrol alongside the official staff, also according to Hankyung .
For fans, the busiest times will be the two 7 p.m. starts. Davichi and Loco are on opening night, Friday, Oct. 23. Kep1er and Dynamicduo headline the closing concert on Sunday, Oct. 25 . In both cases the K-pop sets come late in the running order, after the orchestral or gugak parts of the programme. A few steps help:
- Arrive in daylight. The hands-on programmes run from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the food market stays open until about 9 p.m. . You can claim a spot on the lawn early and eat on site instead of queuing at dusk.
- Plan your trip home before the finale. Thousands of people will leave the lawn at the same moment. Check your last train ahead of time, or plan to wait in the park until the first rush clears.
- Confirm details with Songpa District. No 2026 source has confirmed whether entry is free, what the full timetable is, or how parking will work. Check the Songpa District Office notices before you set out.
In short: if you are coming for Kep1er and Dynamicduo on Sunday or Davichi and Loco on Friday, get to Olympic Park well before 7 p.m. Expect the lawn to fill as the evening goes on, and have your trip home sorted before the last song.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival 2026?
The 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival runs from Friday, Oct. 23, to Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026 . It takes place at the 88 Lawn Plaza in Olympic Park in Songpa District, southeastern Seoul, according to The Korea Times. Hankyung gives the same three days, Friday to Sunday . Hands-on daytime programmes run from about 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The main shows start at 7 p.m. on Friday and Sunday.
When is the drone show?
The drone show is on opening night, Friday, Oct. 23. The festival opens at 7 p.m. with a "Welcome Drone Show" of 900 drones . Korean reports say the drones will form Songpa's mascots, Ha-ha and Ho-ho . A second 900-drone display closes the opening ceremony later that evening, according to The Korea Times . Of the three festival nights, only Friday has drone shows.
Which K-pop acts perform and on which day?
Two sets of K-pop and hip-hop acts appear on two different nights. On Friday, Oct. 23, the vocal duo Davichi and hip-hop artist Loco perform during the opening ceremony . On Sunday, Oct. 25, girl group Kep1er and hip-hop duo Dynamicduo headline the finale of the "Hanseong Culture Concert," which starts at 7 p.m., according to Seoul Economic Daily . One Korean report makes it sound as if Kep1er and Dynamicduo are on opening night. However, The Korea Times, Seoul Economic Daily, Hankyung and Ajunews all list them for Sunday.
Is the festival free to attend?
We could not confirm this for 2026. The festival has been free to attend in past years. However, none of the 2026 reports we reviewed, including The Korea Times and Herald Business, states the admission terms. Before you go, check the Songpa District Office notices for entry rules, the full timetable and parking information. This matters most if you are planning around the Sunday K-pop finale.
How do I get to the venue by subway?
Take the subway to Mongchontoseong Station on Line 8 or Olympic Park Station on Line 5. From either station, walk into Olympic Park to the 88 Lawn, which sits near the park's Peace Gate. The Korea Times places the festival at the 88 Lawn Plaza . The district expects about 600,000 visitors this year, a projection reported by Seoul Economic Daily . For the 7 p.m. shows, arrive early and plan your trip home in advance.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
