Royal Culture Festival

About the festival

The Royal Culture Festival is Korea’s largest national heritage festival, held every spring and autumn at Seoul’s five royal palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung) and Jongmyo Shrine. Using the palaces as stages, it presents Korean traditional culture through performances, exhibitions, activities and ceremonial reenactments. Hosted by the Korea Heritage Service and organized by the Korea Heritage Agency, the 12th festival, themed “Palaces Awaken Art”, turns the palaces into stages for experiencing the roots of K-culture. The spring 2026 festival drew a record 725,000 visitors. In autumn, daytime programs focus on palace spaces and history through exhibitions, tours and activities, while evening programs feature performances against the halls and scenery. On October 6 at 5 p.m., a special KBS2 “Immortal Songs” concert celebrating the festival takes place at Heungnyemun Plaza in Gyeongbokgung, with gugak to K-pop for all generations. Admission is free; apply for seats on the program’s official website.