SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, in collaboration with the Korea Heritage Agency, will host the 2024 K-Royal Culture Festival – Fall Edition from October 9 to 13 at Seoul’s four royal palaces: Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the K-Royal Culture Festival is the largest cultural heritage festival in Korea, offering visitors a chance to immerse themselves in traditional culture within the beautiful settings of the royal palaces. Held biannually in spring and fall, this year’s spring festival attracted over 600,000 domestic and international visitors.
This year’s fall festival, coinciding with Hangeul Day (a national holiday celebrating the creation of the Korean alphabet ‘Hangeul’) and the weekend, visitors can enjoy Hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) experiences, lectures, exhibitions, and various interactive programs.
At Gyeongbokgung, various Hanbok-themed programs will be held as the main event for the nationwide campaign for promoting Hanbok. The “Walking of Royal Family,” a reenactment of the royal family strolling through the palace, will be featured, along with Hanbok-related cultural contents including Gugak (traditional Korean music) performances, all of which can be enjoyed amidst the evening ambiance of the palace during the “Hanbok Royal Banquet” on October 9. Visitors wearing Hanbok can enter the banquet free of charge, and advance reservation participants will receive a special gift. Additionally, diverse experience programs such as Hanbok accessory crafting and Hanbok digital caricatures can be joined through advance reservations or on-site registration.
Additionally, the “Royal Tailor of Gyeongbokgung” will run from October 9-13 at Sujeongjeon Hall and Yungmuru Site, offering visitors the chance to explore the history of Hanbok and create Hanbok accessories. The “Humanities Concert: Hanboks Worlds Apart,” scheduled for October 10-11 at Heungbokjeon Hall, will explore the significance of Hanbok in historical films and documents. Furthermore, the exhibition “Beautiful Hanbok Stories in K-Royal Palaces” will showcase award-winning photographs of Hanbok from October 9-13 at Gyejodang Hall. The “Hanbok Best Dresser Showcase,” running from October 9-13 across all four palaces, will offer visitors a fully immersive Hanbok experience. Visitors can learn more about its role in preserving Hanbok culture.
The “Palace Concert: Ballet x Sujecheon,” which was first introduced in 2022, will return with an expanded program from October 10 to 13 at Jibokjae Hall. This crossover performance combining ballet and court music has received high praise, and for the fall festival, the audience capacity per session has been increased from 600 to 650 people, and the number of performances from 3 to 4 compared to the numbers of last year’s festival. Seats specifically for international visitors have been added to ensure more people can enjoy the performance (advance reservation required for both Korean and foreign participants).
* International visitors can book tickets through Creatrip (creatrip.com) starting September 5.
At Changdeokgung, the popular “Awakening the Morning Palace” program, which was a hit during the spring festival, will return this fall from October 9-13. Visitors can take a peaceful morning stroll through the palace grounds, guided by the captivating stories of artist Lee Si-woo and historian Ahn Ji-young.
Changgyeonggung will host a special performance titled “Peach Blossom: A Sorrowful Scene” from October 11-13 at Myeongjeongjeon Hall. This original play, set in Changgyeonggung, explores historical figures such as King Yeongjo, Crown Prince Sado, King Jeongjo, and Lady Hyegyeong of the Pungsan Hong clan (Queen Heongyeong), creating a unique and emotional experience for the audience.
Visitors can also experience the “Changgyeonggung Moonlight Lotus Show,” a media art display set against the backdrop of Chundangji Pond, from October 9-13, and the “Palace Concert: Classical Meets Pungryu” at Tongmyeongjeon Hall from October 9-12. These events are open to the public without reservations.
For those unable to attend in person, the K-Royal Culture Festival will also offer online programs. Last year’s “Genre Painting for All,” which attracted online around 200,000 participants, will take place under the theme “Hanbok Royal Banquet” from September 13 to October 27. Participants can create and share their own Hanbok-clad Joseon Dynasty characters on the Genre Painting for All website (pungsokdo.com).
A limited-edition K-Royal Palaces PASS will be available (4,000 passes in total), allowing unlimited visits to Seoul’s four major palaces, Gyeonghuigung and Jongmyo Shrine during the fall festival. This PASS includes one nighttime admission to Gyeongbokgung during the festival.
For more information, visit the Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center website (royal.khs.go.kr), the Korea Heritage Agency website (kh.or.kr), and the K-Royal Culture Festival website (kh.or.kr/fest). You can also follow the official K-Royal Culture Festival Instagram (@royalculturefestival_official).
Meanwhile, from September 20 to October 13, a 20-second promotional video introducing the 2024 K-Royal Culture Festival – Fall Edition will be broadcast on major outdoor billboards around the Gwanghwamun area, with the cooperation of the Jongno-gu Office. Next year, promotional videos will feature not only the festival but also a wider range of Korean heritage sites, to be broadcast through major outdoor billboards in downtown Seoul.
The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service hopes the K-Royal Culture Festival will offer a valuable opportunity for both Korean and international visitors to enjoy and gain a deeper understanding of the history and traditions embedded in Korean heritage. The center plans to continue to introduce innovative programs to actively promote the use of royal palaces and tombs.
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SOURCE Korea Heritage Agency
