The 2026 Lotus Lantern Festival, called Yeondeunghoe in Korean, will be held Saturday and Sunday in the Jogye Temple, Ujeongguk-ro and Jongno areas of central Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday. The festival traces its origins to the Unified Silla period (676-935) and was designated Korea’s National Intangible Heritage No. 122 in 2012, before receiving UNESCO recognition in 2020 and being inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is organized annually by the Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee, which also runs traditional lantern-making workshops and international academic conferences. The centerpiece of this year’s festival is the Lotus Lantern Parade on Saturday evening, where more than 60 organizations and roughly 20,000 participants will march from Dongguk University through Heunginjimun gate and Jongno to Jogye Temple from 7-9:30 p.m. Following the parade, a communal celebration will run from 9:30-11 p.m. at Jongak intersection, featuring ganggangsullae (circle dancing), music performances and a “flower rain” finale. On Sunday, a tradi
Seoul’s Lotus Lantern Festival set for May 16-17 with major road closures
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