Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival 2026: Dates Until Oct 18, Free Entry, and How to Get There from Seoul

Bottom line: The Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival runs through October 18, and entry to the festival grounds (Jinjuseong Fortress and the Namgang riverside) is free. You can still see it fully if you go today (October 13), but the lanterns only light up after sunset, around 6 p.m., so a daytime-only visit misses the whole point. If you're doing it as a day trip from Seoul, check your return train time before you go, not after you've seen the lights.

If you didn't know: The KTX from Seoul Station to Jinju Station takes about 3 hours 30 minutes one way and costs 57,600 won — round trip, that's 115,200 won and 7 hours of pure travel time. Leave Seoul too late in the afternoon and you'll arrive just as the lanterns are being switched off, or stay to watch the full evening display and you may miss the last train back, forcing an unplanned overnight stay in Jinju. The festival grounds themselves are free, but certain experiences — such as crossing the pontoon bridge over the Namgang River — carry a separate fee; check the exact amount at the on-site ticket booth signage.

At a glance: Dates Oct 3-18, 2026 (16 days). Venue: 626 Namgang-ro, Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do (Jinjuseong Fortress and Namgang riverside). Festival grounds free. Lanterns lit 18:00-24:00 (closing night Oct 18 ends at 18:00). Fireworks on Oct 3, 9, and 17. Seoul Station-Jinju Station KTX: about 3h30m, 57,600 won, 10 departures a day. Suseo-Jinju SRT: about 3h35m, 49,900 won.

Thousands of lanterns float on the Namgang River below Jinjuseong Fortress's old walls, and as it gets darker the reflections layer on the water into a scene completely different from what you'd see in daylight. This year's unusually long 16-day run means you don't need a weekend — a weekday evening gets you the same lanterns with fewer crowds. Fireworks fire on three nights, Oct 3, 9, and 17, so timing your visit to one of those gives you both lanterns and fireworks together, though expect heavier crowds; arrive an hour or two before sunset if you want a spot for photos. Street food stalls operate inside the festival grounds, so dinner is easy to sort out on site.

Coming up next: once the lantern festival wraps, late October brings a wave of fall foliage festivals across the country — near Seoul, Bukhansan and Dobongsan mountains typically peak in late October (check the Korea Meteorological Administration for the official forecast date). We'll cover confirmed dates in an upcoming issue.

Journey stage: ④ During the trip · Verified 2026-10-13 · Source Jinju City, Korail train schedule data