Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival 2027

About this event

Jinju's lantern festival commemorates the signals floated on the Namgang during the 1592 siege of its fortress: tens of thousands of lanterns now cover the river below Jinjuseong, one of the great night spectacles of the Korean autumn.

The riverfront is free to wander, with lantern displays on both banks, fireworks and the old town's food stalls behind them. Dates for 2027 are not announced yet; expect the first half of October, and set the alert below to hear when they land.

The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival fills the Namgang River below Jinjuseong Fortress with tens of thousands of floating lanterns, a tradition honouring the lantern signals used during the 1592 siege of the fortress. Lantern displays line both banks, with fireworks, parades and food stalls through the old town. The 2027 dates have not been announced: the festival runs through the first half of October, straddling the Chuseok holiday and National Foundation Day on 3 October, and entry to the riverfront is free.

How it works

The lantern displays and the riverfront are free. Some special exhibitions inside the fortress grounds are paid in recent editions; the main spectacle, the river of lanterns after dark, costs nothing.