This spring, the K-Royal Culture Festival will take you on a journey back several centuries.

The event is one of the largest of its kind and is held twice a year in May and October at the five royal palaces (Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, Changgyeonggung Palace, Deoksugung Palace, Gyeonghuigung Palace), Jongmyo Shrine and Sajikdan Altar. These are the most representative royal sites of Joseon Dynasty and are located in the same area in Seoul where the kings and royal family of Joseon dwelled during their dynasty.

From Saturday, April 29 through Sun., May 7, you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of cultural programs while hopping from palace to palace on foot. Each palace holds different programs and events including parades, exhibitions, performances, and more.

One of the special programs hosted at the Changgyeonggung Palace is called “Time Travel – King Yeongjo, Opening Honghwamun Gate.” The event runs from May 2 to 6 and will demonstrate various aspects of court culture including the royal banquet, traditional performances, and more. Some programs require advanced reservations, so check the event website ahead.

If you’re planning to go, renting a hanbok at one of the many shops near Gyongbokgung Palace would be a fun way to delve into Korean culture. Plus, anyone wearing a hanbok gets free entrance to all of the palaces! Renting a hanbok is easy and costs about 10,000 to 30,000 won for a full day. Here are a few hanbok rental shops to try:

• Hanboknam: Sajik-ro 133-5, Jongno-gu

• Seoul Hanbok café: Samcheong-ro 4, Jongno-gu

Festival programs Many programs are available for on-site visitors so you can simply enjoy them during the festival period. Tickets for programs requiring advanced reservation usually sell out quickly, so check the site for more information.

More information:

*Palaces online here.

*Festival website (Only Korean available)

List of programs provided by Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration:

Venue

Category

Program

Event date

Time

Remarks

Gyeongbokgung Palace

Planned

(6)

Performance

Opening Ceremony of 2023 Spring K-Royal Culture Festival

April 28 (Fri)

19:30–21:00

Advance booking required

Performance

Palace Musical: Sejong 1446

April 29 (Sat) –May 2 (Sun)

19:30–21:00

Advance booking required

Experience

Children’s K-Royal Culture Festival

Gwageo Liberal Arts Exam

May 5 (Fri)–May 6 (Sat)

11:00–11:50

13:00–13:50

15:00–15:50

Advance booking required

Palace True or False Quiz

May 5 (Fri)–May 6 (Sat)

12:30–12:50

14:30–14:50

16:30–16:50

On-site visit

May 7 (Sun)

12:30–12:50

13:30–13:50

16:30–16:50

On-site visit

Face Painting

May 5 (Fri)–May 7 (Sun)

11:00–17:00

On-site visit

Performance

May 5 (Fri)–May 7 (Sun)

(1st session) 12:00–12:30

(2nd session) 14:00–14:30

(3rd session) 16:00–16:30

*Only the 1st and 2nd sessions available on May 6

Only one session available on May 7

On-site visit

Experience

Global Gwageo Exam (for Foreigners)

May 7 (Sun)

11:00–12:00

14:00–15:00

Pre-event application required

Performance

Palace Parade

April 29 (Sat)

11:00–11:30

14:30–15:00

On-site visit

Performance

Court Music Entertainment

May 3 (Wed)–May 6 (Sat)

11:00–12:00

15:00–16:00

On-site visit

May 7 (Sun)

19:30–20:30

On-site visit

(available at night)

Collaboration

(2)

Performance

2023 Placenta Ceremony for the Placenta Chambers of King Sejong’s Sons (Seongju)

May 2 (Sun)

14:00–15:00

On-site visit

Experience

Promotion for The Haunted House (CJ ENM)

April 29 (Sat)– April 30 (Sun)

May 5 (Fri)–May 7 (Sun)

10:00–18:00

On-site visit

Partnership

(5)

Experience

Saenggwabang at Gyeongbokgung Palace

April 20 (Thu)–June 28 (Wed)

10:00–11:10

11:40–12:50

13:50–15:00

15:30–16:40

Advance booking required

Experience

Starlight Tour at Gyeongbokgung Palace

April 29 (Sat) –May 13 (Sun)

18:40–20:30

19:40–21:30

Advance booking required

Performance

Palace Concert: Adding Groove to Music Entertainment

April 29 (Sat) –May 2 (Sun)

11:00-11:50

15:00-15:50

On-site visit

May 3 (Wed)–May 6 (Sat)

19:30–20:20

On-site visit

(available at night)

Performance

Changing of the Guard Ceremony

April 28 (Fri) –May 7 (Sun)

10:00–10:20

14:00–14:20

On-site visit

Performance

Baltal, National Intangible Cultural Heritage

May 6 (Sat)–May 7 (Sun)

14:00–14:50

On-site visit

Changgyeonggung Palace

Planned

(2)

Performance

Romantic Palace Gidam Theater

April 30 (Sun) –May 3 (Wed)

18:50–20:20

20:20–21:50

Advance booking required

Performance

Palace Parade

April 30 (Sun)

11:00–11:30

14:00–14:30

On-site visit

Partnership

(1)

Experience

Court Culture Campaign - Refreshment Experience in Yakbang(The traditional pharmacy) of Changdeokgung (LG Household & Health Care)

April 29 (Sat) –May 7 (Sun)

11:00–11:50

13:00–13:50

15:00–15:50

17:00–17:50

Advance booking required

Partnership

(1)

Experience

Moonlight Tour at Changgyeonggung Palace

May 4 (Thu)–June 4 (Sun)

19:20, 19:25, 19:30

20:00, 20:05, 20:10 (80 min)

Advance booking required

Deoksugung Palace

Planned

(3)

Performance

Artists’ Loved Palace

May 5 (Fri)–May 7 (Sun)

19:30–20:40

On-site visit

Performance

Palace Parade

May 6 (Sat)

11:00–11:30

14:00–14:30

On-site visit

Experience

Plum Flower Blooming Miles (Dae Han Imperial House)

May 4 (Thu)–May 6 (Sat)

(1st session) 11:00–11:50

(2nd session) 14:00–14:50

(3rd session) 16:00–16:50

*Only the 2nd and 3rd sessions are available on May 4

Advance booking required

Partnership

(2)

Experience

Seokjojeon at Night

April 28 (Fri)–May 4 (Thu)

18:20–19:50

18:50–20:25

19:25–21:00

Advance booking required

Performance

Palace Concert: Adding Hip to Music Entertainment

May 5 (Fri)–May 7 (Sun)

12:00–12:50

On-site visit

Changgyeonggung Palace

Planned

(2)

Combined

Time Travel: King Yeongjo, Opening Honghwamun Gate (Day 1)

May 2 (Sun)

12:00–13:20

15:00–16:20

Advance booking required

Time Travel: King Yeongjo, Opening Honghwamun Gate (Days 2 to 4)

May 3 (Wed)–May 5 (Fri)

(1st session) 10:00-13:00

(2nd session) 13:00-16:00

(3rd session) 15:00-18:00

*Only the 1st and 2nd sessions are available on May 5

Pre-event application +

On-site visit

Time Travel: King Yeongjo, Opening Honghwamun Gate (Day 5)

(King Yeongjo’s 50th Birthday Ceremony)

May 6 (Sat)

14:00-15:00

16:00-17:00

*Post-meal event upon the end of the 2nd session

(Chundangji Pond/17:30–18:30)

On-site visit

Performance

Palace Parade

April 28 (Fri)

14:00–14:40

On-site visit

Partnership

(2)

Experience

Night Performance at Changgyeonggung Palace

May 2 (Sun)–May 19 (Fri)

17:00–21:00

Advance booking required

Exhibition

Night Multimedia Content at Changgyeonggung Palace

April 29 (Sat)–May 7 (Sun)

20:00–20:40 (scheduled)

On-site visit

Gyeonghuigung Palace

Planned

(1)

Performance

Palace Parade

May 5 (Fri)

11:00–11:30

On-site visit

Jongmyo

Partnership

(2)

Performance

Jongmyo Daeje

May 7 (Sun)

11:00–17:00

Advance booking required

Performance

Jongmyo Myohyeonrye

April 28 (Fri) –May 1 (Mon)

13:00–13:40

16:00–16:40

Advance booking required

Exhibition

Sajikdan Altar Exhibition

April 29 (Sat)–May 7 (Sun)

09:00-21:00

On-site visit