'2026 Cultural Heritage Travel in Moonlight' set for Friday–Saturday, featuring full-moon lighting, pansori by a master singer and hands-on Baekje experiences
Songpa-gu in Seoul will host "2026 Cultural Heritage Travel in Moonlight" at Pungnap Baekje Culture Park and Songpa Culture and Arts Center from Friday through Saturday.
The event is part of the Cultural Heritage Administration's "Cultural Heritage Night" program, a national initiative that opens heritage sites after dark so residents can experience local history and culture in a setting unlike anything available during the day.
The centerpiece is the Pungnap-dong Earthen Fortress — the site where Baekje first established its capital and the heart of the Hanseong Baekje kingdom. Today the ramparts serve as a popular walking spot for local residents. For this event, lighting installations, performances and hands-on activities will reveal sides of the fortress visible only at night.
The opening ceremony begins Friday at 7 p.m. on the lawn of Pungnap Baekje Culture Park with a lighting display. A brass ensemble will then perform film and animation soundtracks in a classical concert, followed by traditional performances including Songpa Sandae Nori mask dance and samulnori percussion. On the second day, Songpa Culture and Arts Center will host "Dalbit Garak Hanmadang," a special pansori stage featuring Sin Yeong-hui, a designated holder of the national intangible heritage for pansori, performing "Chunhyangga."
Throughout the event, a large full-moon light installation will glow atop the park's observation deck. Visitors can write wishes and hang them up, and pose for photos against a backdrop of lotus-shaped lanterns and designated photo zones.
A guided walking program will also take participants along the Hanseong Baekje Royal Road with a cultural interpreter, tracing the route from Pungnap Baekje Culture Park to Dongseongbyeok Park. Those who complete the full tour will receive a commemorative gift.
A range of hands-on booths will round out the program — visitors can make traditional flower shoes with a master craftsperson designated as a national intangible heritage holder, try on Baekje-era costumes, shape three-legged earthenware, decorate roof-tile-pattern cookies, and take part in a Baekje history quiz and artifact treasure hunt, all designed to make the ancient kingdom's story feel like play.
A night food market, "Dalbit Yajang," will be organized jointly by the Pungnap-dong residential environment improvement council, the Pungnap Market merchants' association and local residents. Food stalls, food trucks and a flea market will fill the grounds, and a climate-themed activity — making cotton candy by pedaling a bicycle generator — will offer a hands-on lesson in energy.
The event is co-hosted by Songpa-gu, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Cultural Heritage Administration. Because it runs after dark, organizers will inspect pedestrian routes, staircases and lighting in advance and station safety and medical personnel on site. Admission is free for most activities; a materials fee applies only for select craft workshops.
Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok said the event "will be an opportunity for residents to encounter the history of Hanseong Baekje in a fresh way," adding that the district will "consistently create spaces where residents can enjoy cultural heritage in their daily lives and where traditional markets and neighborhood businesses can thrive together."
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