Running 24 days along Danghyeoncheon stream, the festival drew more than 1.32 million visitors last year. This year, 24 Korean artist teams present more than 30 works, with expanded community art participation.
Nowon-gu in Seoul will host the public art light sculpture festival "2026 Nowon Moonlight Walk: A New Moon."
Now in its seventh edition, the Nowon Moonlight Walk is the district's signature autumn festival, transforming a 1.3-kilometer stretch of Danghyeoncheon stream — from Danghyeon Bridge 1 near Junggye Station to Yangji Bridge — into a corridor of light and art. The festival runs Oct. 16 through Nov. 8, operating daily from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. for 24 days. Last year, more than 1.32 million people visited, cementing its reputation as one of the city's most popular nighttime public art events.
The opening ceremony will be held Oct. 16 at Danghyeonmaru, a waterside café along Danghyeoncheon. An official opening declaration at 6:30 p.m. will be followed by a lighting ceremony at 7:20 p.m., when the installations along the stream will all illuminate at once to mark the start of the festival.
Themed "A New Moon," this year's exhibition is overseen by artistic director Jeon Yeong-il and features 24 Korean artist teams presenting more than 30 works.
The festival is organized around three messages — a prayer for all living things, a wish for peace and coexistence, and a wish for a better world — tracing through the universal symbolism of the moon how individual hopes can expand into a shared communal light.
At the entrance plaza near the stream's floor fountain, Gadget Gongbang's "Pulse of the Earth" anchors the festival gateway. The variable public art project comprises a mutual-support pavilion measuring 11 meters in diameter and 6.5 meters in height, 100 "chairs for all," and 1,000 balance blocks. During the festival it will serve as an open rest area, with guerrilla pop-up playground events on Oct. 20, Oct. 22 and Oct. 29. At the Yangji Bridge entrance to the festival zone, a DaVinci Bridge tunnel installation called "Moonlight Gate" will guide visitors into the world of light.
Works by established Korean artists are also scattered throughout the stream corridor. Kim Chang-gyeom, regarded as a first-generation media artist, reinterprets the traditional Korean architectural decorative painting known as "dancheong" through digital imagery, creating a space where past and future converge. Um Hyeok-yong, known for his "Jikji" series rendered in various materials, adds light to a towering stainless-steel book sculpture — 4.6 meters tall with a total circumference of 9 meters — to evoke the meaning of diligent study and the moonlight that illuminates truth. Lee Gil-rae, recognized for welding copper pipes into pine tree forms, presents a large pine sculpture embodying his philosophy of nature's vitality and cycles.
Beyond the exhibitions, a range of accompanying programs will run throughout the festival. Weekend cultural and arts performances will be held every Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 17 at the floor fountain plaza, adding to the festive atmosphere along the walking path. A nightly moonlight tour with community docents called "Moonlight Guides" will depart at 7:30 p.m. daily from Oct. 17, helping visitors engage with the meaning of each work. Tailored tours for elementary, middle and high school groups and institutions, as well as guided experiences for people with disabilities and those with limited mobility, will also be available.
This year the district has also expanded private-sector partnerships. IPark Hyundai Development has joined as a sponsor, contributing to the festival's stable operation and content development. The district plans to continue building on public-private cooperation to strengthen the long-term sustainability of the Nowon Moonlight Walk and its standing as a leading local cultural festival.
"The Nowon Moonlight Walk has established itself as an open arts festival where citizens walk, feel and connect — going far beyond a simple nighttime exhibition," Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o said. "I hope everyone will come and experience a special autumn night under 'A New Moon,' where each person's wish for life, peace and coexistence joins together into a single light."
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