Online livestream reaches 450,000; total participation hits 620,000

Gangnam-gu says three-day event closes with parades, K-pop in full swing

Singer Psy performs as the finale act at the K-pop concert of the 2026 Gangnam Festival on Saturday. A sudden downpour struck as Psy took the stage, but the crowd stayed until the very end. [Gangnam-gu]
Singer Psy performs as the finale act at the K-pop concert of the 2026 Gangnam Festival on Saturday. A sudden downpour struck as Psy took the stage, but the crowd stayed until the very end. [Gangnam-gu]

Gangnam-gu said Wednesday that 166,000 people attended the 2026 Gangnam Festival, held from Saturday to Monday along Dosan-daero and surrounding streets. An additional 450,000 joined via online livestream.

Now in its 15th year, the festival moved its main stage for the first time — shifting from Yeongdong-daero to the 10-lane Dosan-daero, transforming a busy road into a festival space for residents and visitors.

On Saturday, a grand parade featuring residents from all 22 dong filled Dosan-daero, followed by an evening family concert headlining Im Chang-jung, Nam Jin, Kim Won-jun, Rula, Space A, Hong Kyung-min and Hong Ji-yun. That same day, a special stage for KBS's traditional music program "Gukak Hangmadang" was held at Maru Park to mark the founding of the Gangnam Gukak Orchestra. The performance is set to air on KBS1 at 12:10 p.m. on Oct. 24.

On Sunday, the area around Dosan Park came alive with food, fashion and beauty, and K-pop. The Beer & Food Festa offered chicken and beer alongside hansik and dishes from around the world. The K-pop concert featured Lunate, Say My Name, Alpha Drive One, ZeroBaseOne, Kiki and P1Harmony, with Psy closing out the night as the finale act. A district official said a sudden shower hit during Psy's set, but the audience stayed in place and enjoyed the performance to the end.

On Monday, the 23rd Gangnam International Peace Marathon and a global master chef food festival — where visitors could sample dishes by renowned chefs from Korea and abroad — were held. The evening closed with an outdoor concert at Bongeunsa Temple, where music mingled with the autumn scenery of an urban Buddhist temple to bring the three-day festival to a close.

Despite large-scale street events and traffic controls running simultaneously, the festival concluded without major incident, thanks to coordination with the Gangnam Police Station and other agencies, as well as on-site safety management, the district said.

Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said Gangnam has established itself as a mecca of K-pop and that the Gangnam Festival has grown into a celebration that residents build together and take pride in. "Going forward, we will elevate Gangnam's cultural standing as a city that leads not just K-pop but Korean content as a whole," he said.


ken@heraldcorp.com