Vehicle traffic banned from Sunday as bridge conversion begins

10 brands including Mom's Touch, BBQ and Pura Dak to take part

[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
[Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

A 400-meter-long chicken table will be set up on Jamsu Bridge, where 2,000 residents can enjoy fried chicken together in a riverside festival.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that it will hold "Jamsu Bridge Chicken Day" on Sunday. The event marks the final day of the 2026 Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubeok-ttubeok Festival, after which the bridge will close to vehicle traffic starting Monday as construction begins to convert it into a pedestrian-only crossing.

The program centers on fried chicken — one of the most popular foods enjoyed along the Han River — and is designed as a cooperative initiative bringing together franchise brands and small independent businesses. A 400-meter "chicken table" seating about 1,000 people at a time will be installed on the bridge for the occasion.

Participating brands include Gamachi Tongdak, Giyeongi Sutbul Dumari Chicken, Manseok Dak-gangjeong, Mom's Touch, Mexicana, Banpo Chicken, BBQ, Oneul Tongdak, Jadam Chicken and Pura Dak. Visitors can choose whichever brand they prefer and enjoy their meal at the communal table.

The chicken table will operate in two 90-minute seatings — at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The city is accepting online reservations for 1,000 people per seating, for a total of 2,000 participants.

A separate event called "Jamsu Bridge Chimlier" will spotlight hidden chicken gems from each of Seoul's 25 districts. Running for 90 minutes from 2 p.m., a panel of 100 Korean and foreign tasters will sample 25 pieces of chicken — one from each district — to discover the appeal of locally made chicken while giving small business owners a platform to promote their products.

Other events include an exhibition featuring a "K-Chicken Belt Map" highlighting notable chicken restaurants and destinations across the country.

The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain will be lit in yellow that day, symbolizing the golden batter of fried chicken, to add to the festive atmosphere. Reservations for the chicken table and applications for the Chimlier event are available on the festival's official website. The city urged visitors to use public transportation, as heavy traffic is expected on nearby roads and in the Banpo Han River Park parking lot.

The Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubeok-ttubeok Festival launched in the second half of 2022 to let residents experience the bridge without cars ahead of its planned conversion to a pedestrian-only crossing. Now in its fifth year, this weekend's event will be its last.

"We prepared the final program of the Car-Free Jamsu Bridge Ttubeok-ttubeok Festival around chicken, a food everyone loves," said Park Jin-young, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Han River Bureau. "We hope everyone will come and enjoy the last festival on Jamsu Bridge before it is reborn as a pedestrian bridge."


ken@heraldcorp.com