| Dates | 15–19 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00–22:00 (KTO and Ministry of Culture listings) |
| Venue | Gochang Eupseong (Moyangseong Fortress) and surroundings전북특별자치도 고창군 고창읍 모양성로 11 (고창읍성) |
| Admission | Festival admission: Free |
| Previous edition | 2025: 29 Oct – 2 Nov 2025 |
| Next edition | 2027: October 2027, probably five days around Jungyangjeol (the 9th day of the 9th lunar month), which falls in early October in 2027; this would be the 54th edition. Recent runs: 30 September–4 October 2022, 19–23 October 2023, 9–13 October 2024, 29 October–2 November 2025 and 15–19 October 2026. Dates not announced as of 19 October 2026. |
Program
- 15 Oct'Colorful Gochang' street parade of more than 1,400 residents, multicultural families and seasonal workers, starting from the bus terminal and ending in a flash mob at the festival stage; Gochang Education Arts Festival
- 16 Octopening ceremony with a dance and pop-opera theme performance, a ganggangsullae contest of farm women's groups, and a drone show of 1,000 drones at 19:30
- 17 Oct from 16:00Republic of Korea Air Force Black Eagles air display
- Dailydaytime dapseong with a different group each day (students on 15 Oct, then three generations, couples and families, and people sharing a surname on the last day), about 600 walkers a day at the weekend; night dapseong with hanji lanterns and ganggangsullae
- Daily 14:00Moyang Byeolsi mock state examinations (civil, military and technical)
- 'Moyang Tamgu Saenghwal' Joseon games (a paid-flogging stand-in role play, a blacksmith hammer game, ttangttamgi), 'Moyangseong Yuramdan' mini-fortress maze with 8 missions, a treasure-map history mystery, the Moyang Dasil tea room and the 'Yuramnok' tour of the fortress's nine scenic spots
- Dongni-dangil theme street and night market linked to town-centre shops, food booths, farmers' direct market and a Hanwoo farm party
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Festival admission | Free | Free per the KTO and Ministry of Culture listings |
Notes on the 2026 edition
53rd edition; slogan 'Connecting tradition, opening the future' (전통을 잇고, 미래를 열다). Final day 19 October 2026. No visitor total had been published. Enquiries: Gochang County, 063-560-2949.
About the festival
The Gochang Moyangseong Festival (고창모양성제) is a five-day heritage festival at Gochang Eupseong, a walled Joseon county town built in 1453 in Gochang-gun, Jeonbuk State. Its signature event is the dapseong: walking the 1,684 m fortress wall in hanbok with a stone balanced on your head. The 53rd edition ran 15–19 October 2026, 10:00–22:00, with free entry; the 2027 dates are not announced, but the festival follows the lunar calendar and is expected in October 2027. Express buses from Seoul Central City Terminal take about 3 hours (from ₩21,700).
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Gochang Moyangseong Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.