| Dates | Five days in early to mid October 2027, most likely Wednesday to Sunday, if the pattern holds (5–9 Oct 2023, 2–6 Oct 2024, 15–19 Oct 2025, 7–11 Oct 2026); dates not announced as of 19 October 2026. The 2026 dates were fixed at the festival committee's first meeting on 22 January 2026, and the 2025 dates were public by 13 February 2025. |
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| Venue | Geumnam-ro, Chungjang-ro, 5·18 Democracy Square and the Art Street, downtown Gwangju광주광역시 동구 금남로3가 |
| Admission | Free; no tickets. Food trucks and stalls charge (prices were not published). |
| Previous edition | 2026: 7–11 Oct 2026 |
Notes on the 2027 edition
Would be the 24th edition. Its theme, chosen from a public survey that ran to 31 August 2026, was to be announced at the 2026 closing on 11 October; the reports opened did not name it.
About the festival
The Chungjang Festival of Memories (추억의 충장축제) is a free five-day street festival of nostalgia in downtown Gwangju, held since 2004 on Geumnam-ro, Chungjang-ro, the Art Street and 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu. The 23rd edition ran 7–11 October 2026, 14:00–22:00, with three days of street parades, including 12 teams from 6 countries. The 2027 dates have not been announced; expect five days in early to mid October. From Seoul, take the KTX to Gwangju Songjeong (about 2 hours, ₩42,000 from Yongsan), then Gwangju Metro Line 1 to Culture Complex Station or a taxi.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Chungjang Festival of Memories page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
- KTO tourist data — 광주 추억의 충장축제 (ktriptips mirror, contentId 692682)kto
- KTO tourist data (Japanese) — 光州思い出の忠壮祭り (ktriptips mirror, contentId 746454)kto
- KTO tourist data (Traditional Chinese) — 光州追憶7080忠壯節 (ktriptips mirror, contentId 746141)kto
- KTO tourist data (Simplified Chinese) — 追忆光州忠壮世界庆典 (ktriptips mirror, contentId 699204)kto