Arts & performanceSeoul

K-Wave Dance Festival 2026 in Seoul, South Korea

K-웨이브 댄스 페스티벌 2026

Oct2026
3 –4
Sat–Sun 12:00–21:00 both days
Past edition

3 October 2026 to 4 October 2026 · 12:00–21:00 both days; on 3 October the pre-show was at 16:30, the opening ceremony at 18:00 and Street Moon Night from 20:00

This edition has ended. It is kept as a record of what the 2026 festival offered. The current information is on the K-Wave Dance Festival page (Expected Oct 2027).

Venue this year. Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu: about 480 m from the Noksapyeong Station intersection to Itaewon Station Exit 1, closed to traffic. The first edition away from Banpo Hangang Park.

Dates3–4 Oct 2026
Hours12:00–21:00 both days; on 3 October the pre-show was at 16:30, the opening ceremony at 18:00 and Street Moon Night from 20:00
WeatherOctober average 20/11 °C (68/51 °F), 52 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Seoul station.
VenueItaewon-ro, from the Noksapyeong Station intersection to Itaewon Station Exit 1서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 일대 (녹사평역 교차로~이태원역 1번 출구)
AdmissionEntry: Free
Previous edition2025: 11–12 Oct 2025
Next edition2027: Probably a weekend in early to mid October 2027, as in 2024–2026 (the first edition was on 21–22 October 2023); dates and venue not announced as of 19 October 2026.

Program

  • 3 Oct 16:30pre-show, Yoon Myung-hwa Dance Company's Samgomu (three-drum dance)
  • 3 Oct eveningworld dance parade led by a marching band, more than 90 dancers from nine countries (Korea, Ecuador, Cambodia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Spain, France and Italy)
  • 3 Oct 18:00opening ceremony and show: humanoid robots dancing with dancers, Yongin University's taekwondo team, Ahn Eun-me Company, K-Ballet Theater and Jeong Seung-hee Dance Company; butterfly-shaped drone display
  • 3 Oct from 20:00Street Moon Night, DJ sets and street dance with Kang Won-rae and DJ Handsome Cha
  • 4 OctDancing Dream (arts middle school students) and university groups; Girls Dance Company, Seoul Ballet Theater and LDP × M.A.P
  • 4 Oct eveningGlobal Open Dance Stage, 20 teams and more than 100 participants from 27 countries
  • Both daysrandom play dance, impromptu dance battle (춤 뽐내기), street karaoke, a DDR session with Yun Sang-yeon, busking by Lee Jeong-bong and Im Jun-woo
  • World food street, world culture village, AI photo booths, face painting and a sky swing

Prices

ItemPriceNote
EntryFreeNo admission fee and no advance registration

Notes on the 2026 edition

Fourth edition (counting from the first in 2023). The organisers estimated about 60,000 visitors over the two days. Funded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Yongsan-gu mayor, Kim Kyung-dae, spoke at the opening.

About the festival

The K-Wave Dance Festival (K-웨이브 댄스 페스티벌) is a free two-day dance festival in Seoul, run since 2023 by the Korea Contemporary Dance Promotion Association, that mixes ballet, contemporary and traditional dance with K-pop random play, a world dance parade and foreign volunteer performers. The 2026 edition ran on 3–4 October, 12:00–21:00, on a 480 m car-free stretch of Itaewon-ro from the Noksapyeong Station intersection to Itaewon Station Exit 1 (Line 6), and the organisers estimated about 60,000 visitors. The 2027 edition is expected on an October weekend, but its dates and venue have not been announced; the first three editions were held by the river in Banpo Hangang Park.

Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main K-Wave Dance Festival page, which covers every edition.

Source

Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.

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