| Dates | 30 Apr – 6 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00–22:30 per KTO (a travel site lists 10:00–21:00) |
| Venue | Gwanghallu Garden and the Yocheon riverside전북특별자치도 남원시 요천로 1447 (천거동) |
| Admission | Festival admission: Free · Gwanghallu Garden (adult): ₩4,000 |
| Previous edition | 2025: 30 Apr – 6 May 2025 |
| Next edition | 2027: Late April–early May 2027 (97th edition). The 2025 and 2026 editions both ran 30 April–6 May, and the city promoted the 2026 festival as a late-April–early-May event, so a similar seven-day run is most likely. It does not follow the lunar calendar now (2024 ran 10–16 May). No 2027 dates had been announced as of 19 October 2026; the 2024 dates were reported in late January 2024 and the 2026 poster was out by 9 February 2026, so expect an announcement in January–February 2027. |
Program
- 30 Apr (eve)Global Chunhyang Contest final at 19:30 on the Yocheon-ro special stage (first prize ₩15 million); the 10th Global Senior Chunhyang Contest at the Chunhyang Cultural Arts Center the same day
- Chunhyang memorial rite (춘향제향) and opening; slogan 'Chunhyang's charm captivates the world'
- Chunhyang Carnival (the Daedong-gil street parade run as a citizens' competition), Chunhyang Love Dance and a lantern procession at Gwanghallu
- Master singers (myeongchang) at Gwanghallu pavilion on all seven days; Korea Chunhyang Gugak Competition with a pansori newcomer contest; Chunhyang rap and pansori
- 4 MayKBS Gugak Hanmadang on a special stage
- Chunhyang hanbok fashion show, Chunmong Love Story traditional-wedding experience, Love Give Run charity run, Love On Air, Chunhyang Beauty Zone and the 'Chunhyang Hwacheop' illustration exhibition by the artist Heukyoseok
- Stagesmain stage, Gwanghallu pavilion stage, Yeruwon stage, parade stage and Sipsujeong stage; a food zone of Namwon dishes and a family hands-on zone
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Festival admission | Free | Free; some programmes are paid (KTO) |
| Gwanghallu Garden (adult) | ₩4,000 | Youth and military ₩2,000, children ₩1,500; free 18:00–21:00 from April to October; free for preschool children, over-65s, Namwon residents and visitors with disabilities. Whether the daytime fee was waived during the festival was not stated. |
Notes on the 2026 edition
96th edition. About 1.51 million visits, the most in the festival's history; named 'Traditional History Festival of the Year' at the 2026 Brand of the Year Awards (Korea Consumer Forum). Car-camping and two tourism packages were announced without prices.
About the festival
The Namwon Chunhyang Festival (춘향제) is a seven-day festival of traditional performance at Gwanghallu Garden and the Yocheon riverside in Namwon, Jeonbuk State, built around Korea's best-known love story and first held in 1931. The 96th edition ran 30 April–6 May 2026 and drew about 1.51 million visits; the 97th is expected in late April–early May 2027, dates not yet announced. Festival entry is free, while Gwanghallu Garden charges ₩4,000 for adults by day and is free after 18:00 from April to October. Namwon is about 2 hours from Yongsan by KTX (₩36,400).
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Namwon Chunhyang Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.