At a glance
| Dates | Expected Sep/Oct 2027Late September to mid October 2027, probably three days around a weekend, if the recent pattern holds (6–8 Oct 2023, 2–5 Oct 2024, 26–28 Sep 2025, 9–11 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2027: Late September to mid October 2027, probably three days around a weekend, if the recent pattern holds (6–8 Oct 2023, 2–5 Oct 2024, 26–28 Sep 2025, 9–11 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. |
| Admission | Free, for both the festival and Haemieupseong itself. The 600-year table dinner, food, rides and goods are paid.Entry: Free (2026 prices) |
| Venue | Haemieupseong Fortress and surroundings충청남도 서산시 해미면 남문2로 143 |
| Nearest station | No rail access; see Getting there |
| From Seoul | about 1 h 35 min · BusLeave from Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal · One-way fare from ₩10,300 · Back to Seoul the same nightFull route · Festivals by travel time from Seoul |
| Organizer | Seosan City, run by the Seosan Culture Foundation서산시 (주관: (재)서산문화재단) |
| Usual timing | Three or four days around a weekend in late September or early to mid October (6–8 Oct 2023, 2–5 Oct 2024, 26–28 Sep 2025, 9–11 Oct 2026). First held in 2000; not held in 2006, when the fortress was under restoration. The dates are usually announced in late summer, with the programme presented at a press briefing in early September. Browse September / October festivals. |
| First held | 2000 |
| Last checked | 19 October 2026Checked against 20 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Haemieupseong is one of the best-preserved fortified towns of the Joseon dynasty. King Taejong chose the site in 1416 to guard the west coast against Japanese pirates, and the fortress was built from 1417 to 1421; the earthen walls were faced with stone in 1491. Stones sent by 23 counties still carry the names of the places that supplied them. The wall runs about 1.8 km around, is about 5 m high and encloses some 196,381 m² of lawns, pine groves and rebuilt government buildings, entered through the south gate, Jinnammun. From 1417 to 1652 it was the army headquarters for the Chungcheong region, and in the late Joseon persecutions it became a place where Catholics were imprisoned and executed; wire is still embedded in the bark of an old pagoda tree inside the walls that is linked to the torture of believers.
The festival began in 2000 as the Haemieupseong Historical Experience Festival and has changed its name several times since; it was skipped in 2006 for restoration work. In 2023 the 20th edition recast it from a historical-experience event into an "old-fortress culture festival" under the banner Gosung Bangga (古城放佳), with more concerts, night lighting and family programmes. The 2026 theme was "HAEMI UNIVERSE: 1421, the gate of time opens". Seosan City hosts it and the Seosan Culture Foundation runs it; with a budget of ₩1.6 billion in 2024 it was the fourth-largest festival in Chungcheongnam-do, and the culture ministry lists it among its Local 100 representative festivals.
The set pieces are King Taejong's royal procession and a re-enactment of his royal hunt and military review (gangmu), a fortress-building procession, a guard-changing ceremony, martial-arts shows and, in recent years, an aerobatic flyover by the air force's Black Eagles team. Around them are hands-on Joseon activities (a mock military exam, archery, horse riding, calligraphy, traditional costume, kites), Chungcheongnam-do intangible heritage performances, concerts and an EDM party. After dark the walls are lit, with media façade projections and, in 2026, a 1,000-drone show.
The caveats: the festival draws 200,000 to 270,000 visitors over three or four days, so weekends are crowded and parking is spread across remote lots linked by shuttle buses. Programmes are in Korean, and no English service was documented. The night shows end after the last bus to Seoul from Haemi, so seeing them means driving or staying in the area. Outside the festival the fortress is a quiet, free park, open daily from early morning.
Highlights
- A walled Joseon fortress town completed in 1421, with walls about 1.8 km around, free to enter every day of the year
- King Taejong's royal procession and a re-enactment of his royal hunt and military review (gangmu), plus a fortress-building procession (2026)
- Black Eagles aerobatic flyover over the fortress (on 5 Oct in 2024, and in the 2025 and 2026 programmes)
- After dark: lit walls, media façade projections and, in 2026, a 1,000-drone show; the festival ran 10:00–22:00
- Hands-on Joseon activities: a mock military exam, archery, horse riding, calligraphy, traditional costume and kites; in 2026 a QR code at the gate issued a digital hopae (Joseon identity tag)
- Daily 2026 street drama about the fortress builders at 14:00 and a K-pop cover and street-dance show at 16:30; Chungcheongnam-do intangible heritage such as the monk's dance (seungmu) and the Park Cheomji puppet play
- A paid "600-year table" dinner of Seosan produce cooked by Michelin-starred chef Kim Seong-un, 60 seats a day (2026)
- Family facilities: a kids' zone with slides and bouncy castles, childcare by trained staff for up to an hour, and picnic zones with about 150 tents (2025)
Who it suits. Best for families with children, Korean-history fans and anyone who wants a free autumn day at one of the country's best-kept Joseon fortresses, with a flyover, processions and lit walls; less suited to visitors who need English-language programmes or who rely on public transport and want to stay for the night shows.
Getting there
From Seoul
Direct intercity buses run from Seoul Nambu Terminal to the Haemi stop: about 7 a day, 1 h 35 m, ₩10,300 regular or ₩13,400 deluxe. The stop is in Haemi village, about 0.4 km in a straight line from the fortress, so you can walk or take a short taxi ride. Haemi has no railway station. During the festival the city also points visitors to express buses from the capital region to Seosan, but those routes were not checked.
Festival shuttle
In 2025, 19 shuttle buses ran every 20 minutes during the festival, linking the Hanseo University car park and 10 nearby lots with the fortress. No 2026 shuttle timetable was found as of 19 October 2026.
Getting home
Haemi has no railway. Buses from the Haemi stop back to Seoul Nambu take about 1 h 50 m, and only a few run in the evening. The festival ran until 22:00 in 2026, and the drone show, media façade and EDM party are after dark, so seeing them and getting back to Seoul the same evening is likely to need a car; otherwise stay in Seosan. Check the last bus at the terminal (or on the intercity bus booking site) before the festival day.
Parking
Parking at the fortress is free on normal days (KTO); a travel blog citing city records puts the first car park at about 157 spaces. At festival time the lots beside the fortress fill quickly: in 2025 visitors were sent to the Hanseo University car park and 10 other lots served by shuttle buses.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | |
| 600-year table dinner (Haemi Seongchan Palpok) | — | Paid, 60 seats a day, cooked by chefs Kim Seong-un and Kim Ji-young; price and booking method not found |
- Booking
- No booking for entry. The 600-year table dinner (60 seats a day in 2026) was paid; how to book it was not found. Festival enquiries: 041-681-3560.
- English on site
- No English programme or interpretation for visitors was documented. KTO lists the festival in Japanese and Chinese; the 2026 edition invited about 160 foreign students living in Korea.
- Crowds
- Busy: about 250,000 visitors in 2023, about 270,000 over four days in 2024 (the record) and about 209,000 over three days in 2025. In 2023 there were 18 reports of lost children, all reunited; in 2025 children wore safety wristbands and entry was through three supervised gates.
- Best time to go
- Arrive by early afternoon for the daytime programme (in 2026 the street drama was at 14:00 and the dance show at 16:30) and stay until dusk for the lit walls. If you rely on the bus, the 18:43 and 20:23 departures to Seoul are the last.
- What to bring
- Comfortable shoes for the lawns and the 1.8 km wall circuit, a warm layer for October evenings, a picnic mat, and a meeting point for children in the crowds.
- Toilets
- The fortress has public restrooms (KTO); in 2024 the festival added more toilets and nursing rooms.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Late September to mid October 2027, probably three days around a weekend, if the recent pattern holds (6–8 Oct 2023, 2–5 Oct 2024, 26–28 Sep 2025, 9–11 Oct 2026); nothing announced as of 19 October 2026. | expected | Would be the 24th edition. The 2026 festival's committee first met in mid July and the programme was presented on 3 September. In November 2025 the city said repairs to the wall below Jinnammun, the main gate, would start by 2026 at the latest; whether they affect the 2027 festival is not known. |
| 2026 | 9–11 Oct 2026 | ended | Inside and around the fortress: the Dongheon (magistrate's office) yard, the pine grove and the East Gate car park area. |
| 2025 | 26–28 Sep 2025 | ended | 22nd edition, theme "Gosung Bangga Season 3: meeting the wisdom of the past, present and future", 38 programmes. About 209,000 visitors. 19 shuttle buses ran every 20 minutes from the Hanseo University car park and 10 nearby lots. |
| 2024 | 2–5 Oct 2024 | ended | 21st edition, theme "Gosung Bangga Season 2". About 270,000 visitors over four days, the festival's record; budget ₩1.6 billion. |
| 2023 | 6–8 Oct 2023 | ended | 20th edition, the first under the Gosung Bangga banner, with concerts by Insooni and Dynamic Duo and a drone light show. About 250,000 visitors. |
Nearby
- Haemi International Shrine (해미국제성지) — About 10 minutes' walk. Catholic shrine to the believers martyred at Haemi in the late Joseon persecutions.
- Haemieupseong pagoda tree (서산해미읍성회화나무) — Inside the fortress. The old tree inside the walls linked to the torture of Catholic prisoners; wire is still embedded in its bark.
- Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival (홍성글로벌바비큐페스티벌) — About 16 km straight-line. Barbecue festival around Hongju-eupseong in Hongseong town, usually around the turn of October and November.
- Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival (홍성남당항 대하축제) — About 20 km straight-line. Autumn prawn season at Namdang Port on Cheonsu Bay, running for about two months from late August or early September.
- Yesan Apple Festival (예산사과축제) — About 24 km straight-line. Apple-harvest festival at the Yedangho suspension bridge in late October or November.
- Yesan Market Samguk Festival (예산장터 삼국축제) — About 27 km straight-line. Food festival of gukbap, noodles and chrysanthemums around Yesan market, usually in mid to late October.
Questions travelers ask
When is the Seosan Haemieupseong Festival 2027?
Not announced as of 19 October 2026. Recent editions ran 6–8 Oct 2023, 2–5 Oct 2024, 26–28 Sep 2025 and 9–11 Oct 2026, so expect three days around a weekend between late September and mid October 2027.
Is the festival free?
Yes. Entry to the festival and to Haemieupseong is free. In 2026 only the 600-year table dinner (60 seats a day) was a paid programme, plus food and goods.
How do I get to Haemieupseong from Seoul?
Take a direct intercity bus from Seoul Nambu Terminal to the Haemi stop: about 7 a day, 1 h 35 m, ₩10,300 regular or ₩13,400 deluxe. The stop is about 0.4 km in a straight line from the fortress. There is no train to Haemi.
Can I visit Haemieupseong outside the festival?
Yes. The fortress is open every day and free: 05:00–21:00 from March to October and 06:00–19:00 from November to February, with free parking. Phone 041-661-8005.
Why is Haemieupseong important?
It was built from 1417 to 1421 to guard the coast against Japanese pirates and served as the Chungcheong army headquarters until 1652. In the late Joseon period Catholics were imprisoned and executed there, and the nearby Haemi shrine remembers them.
Is it good for children?
Yes, it is one of the festival's aims. In 2025 there was a kids' zone with a large slide and six bouncy castles, childcare by trained staff for up to an hour, picnic zones with about 150 tents, and safety wristbands for children.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2027 edition. Confidence in the current facts: medium.
- KTO TourAPI data (ktriptips mirror) — 서산해미읍성축제 (contentId 140752, updated 15 Oct 2026)kto — 23rd edition 9–11 Oct 2026, 10:00–22:00, free with the 600-year table paid, address 남문2로 143, phone 041-681-3560, homepage haemifest.com, host Seosan City and organizer Seosan Culture Foundation, theme and programme list (procession, drone show, Black Eagles, media façade, hands-on activities); nearby distances 155–555 m
- KTO TourAPI data (ktriptips mirror) — 서산 해미읍성 (contentId 125990, updated 10 Aug 2026)kto — Coordinates 36.7121/126.5486 (distances of about 16, 20, 24 and 27 km to nearby festival venues computed from site records); Mar–Oct 05:00–21:00, Nov–Feb 06:00–19:00, open all year; free entry and parking; phone 041-661-8005; stone walls 1491; about 1.8 km around; Catholic martyrdom site, pagoda tree; restrooms
- KTO Japanese listing (ktriptips mirror) — 瑞山海美邑城祭りkto — Japanese name 瑞山海美邑城祭り; 2026 dates 9–11 Oct; 11:00–21:00 (2025 content); free
- KTO Traditional Chinese listing (ktriptips mirror) — 瑞山海美邑城節kto — Traditional Chinese name 瑞山海美邑城節; 2026 dates 9–11 Oct; 10:00–22:00; free with some paid items
- KTO Simplified Chinese listing (ktriptips mirror) — 瑞山海美邑城庆典kto — Simplified Chinese name 瑞山海美邑城庆典; 2026 dates 9–11 Oct; free with some paid activities
- The Fact — 2026 festival briefing (3 Sep 2026)news — 23rd edition 9–11 Oct 2026; 605 years since completion in 1421; stones from 23 counties bearing their names; opening procession and singer Jang Yoon-jung; 18 programmes plus 9 special (Black Eagles, Taejong procession and gangmu, drone show, EDM, martial arts); about 160 foreign students invited; Seosan City and Seosan Culture Foundation
- Kyunghyang Shinmun — 2026 programme (29 Sep 2026)news — Paid dinner on 10 Oct with chefs Kim Seong-un (Michelin-starred) and Kim Ji-young, 60 seats a day; intangible heritage on 10–11 Oct at the Dongheon yard; Madit-gil daily at 14:00; HAEMI in K-street daily at 16:30; QR-code hopae; 1,000 drones and media façade; Haemi Defense Road by the East Gate car park
- GNI News — 2026 festival committee meeting (14 Jul 2026)news — 2026 theme and dates 9–11 Oct; first general meeting of the festival committee on 13 Jul 2026
- travelmapjourney (blog) — 2026 opening night (28 Sep 2026)blog — Opening ceremony at 19:00 on 9 Oct 2026; fortress first car park about 157 spaces (citing city works records); city tourism page mentions buses from Seoul to Seosan or Haemi
- Joongdo Ilbo via Daum — 22nd festival results (29 Sep 2025)news — 2025 dates 26–28 Sep; about 209,000 visitors; 38 programmes; performances and hands-on 11:00–21:00; EDM from 20:30 on 27–28 Sep; opening with a Montenegrin ensemble and the city choir; Black Eagles; kids' zone and childcare; theme
- Money Today — 2025 festival preview (24 Sep 2025)news — 2025 programme (procession on 27 Sep, philharmonic); kids' zone with a large slide and six bouncy castles; 150 tents in three picnic zones; childcare up to one hour; wristbands and three gates; 19 shuttle buses every 20 minutes; Hanseo University car park and 10 nearby lots; express buses to Seosan; Local 100; about 270,000 visitors in 2024
- The Fact — 21st festival results (7 Oct 2024)news — 2024 dates 2–5 Oct; about 270,000 visitors, the most ever; 36 programmes; lighting in six zones and a solar lantern street from the East Gate; first Haemi Happy Table food court; Black Eagles on 5 Oct; more toilets, nursing rooms, shuttles and parking
- TWIG24 — 2024 festival opens (2 Oct 2024)news — 2024 dates 2–5 Oct; night show 18:30–21:30; Gosung Bangga Season 2; EDM by World DJ Festival DJs, Hyundai Motor philharmonic, Haemi The Classic; festival began in 2000; site chosen in 1416, built 1417–1421 against Japanese pirates; run by the Seosan Culture Foundation
- Kukinews — 2024 programme briefing (2 Sep 2024)news — Briefing on 2 Sep 2024; 36 programmes; budget ₩1.6 billion, fourth-largest festival in Chungcheongnam-do; guard-changing ceremony; seungmu and Naepo anjeun-gut at the Dongheon stage
- Newsseoul — 20th festival results (9 Oct 2023)news — 2023 dates 6–8 Oct; about 250,000 visitors; shift from historical-experience to old-fortress culture festival; Insooni, Dynamic Duo, drone light show; lighting until 22:00; 18 lost-child reports, all reunited
- Korea Education Newspaper (hangyo.com) — 7th festival (13 Oct 2007)news — 7th edition 12–14 Oct 2007; held every year since 2000 except 2006, during restoration work
- Kukinews — Jinnammun wall safety (17 Nov 2025)news — Repairs to the wall below Jinnammun planned to start by 2026 at the latest; festival events now need advance permission; gives 2004 as the start year (conflicts with other sources)
- Telltrip — Haemieupseong walk (25 Jan 2026)news — Wall about 1.8 km around and about 5 m high; area 196,381 m²; Chungcheong army headquarters 1417–1652; stone facing in 1491; Catholic persecutions; wire scars on the old tree; Haemi shrine about 10 minutes' walk; hours and free parking
- Seoul Nambu → Haemi bus timetable (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-08)other — 7 buses a day 06:30–19:30, 1 h 35 m, ₩10,300 regular / ₩13,400 deluxe; Haemi stop at 36.7127/126.5444 (about 0.4 km straight-line from the fortress coordinates, computed)
- Haemi → Seoul Nambu bus timetable (third-party mirror of the MOLIT/data.go.kr national timetable feed, page last modified 2026-10-13)other — 7 buses a day 08:43–20:23, 1 h 48 m; 18:43 arrives 20:31; last 20:23 arrives 22:11
What we could not confirm
- No results or visitor figures for the 2026 edition (9–11 Oct) had been published as of 19 October 2026, so whether every planned programme (Black Eagles, drone show) went ahead was not confirmed.
- The official site (haemifest.com) and the city's festival page were not opened; the 2026 day-by-day timetable (procession, Black Eagles and drone-show times) was not found.
- No 2026 shuttle-bus or festival parking plan was found; the 2025 arrangements are given instead.
- Price and booking method for the 600-year table dinner were not found.
- Start year: 2000 per a 2007 report and a 2024 report (consistent with the edition numbers); a November 2025 Kukinews article says 2004. Whether editions were held in 2020–2021 was not checked.
- Walking time from the Haemi bus stop to Jinnammun was not documented (about 0.4 km straight-line, computed); buses from Seoul Central City or Dong Seoul and routes from Incheon Airport were not checked.
- 2026 hours differ between KTO listings: 10:00–22:00 in the Korean and Traditional Chinese listings, 11:00–21:00 in the Japanese one (carried over from 2025).
- Whether the planned repair of the wall below Jinnammun will affect the 2027 festival is not known.
- Foreign-card acceptance, accessibility, rain policy and pet rules were not published.
- Last bus back from the Haemi stop to Seoul Nambu on the festival dates under the timetable in force then.
Changes: 2026-10-19 — Added to the site: fact-first record (dates, hours, prices, getting there, sources). · 2026-10-19 — Added a Wikimedia Commons photograph of the main gate of Haemieupseong Fortress (Kwkhh, CC BY-SA 4.0). · 2026-10-20 — Bus class corrected from the timetable: the fare listed as premium is deluxe (우등). · 2026-10-20 — Length given as three or four days, matching the usual window. · 2026-10-21 — Transport: removed the October 2026 bus clock times, which cannot be relied on for the next edition; journey times, frequencies and fares kept, with a reminder to check the last bus before the festival day.
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