Tradition & cultureSeosan, Chungcheongnam-do

Seosan Haemieupseong Festival 2026 in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea

서산해미읍성축제 2026

Oct2026
9 –11
Fri–Sun 10:00–22:00 (KTO listing)
Past edition

9 October 2026 to 11 October 2026 · 10:00–22:00 (KTO listing)

This edition has ended. It is kept as a record of what the 2026 festival offered. The current information is on the Seosan Haemieupseong Festival page (Expected Sep/Oct 2027).

Venue this year. Inside and around the fortress: the Dongheon (magistrate's office) yard, the pine grove and the East Gate car park area.

Dates9–11 Oct 2026
Hours10:00–22:00 (KTO listing)
VenueHaemieupseong Fortress and surroundings충청남도 서산시 해미면 남문2로 143
AdmissionEntry: Free
Previous edition2025: 26–28 Sep 2025
Next edition2027: 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.

Program

  • Fri 9 Octopening ceremony (19:00, per a travel blog) with a fortress-building procession using inscribed wall stones and a performance by singer Jang Yoon-jung
  • King Taejong's royal procession and gangmu (royal hunt and military review) re-enactment; Black Eagles flyover; theme performance "Dari doeeora"
  • Daily 14:00Madit-gil, a street drama about the people who built the fortress, with residents; daily 16:30: HAEMI in K-street dance show
  • 10–11 Oct at the Dongheon yard: Chungcheongnam-do intangible heritage (seungmu, Naepo anjeun-gut, Naepo sijo, the Park Cheomji puppet play)
  • Night1,000-drone show, media façade on the walls ("Light Wall"), lighting along eight themed paths, EDM party
  • Hands-onRPG mission game, mock military exam, archery, horse riding, calligraphy, traditional costume, kites, a children's flea market and play zone; a digital hopae ID from a QR code at the gate
  • Haemi Defense Road near the East Gate car park: missile models and a turtle-ship media drawing contest

Prices

ItemPriceNote
EntryFree
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

Notes on the 2026 edition

23rd edition, theme "HAEMI UNIVERSE: 1421, the gate of time opens", marking 605 years since the fortress was completed. 18 programmes plus 9 special programmes; about 160 students from foreign schools and Korean-language institutes in Korea were invited. No results or visitor figures had been published as of 19 October 2026.

About the festival

The Seosan Haemieupseong Festival is a free history festival of three or four days inside Haemieupseong, a walled Joseon-era fortress town completed in 1421 in Haemi-myeon, Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, with royal procession re-enactments, martial-arts shows, hands-on Joseon activities and night media art on the walls. The 23rd edition ran 9–11 October 2026; the 2027 dates are not announced, but the festival is usually held in late September or early to mid October. Direct buses from Seoul Nambu Terminal reach Haemi in 1 h 35 m (₩10,300 regular, ₩13,400 deluxe), and the fortress is free to enter all year.

Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Seosan Haemieupseong Festival page, which covers every edition.

Source

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

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