| Dates | Buddha's Birthday is Thursday 13 May 2027 (KASI calendar; lunar 4/8). The parade has fallen on a Saturday four to nine days before Buddha's Birthday (11 May 2024, 26 April 2025, 16 May 2026), so expect the parade on Saturday 8 May 2027, the street festival on Sunday 9 May, and lantern exhibitions from late April to mid-May. The 2026 schedule was announced on 20 March. |
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| Weather | April average 18/8 °C (64/46 °F), 73 mm of rain May average 24/14 °C (74/56 °F), 104 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Seoul station. |
| Venue | Jogyesa Temple and Jongno (parade from Heunginjimun to Jogyesa)서울특별시 종로구 우정국로 55 |
| Admission | Watching the parade, the lantern exhibitions and the street festival is free; some hands-on booths charge a small separate fee. |
| Previous edition | 2026: 8–25 May 2026 |
Notes on the 2027 edition
No 2027 schedule had been published on llf.or.kr as of 21 October 2026.
About the festival
Yeon Deung Hoe is Seoul's Buddhist lantern festival for Buddha's Birthday (8th day of the 4th lunar month). Its centrepiece is a free Saturday-evening parade of about 100,000 lanterns from Heunginjimun along Jongno to Jogyesa Temple, with lantern exhibitions at Jogyesa, Cheonggyecheon and Bongeunsa. In 2026 the parade was on 16 May; in 2027 expect Saturday 8 May, before Buddha's Birthday on 13 May. UNESCO-listed since 2020.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Yeon Deung Hoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) page, which covers every edition.
Source
확인26.10.21
Facts checked
21 October 2026, against the sources listed below.