K-Royal Culture Festival's fall edition to kick off next week with hanbok focus
Published: 04 Oct. 2024, 17:18
Updated: 04 Oct. 2024, 18:49
![The "Palace Concert – Ballet x Sujecheon" performance during last year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/10/04/bb978875-3309-46c9-b790-6deb13b08180.jpg)
The "Palace Concert – Ballet x Sujecheon" performance during last year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
The fall edition of this year’s K-Royal Culture Festival, which will run from Oct. 9 to 13 at Seoul's four major royal palaces, is set to entice tourists with a diverse range of traditional activities. This year's event has a special focus on the flamboyant beauty of hanbok (Korean traditional dress).
Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the biannual festival takes place every spring and fall at Seoul's five major palaces — Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace, Deoksu Palace, Changgyeong Palace and Gyeonghui Palace — as well as Jongmyo Shrine. However, this year’s autumn edition will only take place at four of the royal palaces, excluding Gyeonghui Palace and Jongmyo Shrine.
According to organizers, the Korea Heritage Services’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Heritage Agency, this year’s spring edition alone attracted about 600,000 visitors, about a quarter of which were foreign visitors.
Special focus on hanbok
This year's fall edition will be distinguished by its special focus on Korea's traditional dress, hanbok. At Gyeongbok Palace "Walking of the Royal Family,” a re-enactment of the royal family strolling through the palace, will be featured along with various hanbok-related cultural activities, including gugak (traditional Korean music) performances and the "Hanbok Royal Banquet," all of which are accessible to visitors wearing hanbok free of charge. They will also have an opportunity to explore the history of hanbok and design their own hanbok accessories inspired by sanguiwon (royal tailor during the Joseon Dynasty). Other experience programs, such as hanbok accessory crafting and hanbok digital caricature making, will also be available through both online and on-site registration.
A concert dubbed “Humanities Concert: Hanboks Worlds Apart” will delve into the use of hanbok in movies and royal court records. Additionally, an exhibition dubbed “Beautiful Hanbok Stories in K-Royal Palaces” will showcase winning entries from a palace hanbok photography contest. The fashion competition “Hanbok Best Dresser Showcase” will select the most stylish hanbok wearer.
![The "Peach Blossoms. A Sorrowful Scene" performance at last year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/10/04/8475d601-8939-4de9-ad37-3556cad46043.jpg)
The "Peach Blossoms. A Sorrowful Scene" performance at last year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
Regular events
Besides hanbok-related events, the K-Royal Festival's regular events are also awaiting tourists.
"Palace Concert: Ballet x Sujecheon," a crossover performance combining ballet and court music, will return on Oct. 10 and run through Oct. 13 at the Jibokjae Hall of Gyeongbok Palace. To accommodate the increased demand for this fall's festival, the audience capacity per session has been expanded from 600 to 650, and the number of performances has been increased from three to four. Seats exclusive to foreign visitors will also be allocated to international visitors. At Changdeok Palace, "Awakening the Morning Palace," will run from Oct. 9 to 13 to allow visitors to take a peaceful morning stroll through the palace grounds, guided by captivating stories from artist Lee Si-woo and historian Ahn Ji-young.
Changgyeong Palace will host a special performance dubbed "Peach Blossom: A Sorrowful Scene" from Oct. 11 to 13 at its Myeongjeong Hall. This original play, set in Changgyeong Palace, will feature historical figures, such as King Yeongjo, Crown Prince Sado, King Jeongjo and Lady Hyegyeong of the Pungsan Hong clan (Queen Heongyeong), creating a unique and emotional experience for the audience. Visitors will also see the "Changgyeonggung Moonlight Lotus Show," a media art display set against the backdrop of Chundangji Pond, from Oct. 9 to 13, and the "Palace Concert: Classical Meets Pungryu" at Tongmyeong Hall from Oct. 9 to 12. These events are open to the public without reservations.
!["Humanities Concert" at this year's spring edition of K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/10/04/11976f91-0607-4dc1-b841-f5c08f4181b5.jpg)
"Humanities Concert" at this year's spring edition of K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
Online events
This year's festival brings back the online event "Genre Painting for All,” which attracted over 200,000 participants last year. Themed around the "Hanbok Royal Banquet,” the event kicked off on Sept. 13 and will run through Oct. 27. Participants can create and share their own digital artworks featuring hanbok-clad characters from the Joseon Dynasty on a website dedicated for the event (pungsokdo.com).
K-Royal Palaces PASS
A limited-edition K-Royal Palaces PASS will be available. There are 4,000 passes in total, allowing unlimited visits to Seoul’s four major palaces, as well as Gyeonghui Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, during the fall festival. This pass includes one nighttime admission to Gyeongbok Palace during the festival.
More information about the event is available on the official websites and social media accounts of Korea Heritage Service’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center, the Korea Heritage Agency and the K-Royal Culture Festival.
![The official poster for this year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/10/04/84c99547-2c27-4a11-b634-5465812cd6b1.jpg)
The official poster for this year's fall edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival [KOREA HERITAGE AGENCY]
BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [yoon.seungjin@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)