Overview
The 'Royal Culture Festival' is the largest national heritage festival in Korea, held every spring and autumn at Seoul's five major palaces (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung, and Gyeonghuigung) and Jongmyo Shrine. It showcases a diverse range of Korean traditional culture through performances, exhibitions, hands-on experiences, and reenactments of royal rituals set against the backdrop of the palaces. Hosted by the Korea Heritage Service and organized by the Korea Heritage Agency, the 12th annual Royal Culture Festival will be held under the theme 'Palace, Awakening Art.' It aims to expand the palaces beyond mere heritage viewing spaces into cultural and artistic stages where visitors can experience the roots of K-Culture. The 2026 Spring Royal Culture Festival will begin with an opening ceremony on April 24 and continue for nine days from April 25 to May 3. The opening ceremony, which marks the start of the festival, will be held on Friday, April 24, at 7:30 PM at the Gyeongbokgung Heungnyemun Square under the theme 'Palace, Awakening Art - Hyper Palace (Artistic Expansion of the Palace).'
