'October Jongno Area Festival'... Let's Jongno Hosts Hanbok Festival and More

Cultural Heritage Night Tour, Gugak Lo Festa, Hanbok Festival and More Showcase the Charm of Jongno... Opening Ceremony at Fountain Square in Front of Cheongwadae on the 6th at 6 PM Featuring Singers Song Ga-in, Seodo Band... Diverse Events Including ‘Gugak Lo Festa’ at Donhwamun-ro, ‘Jongno Hanbok Festival’ Celebrating Hanbok Excellence... Cultural Heritage Night Tour and Patrol Path Guide Program, Stamp Tour Exploring Cultural Assets Around Cheongwadae, Baegaksan, and Seochon Area

Throughout October, the entire Jongno district will buzz with representative district festivals and traditional cultural programs that everyone, regardless of age or gender, can enjoy.

Jongno-gu (District Mayor Jeong Munheon) will hold the 2023 Jongno Festival 'Let's Jongno' from October 6 to 22.

This event brings together 10 events hosted by the district over the first three weeks of October, named 'Let's Jongno' to mean 'Let's enjoy Jongno together.' A variety of events and programs filled with the charm of our traditional culture, including Cultural Heritage Night Tours, Gugak Lo Festa, and Jongno Hanbok Festival, will unfold throughout the scenic autumn days across the streets of Jongno.

The opening ceremony, which marks the beginning of the festival, will be held on the 6th at 6 p.m. at the fountain square in front of the Blue House. A dazzling lineup including singer Song Ga-in, Seodo Band, and LACHICA from Street Woman Fighter will perform on stage.

The second week of October will see Donhwamun-ro (Gugak-ro) come alive with excitement. Based on the area's identity as a traditional hub for gugak (Korean traditional music) education and home to renowned masters who cherish our traditional sounds, traditional performance street arts festivals such as ▲Gugak Lo Festa ▲Donhwamun-ro Cultural Festival ▲K-Jewelry Jongno Festival will take place.

Especially, the Gugak Lo Festa, held for the first time this year, is expected to draw attention with bold performances by young artists supported by Surim Cultural Foundation, the Foundation for the Advancement of Traditional Performing Arts, the National Jeongdong Theater, and Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, featuring traditional dance and tightrope walking. Additionally, the Donhwamun-ro Cultural Festival offers various participatory experiences such as a DJ party that will heat up Myodong Intersection, tea ceremonies, rice cake making, and perfume blending.

The K-Jewelry Jongno Festival held on Seosunra-gil is also noteworthy. It is organized to support the jewelry industry, a representative local industry of Jongno, the number one district for the precious metals industry, featuring jewelry brand pop-up stores, appraisals, and runway shows.

In the third week of October, the unique charm and beauty of Jongno, the home of traditional culture, will once again decorate the streets. ▲Jongno Hanbok Festival ▲Bukchon Workshop Festival ▲Royal Court and Yangban Traditional Food Festival will fill the areas of Songhyeon-dong, Bukchon, and Unhyeongung.

Now in its eighth edition, the Jongno Hanbok Festival, the district's flagship brand festival, has planned a hanbok fashion show exploring the past and future of our traditional clothing to promote the everyday use of hanbok, as well as a pet fashion contest.

The Royal Court and Yangban Traditional Food Festival offers healthy food experiences themed around longevity and health, reflecting ancestral wisdom, while the Bukchon Workshop Festival operates craft experiences led by Bukchon artisans.

Royal Court and Aristocratic Families Traditional Food Festival (Unhyeongung)

Moreover, the Cultural Heritage Night Tour, considered the highlight of Let's Jongno, is meaningful as it allows visitors to walk through the romantic night streets of Jongno and explore cultural heritage sites. It can be experienced in the Blue House, Baegaksan, and Seochon areas during the first and second weeks of October.

The district has also prepared tour programs that allow visitors to fully experience Jongno in October by walking around various locations.

These include a guided program walking along Sunra-gil while hearing stories of the Sunragun, night patrol guards of the Joseon Dynasty dressed in patrol uniforms; a theatrical tour led by festival docents transformed into modern musicians and hanbok peddlers; and a modern culture tour enjoying Jongno's modern cultural heritage.

In addition, programs to enrich the Let's Jongno experience include tours of Bukchon Gyedong-gil and Seosunra-gil with Jongno-gu cultural tourism interpreters, as well as a stamp tour where participants collect stamps by joining key festival experiences.

Furthermore, Let's Jongno collaborates with festivals hosted by other organizations within the district to offer even richer content. In the second week of October, the Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival and Seoul Gugak Festival will cooperate with the district's 'Gugak Lo Festa,' and in the third week, Hanbok Culture Week will partner with the 'Jongno Hanbok Festival,' providing special experiences centered on gugak and hanbok.

For festival dates, locations, and detailed information, visit the 2023 Jongno Festival Let's Jongno website or contact the Culture and Cultural Policy Team or the Cultural Business Department of the Jongno Cultural Foundation.

Let's Jongno features several celebrity ambassadors, including district PR ambassadors actor Oh Man-seok and Seo Ji-seok, and singer Song Min-kyung.

Lee Min-wook of Newkidd, comedian Shim Jin-hwa, and broadcasters Christina, Eva, Rie, and Ina, known from Beauty's Talk, also participate in promotional videos and the Cultural Heritage Night Tour, engaging with citizens.

District Mayor Jeong Munheon stated, "We plan to present various representative Jongno festivals and experiential programs together throughout October, breathing life into the district with citizens. We recommend enjoying Let's Jongno, which encompasses the essence of Jongno such as hanbok, gugak, and jewelry, and creating special autumn memories."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.