Home › Festivals › Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival
Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival 2026
- 📅 Dates
- Oct 3, 2026 – Oct 18, 2026
- 📍 Location
- 287 Gangnam-ro, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
- 🎫 Admission
- Free
- 🕘 Hours
- 13:00-23:00
- 🎪 Venue
- Areas of Jinjuseong Fortress and Namgang River
- 🏛️ Organizer
- Jinju-si, Jinju Art & Culture Foundation · Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival Committee
- ☎️ Contact
- +82-55-761-9111
Overview
*The information below is based on the 2025 festivals. Details for the 2026 festivals will be updated as they become available.*The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival is an event that continues the practice of making wishes by floating colorful lanterns down the Namgang River. This practice of over 400 years originated from the Siege of Jinju in 1592. The festival begins at sunset when lanterns of various shapes and sizes are lit on the Namgang River. World Pungmul lanterns, wish lanterns, traditional lanterns, religious lanterns, and customized lanterns embroider the night with colorful lights. F
Source: Korea Tourism Organization (official English translation, TourAPI).
What happens at Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival
- Exhibition of floating lanterns
- hanging wishing lanterns
- floating yudeung
- fireworks display
Official programme as registered with the Korea Tourism Organization. Details can change — check with the organizer before you go.
🇰🇷 Copy this into Naver Map or Kakao Map
Google Maps cannot give walking or transit directions inside Korea — Korean law restricts map-data export. Naver Map and Kakao Map can, but they find far more when you search in Korean. Copy and paste:
📊 How busy this area gets
Visitor-volume index for 진주시, from Korea Tourism Organization big data. 1.00 = that area's own yearly average, so this compares the area against itself — not against Seoul.
Oct — 1.31
The index covers the whole district, not the festival ground itself. Use it to pick a month, not a day. · Sep 1.01 / Oct 1.31
🅿️ Nearby attractions — with actual parking capacity
Most sites only say "parking available." These are official figures from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, so you can judge before you drive.
Names and addresses here stay in Korean on purpose. Google Maps cannot give directions inside South Korea, and NAVER Map / KakaoMap find these places only under their Korean names — copy an address above and paste it straight in.
🏮 Traditional market days during the festival
Korean country markets open only on days ending in fixed digits — every 5 days. These are the actual dates they open while the festival runs, so you can add one to the same trip.
Names and addresses here stay in Korean on purpose. Google Maps cannot give directions inside South Korea, and NAVER Map / KakaoMap find these places only under their Korean names — copy an address above and paste it straight in.
🎪 Other festivals nearby at the same time
Overlapping dates, within 60 km.
Nearby Attractions
Places within 12 km of the festival venue (straight-line distance), described in English by the Korea Tourism Organization. Travel time depends on roads and traffic, so only distance is shown.
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Jinjuseong Fortress진주성 Attractionapprox. 0.5 km
Jinjuseong Fortress, initially erected in ancient times, was expanded in 1379 to fend off pirate invasions. It saw two battles during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Inside,…
Korean address for map apps경상남도 진주시 남강로 626 -
Somangjinsan Lantern Theme Park소망진산 유등테마공원 Attractionapprox. 0.9 km
Somangjinsan Lantern Theme Park was created to display the history and culture of the Namgang River and Jinjuseong Fortress through lanterns, the focal point of the…
Korean address for map apps경상남도 진주시 망경동 -
Jinju Bullfighting Arena진주소싸움경기장 Travel courseapprox. 4.3 km
Jinju Traditional Bullfighting Arena was established with the aim of preserving and fostering Jinju's traditional folk culture of bullfighting. With a seating capacity…
Korean address for map apps경상남도 진주시 판문오동길 100 -
Jinyangho Park진양호 공원 (진양호 전망대, 동물원 Attractionapprox. 4.6 km
Jinyangho Park is situated around Jinyangho Lake, the only manmade lake in Gyeongsangnam-do. The park is complete with a range of facilities and amenities, including a…
Korean address for map apps경상남도 진주시 남강로1번길 96-6 (판문동) -
Gangju Pond강주연못 Attractionapprox. 8.3 km
Gangju Pond is the orgin of the current Jinjuseong Fortress. It is unknown when the pond was first built, but the trees that grow around the pond are 500-600 years old,…
Korean address for map apps경상남도 진주시 정촌면 예하리
Google Maps cannot provide driving or transit directions inside South Korea. Paste the Korean addresses above into NAVER Map or KakaoMap — both work with these addresses and are what people here actually use.