The 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival (서울억새축제) runs for seven days, from Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October 2026, across Haneul Park in World Cup Park, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It is open 10:00–21:00 every day, and the lighting show that sets the silver grass to music and colour runs between 19:00 and 20:30 each evening.
Plan the climb before anything else. Haneul Park sits on a hilltop about a 40-minute walk from the nearest subway stations, and the Maengkkongi electric cart from Nanjicheon Park car park costs ₩2,000 one way or ₩3,000 return for adults. The park’s published October cart hours are 09:00–19:00, so if you stay for the lighting show, assume you will be walking back down.
When is the 2026 Seoul Silver Grass Festival, and what’s on?
According to Seoul’s official World Cup Park festival notice (Korean), this year’s theme is “Silver grass, comfort from nature”, and the festival runs 17–23 October, 10:00–21:00 daily, around Haneul Park. Afternoons bring busking, hands-on activities and a market; after dark the lighting show takes over, so what you see depends on when you arrive.
| Programme | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Opening ceremony | Sat 17 Oct, 18:00–19:00 | Lighting show, popera singer Volare and the Seongmisan Orchestra |
| Lighting show | Daily 19:00–20:30 (planned starts 19:00, 19:30, 20:00) | Music and coloured light over the grass; an extra 20:30 show is planned on 17–18 Oct |
| Busking | Daily 14:00–17:30 (13:00–16:30 on 17 Oct, planned) | Busking zone at the central stage |
| Re-born market | Daily 14:30–18:30 | Upcycled planters, farm produce, silver grass and ornamental grass goods |
| Walk-up activities | Daily 13:30–17:30 | Silver grass bouquets, seed balls, beeswax wraps, photo printing, letter writing |
| Sensory gardens, photo and wish zones | Daily 10:00–21:00 | Red kochia garden, silver grass horse sculptures, wish boards |
Programmes tied to specific dates
On opening day, Saturday 17 October, 1,000 bouquets are handed out to visitors between 13:30 and 17:30; from 18 to 23 October the same slot is used for a bottle-garden giveaway. Two programmes take both bookings and walk-ups: singing-bowl meditation in the grass (18, 21 and 22 October, 16:00–16:30 and 16:40–17:10) and an electric cart tour (19–23 October, 10:30–11:30).
Two workshops are booking-only. On Tuesday 20 October, 15:00–16:30, gardener Kim Jang-hoon gives a guided talk on the silver grass meadow and the gardens kept from the international garden expo. A mug-planting workshop runs daily at 16:00 and 17:00 for five people per session, first come first served, and you must bring an old mug of your own.
What Haneul Park actually is
Seoul’s World Cup Park information page (Korean) explains that Haneul Park sits on the former Nanjido landfill, which took the city’s rubbish from 1978 to 1993 and reopened as part of World Cup Park on 1 May 2002. The silver grass festival has been held here every year since 2002, with the lighting show staged across roughly 60,000 pyeong (about 200,000 m²) of silver grass.
How do you get up to Haneul Park?
By subway, get off at World Cup Stadium Station or Mapo-gu Office Station on Line 6 and walk for about 40 minutes. If that is too much, take Maengkkongi electric cart Route 1 from Nanjicheon Park car park to the top of Haneul Park. The city warns that traffic gets very heavy during the festival and asks visitors to use public transport.
| Maengkkongi cart, Route 1 | One way | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | ₩2,000 | ₩3,000 |
| Child (age 4–12) | ₩1,500 | ₩2,200 |
| Disabled, senior (65+) | ₩1,500 | ₩2,200 |
| Group of 30+ (adult / child) | ₩1,500 / ₩800 | ₩2,200 / ₩1,500 |
| Infants up to 48 months | Free | Free |
October cart hours and the last ride up
The park lists Route 1 hours for October and November as 09:00–19:00, with carts running continuously or every 10–20 minutes. The last uphill cart leaves 30 minutes before closing, which makes 18:30 the last ride up in October. The return trip covers 3.8 km. The festival notice says nothing about extended cart hours, so build any evening plan around walking down.
Strollers must fold to no more than 115 cm in combined dimensions and weigh 10 kg or less. Dogs under 40 cm at the shoulder can ride if you hold them, ideally in a carrier and muzzled; large and dangerous breeds are not allowed on the cart.
What the cart costs, and how refunds work
Two adults and an eight-year-old riding both ways pay ₩3,000 × 2 + ₩2,200 = ₩8,200. Ride up only and walk down, and it is ₩2,000 × 2 + ₩1,500 = ₩5,500.
Unused one-way tickets are refunded in full, and if you skip the downhill leg of a return ticket you get back the difference over the one-way fare. Both refunds work on the day of purchase only. If that family bought return tickets and then walked down after the lighting show, they could reclaim ₩1,000 per adult and ₩700 for the child, ₩2,700 in total, the same day.
What time should you arrive to catch the lighting show?
The lighting show is planned to start at 19:00, 19:30 and 20:00, and the festival closes at 21:00. If you want the cart, reach the Nanjicheon Park ticket booth before the 18:30 last uphill departure and expect to walk down after the show. If you are walking up, add about 40 minutes from the station to your start time.
Suggested timings
For the opening Saturday, a natural order is the activity booths from 13:30, the opening ceremony at 18:00 and the 19:00 lighting show. An extra 20:30 show is planned on 17 and 18 October, which is worth aiming for if the earlier shows are crowded.
On weekdays it helps to think in two halves. The electric cart tour runs at 10:30 from 19 to 23 October, busking starts at 14:00 and the market at 14:30. If you mainly want to walk among the silver grass, going up in daylight while the carts are running keeps things simple.
You cannot stay in the park after 21:00
World Cup Park is open 06:00–21:00 in October. Because it is a restored landfill managed as an ecological park, access is closed at night to protect wildlife, and you cannot enter outside opening hours. The festival ends at the same time the park closes, so head down as soon as the last show finishes.
Where can you park, and what does it cost?
Use Nanjicheon Park car park (438 spaces), right next to the cart stop, or the larger Peace Park car park (1,162 spaces). The standard car rate is ₩150 per 5 minutes, and a flat ₩5,000 per visit (up to 4 hours) is listed for football matches and events. Keep in mind the city is urging visitors onto public transport for this festival.
| Car park | Spaces | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Peace Park (평화의공원) | 1,162 | 531 Seongsan-dong, Mapo-gu |
| Nanjicheon Park (난지천공원) | 438 | 1538-24 Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu |
| Noeul Park (노을공원) | 162 | 481-6 Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu |
| Nanji Jungang-ro street parking | 113 | 481-94 Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu |
| Nanji Junction (난지삼거리) | 59 | 1538 Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu |
Working out the parking fee
At the standard rate, three hours costs 36 × ₩150 = ₩5,400 and four hours ₩7,200. If the event flat fee applies, up to four hours costs ₩5,000. The festival notice does not say which rate is charged during the festival, so check with the car park office (02-304-6679). Disabled drivers and national merit holders get 80% off, compact and eco-friendly cars 50%, and multi-child families 30–50%.
Bringing a dog
Dogs are welcome across most of World Cup Park. The no-dog areas are the adventure playground and Nanjicheon stream edge in Peace Park, the playgrounds and children’s forest area in Nanjicheon Park, and the park golf course and campsite in Noeul Park. For the cart, the 40 cm shoulder-height rule above applies.
FAQ
Q. When is the 2026 Seoul Silver Grass Festival?
A. Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October 2026, 10:00–21:00 daily, around Haneul Park in World Cup Park. Enquiries: Western Park Leisure Center, 02-300-5574.
Q. How much is the Haneul Park electric cart?
A. Route 1 costs ₩2,000 one way or ₩3,000 return for adults, and ₩1,500 / ₩2,200 for children aged 4–12. Infants up to 48 months ride free.
Q. Can I take the cart down after the lighting show?
A. The park’s official October cart hours are 09:00–19:00, and the festival notice mentions no extension. If you are staying for the 19:00–20:30 lighting show, plan to walk down.
Q. How long is the walk from the subway?
A. About 40 minutes from World Cup Stadium Station or Mapo-gu Office Station on Line 6.
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