Nowon-gu to light up fall nights with 3rd Seokgye Station Moonlight Night Market

Nowon-gu, Seoul, will hold the third Seokgye Station Moonlight Night Market around Seokgye Station Culture Park on Sept. 19.

Now in its third year, the Seokgye Station Moonlight Night Market has become a signature nighttime festival in Wolgye-dong. It pairs cultural content with the local merchant district to energize the area. Visitors can enjoy the district's distinctive food and craft beer alongside nostalgic attractions and retro-themed performances all in one place, drawing 16,528 visitors last year. Small business owners in the area take part directly through food stalls and a free market, giving visitors something different to enjoy while breathing new life into the local merchant district. This has cemented the festival's identity as one closely tied to the local economy.

This year's edition again takes "retro" as its theme, creating a fall night that people of all ages can enjoy together through nostalgia and romance. Running from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., the event will feature food stalls, craft beer and makgeolli, a free market, hands-on activities, photo zones and cultural performances.

At the heart of the night market is food prepared together with the local merchant community. Twenty-four food stalls run by small business owners from the Wolgye-dong merchant district will offer a range of menu items. Seven free-market stalls will also sell products made directly by local merchants. Adding to the market's culinary appeal will be four craft beer stalls — including participation from the Nowon Craft Beer Cooperative and Brauhaus Banaheim — and one craft makgeolli stall.

Various spots around the venue will be transformed into a "memory lane" space linking generations. A "nostalgic alley" will recreate an old-style arcade, movie theater and photo studio reminiscent of years past. Hands-on activities such as handcart rides, an old-fashioned water pump and traditional games will also be available. A photo zone featuring a sailboat, an old television set and a dancing couple will let visitors capture quirky, retro-flavored photos.

Performances will keep the fall night energy going. The main stage and a busking stage will host a lineup spanning generations and genres. Electric string performances, accordion, musical numbers, violin, retro dance, a bubble show and acoustic guitar will all take turns on stage.

The festival's highlight will be a performance by singer Kim Wan-sun. Following a lighting ceremony at 7 p.m., Kim will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. to perform hit songs including "Rideum Sokui Geu Chumeul" ("That Dance in the Rhythm"). This will raise the festival's energy. Performances by DJ Choondi and Jackie Choi will follow, filling Seokgye Station's fall night with lively music.

To ensure visitor safety and smooth operation of the event, some nearby roads will be closed on the day of the festival. Nowon-gu will restrict vehicle traffic from 1 a.m. on Sept. 19 to 5 a.m. the following day. The closure covers the stretch from the front of Seokgye Station Culture Park to the intersection leading into Dongsin Apartment. The Nowon Route 09 village bus, which normally runs through the section, will take a temporary detour. The district plans to notify residents in advance of the traffic control and detour details through bus stops and nearby apartment complexes to minimize inconvenience.

"I hope the Seokgye Station Moonlight Night Market gives residents a special fall night to share memories and romance across generations, and gives local merchants a fresh boost of energy," Nowon-gu District Mayor Seo Jun-o said. "We will continue linking the district's distinctive cultural content with its local merchant districts to build a vibrant commercial area that draws people in and keeps them there."