Following last year's success at Boramae Park, the expo draws 10 million visitors to Seoul Forest — cementing its status as Seoul's premier 'ten-million-seller' festival for two consecutive years. The milestone was reached on the 139th day of a 180-day run, with gardens reshaping how citizens spend their leisure time.
The 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo, which opened at Seoul Forest on May 1, surpassed 10 million cumulative visitors on Wednesday — its 139th day of operation — the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the cumulative visitor count stood at 10,005,899.
The wave of enthusiasm that swept through Boramae Park last year has returned, this time at Seoul Forest. By hitting the 10-million mark for the second consecutive year, the Seoul International Garden Expo has firmly established itself as the city's signature "ten-million-seller" festival — a milestone achieved with more than 40 days still remaining in the 180-day event.
The expo's momentum traces back to its launch at Ttukseom Hangang Park in 2024, moving to Boramae Park last year before arriving at Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong this year. Reinterpreting each venue's natural surroundings and local culture through garden design, the event has developed into a distinctly Seoul model of a garden festival — one that finds a new home each year.
Particularly significant is that this year's achievement goes beyond a simple rise in visitor numbers. Gardens have grown into urban content that transforms how citizens live and spend their leisure time, while also driving tourism and consumption. This year's expo combined Seoul Forest's rich natural environment with garden exhibitions, cultural and arts programming, and ecological experiences, extending the festival footprint into the broader Seongsu-dong area to draw both residents and tourists.
As visitors gathered and lingered, spending in the surrounding area climbed as well. The average daily resident population in the Seoul Forest and Seongsu-dong area rose 10.2 percent year-on-year from May through July after the expo opened, while card spending in the area totaled 63.4 billion won ($46.8 million), up 6.3 percent. The influx of expo visitors translated into real consumption at nearby restaurants, cafes and shops.
Growth in overseas visitors was equally striking. Foreign resident population in the area rose 21.2 percent over the same period compared with a year earlier, while card spending by foreign visitors increased 13.3 percent. The figures underscore how the Seoul International Garden Expo has evolved beyond a leisure destination for residents into urban content that attracts tourists and injects vitality into the local economy.
Spending inside the expo grounds was also brisk. The garden market, food trucks, the Marché farmers market and pop-up stalls linked to Seoul city offices all drew steady patronage, generating combined sales of 4.2 billion won and helping small business owners expand their reach and boost revenue.
Building on these results, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to deepen its "Garden City Seoul" festival model — enriching parks with garden and cultural-arts content to extend visitor dwell time and allow the energy of the parks to radiate outward into surrounding commercial districts.
With cumulative attendance now past 10 million, the Seoul International Garden Expo carries its momentum into autumn. Daytime visitors can explore gardens and character installations, while evenings bring an open-air cinema on the lawn, outdoor musical performances and illuminated media art.
Through Sunday, a total of 171,917 people had taken part in the expo's programs — including 6,198 guided docent tours, 38,596 performance attendees, 37,635 hands-on activity participants and 89,488 participants in linked events.
Near the Seoul Forest pond, the "Snoopy Garden," created in partnership with UNICEF Korea, runs through Oct. 27. Visitors can stroll a character-themed walkway, pose at a large Snoopy photo installation and take part in a UNICEF fundraising campaign with special merchandise including stickers and eco bags.
After dark, Seoul Forest transforms into a vast outdoor cinema. The "Garden Theater," held on the lawn of the Family Yard, will screen eight films free of charge every Friday or Saturday through Oct. 24 — including "Secret Garden," "Pride and Prejudice," "Paddington 2," "Architecture 101" and "Wonka." Audiences are invited to spread out a mat and enjoy the films amid the garden setting.
During the Chuseok holiday, three special screenings are scheduled from Sept. 24 through Sept. 26.
From Friday through Sunday, the outdoor stage at Seoul Forest becomes a musical theater venue. Through the "Seoul Stage in Autumn" program, top-tier Korean performers will appear in five performances over three days, including a gala concert, an original dance musical and a university student musical showcase.
On Friday at 5 p.m., the original dance musical "Joseon Chef Han Sanggung" takes the stage.
A pre-show performance by the Seoul Children's Chuita Band precedes the Friday evening program.
On Saturday at 3 p.m., Seokyeong University presents a student musical showcase of "The Wedding Singer."
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, a musical gala concert features Choi Min-cheol, Ha Do-kwon, Kim Ji-woo and others.
On Sunday at 3 p.m., Baekseok University presents a student musical showcase of "Superstar."
At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, a musical gala concert features Choi Jeong-won, Moon Jong-won, Choi Su-hyeong and others.
At the K-Heritage Garden, the "Heritage Garden Comma Concert" — a series featuring traditional Korean music reimagined in a contemporary style — runs every Friday and Saturday through Oct. 24. The stage offers visitors a chance to pause their stroll and rest to the sound of music.
Family-friendly programming marks the Chuseok season as well. Starting Sept. 24, a citizen participation event called "Seoul Forest Moon-Gazing Wish" will run at the moonlight photo zone, and on Sept. 27 a traditional games yard opens in front of the ecological learning center.
For the moon-gazing wish event, participants who post a verification photo on Instagram with the designated hashtag will be entered into a draw for various rewards.
In October, Seoul Forest's natural landscape meets light and music in an entirely new spectacle. From Oct. 2 through Oct. 11, the Art Seongsu "LG Art for You" installation at the Mirror Pond will feature works by AI artist Choi Se-hun, who reinterprets Seoul Forest's natural environment through digital media. Light, video and music will play across the water's surface after dark, conjuring a fantastical garden unlike anything seen by day.
Full program schedules and registration details are available on the official 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo website. Some programs require advance reservations through the city's public booking service.
"The 10 million visitors who came to Boramae Park last year and now to Seoul Forest this year — two years in a row — show that gardens have grown into a core part of Seoul: they enrich citizens' daily lives while also energizing tourism and the local economy," said Kim Yeong-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Garden City Bureau.
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