Gangnam Festival moves to Dosan-daero this year

The Gangnam Festival is moving to a new venue this year, shifting from Yeongdong-daero to Dosan-daero. A street parade organized and performed by residents from all 22 neighborhoods in Gangnam-gu will also make its debut.

Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki announced Monday at a press briefing at Seoul City Hall that the 2026 Gangnam Festival will be held from Saturday through Monday at Dosan-daero and other locations across Gangnam-gu.

A district official said the 15th edition of the festival marks a departure from the Yeongdong-daero-centered format, with Dosan-daero reimagined as a street festival venue blending K-pop, fashion and food. The official added that the event has been condensed from five days to three, with the focus shifted toward enriching the program lineup.

The centerpiece of the festival is the "Grand Parade," set for Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. along a roughly 1-kilometer stretch between Cheongdam intersection and Dosan Park intersection. Residents from all 22 neighborhoods will take part, dressed in costumes and carrying props that reflect each neighborhood's character.

The parade is organized around seven themes corresponding to the seven letters of "GANGNAM": traditional culture, family, innovation, fashion, education, street vitality and finale. Gaepo 4-dong, home to the National Traditional Music High School, will represent the traditional culture segment with a royal procession, while Gaepo-dong and Segok-dong — neighborhoods with many children and families — will participate in the family segment. Following a military band and traditional procession, the parade will feature large character balloons, game-themed parade floats, robots and fashion models. The event closes with residents from all 22 neighborhoods and performers gathering for a Pikachu character procession and dance performance.

Evening concerts follow the parade. The "Family Concert" on Saturday at 7 p.m. will feature singers Nam Jin, Kim Won-jun, Rula, Space A, Lim Chang-jung, Hong Kyung-min and Hong Ji-yun. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservation required.

The "K-pop Concert" on Sunday at 6 p.m. will feature groups Lunate, Say My Name, Alpha Drive One, ZeroBaseOne, Kiki and P1Harmony, with Psy — the artist behind the global hit "Gangnam Style" — closing the show. The Dosan-daero area will also host K-pop dance workshops, a cover dance challenge, fashion and beauty programs, a beer and food festival, and street performances.

Festival programming extends across Gangnam. At Maru Park on Saturday at 6:50 p.m., a free KBS traditional music concert will mark the founding of the Gangnam Korean Traditional Music Orchestra, featuring the National Traditional Music High School and Kim Yong-woo, Park Ae-ri and seven other acts. The concert is also scheduled to air on KBS1 at 12:10 p.m. on Oct. 24.

On Monday at 8 a.m., the 23rd Gangnam International Peace Marathon will be held near Bongeunsa-ro, with 10,000 participants competing across four distances: full marathon, half marathon, 10 kilometers and 5 kilometers. A Gangnam Global Master Chef Food Festival will open at 10 a.m. that same day. The festival concludes Monday evening at 6 p.m. with a "Mountain Temple Concert" at Bongeunsa, featuring Bicycle Scenery, Jang Ha-eun, Kim Min-jong, Yang Su-kyung and Jeon Young-rok.

Gangnam-gu has also invited delegations from five domestic sister cities — Wonju in Gangwon Province, Jeungpyeong-gun in North Chungcheong Province, Cheongyang-gun in South Chungcheong Province, Naju in South Jeolla Province, and Chilgok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province — to take part in exchange events tied to the festival.

Traffic restrictions will be in place around Dosan-daero throughout the festival. The section between Hakdong intersection and Dosan Park intersection, where the main venue will be set up, will be closed to vehicles starting at midnight Friday, with normal traffic expected to resume at 5 a.m. Monday.

On Saturday, when the parade takes place, the six northbound lanes along the stretch from the southern end of Yeongdong Bridge through Cheongdam intersection to Hakdong intersection will be closed, with the six southbound lanes opened to two-way traffic. Nearby bus routes will be diverted via Apgujeong-ro and Hakdong-ro.

Gangnam-gu plans to deploy about 2,600 personnel — including specialists, civil servants and model drivers — at the venues. Given the expected congestion around the event sites, the district urged visitors to use public transportation.

"We will make this a festival where residents from all 22 neighborhoods participate directly and enjoy Gangnam's K-pop, fashion and food culture together with people from around the world," District Mayor Kim said. "Safety will be our top priority so that both residents and visitors can enjoy the event with peace of mind."