Running from Saturday through Monday along Dosan-daero, the 2026 Gangnam Festival transforms the boulevard into a stage for K-pop, fashion and food. Saturday's highlights include a grand parade and family concert organized by residents of all 22 dong; Sunday's K-pop concert drew large crowds of foreign tourists.
The 2026 Gangnam Festival is in full swing.
Gangnam-gu is hosting the 2026 Gangnam Festival along Dosan-daero and surrounding areas from Saturday through Monday.
Now in its 15th edition, the festival has returned with a dramatically new look. The venue has shifted from the Yeongdong-daero area to Dosan-daero, and for the first time in Gangnam-gu's history, residents from all 22 dong are taking part in a large-scale street parade. Daytime programming features the parade and street activities, while evening headliners are large-scale concerts — turning Dosan-daero into an all-day festival destination. The event showcases Gangnam's diverse culture through K-pop, fashion and food, while reinventing itself as a participatory festival built and enjoyed by the community.
Residents of all 22 dong take to the streets for a 1-kilometer grand parade.
The highlight of this year's festival is the resident-led Grand Parade. Held Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., it stretched roughly 1 kilometer from Cheongdam Intersection to Dosan Park Intersection. Residents from all 22 dong dressed in costumes and carried props reflecting each neighborhood's character and theme, transforming a spectator event into a festival made together.
The parade follows the seven letters of "GANGNAM," with each letter anchoring a themed segment: Great Heritage, Animation & Family, New Wave Innovation, Global Fashion & Luxury, Navigate Future, Active Street and Master of Stage.
Each dong joined the segment that best matched its local character and residents. Gaepo 4-dong, home to a traditional music high school, took part in the "Great Heritage" segment featuring a royal procession, while Gaepo-dong and Segok-dong — neighborhoods with many children and families — joined the "Animation & Family" procession. The distinct personalities of all 22 dong were woven into the parade, giving resident participation real meaning.
The procession opens with a traditional military band and ceremonial march, followed in turn by giant character balloons, parade floats inspired by video games, robots and fashion models. The finale brings together residents from all 22 dong and the full cast, capped by a character procession featuring 32 Pikachu and a dance performance. The entire length of Dosan-daero becomes one enormous stage.
Street festival by day, concerts by night — from Nam Jin to PSY.
Once the parade wraps up, major performances keep the energy going. Saturday's "Family Concert" at 7 p.m. features Nam Jin, Kim Won-jun, Rula, Space A, Lim Chang-jung, Hong Kyung-min and Hong Ji-yun in a lineup that spans generations. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis, with no advance reservation required.
Sunday's K-pop concert at 6 p.m. features LUN8, SAY MY NAME, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, ZEROBASEONE, KiiiKiii and P1Harmony. PSY, who put Gangnam on the world map with "Gangnam Style," closes the night as the finale act.
Along Dosan-daero, visitors can also take part in K-pop dance workshops, a global cover-dance challenge, fashion and beauty programs, a beer and food festa, and street performances. By combining the parade and concerts with fashion, food and other facets of Gangnam culture, the festival draws visitors into every corner of the boulevard.
Beyond Dosan-daero — traditional music, a marathon and a temple concert across Gangnam.
The festival extends well beyond Dosan-daero into neighborhoods across Gangnam. Saturday at 6:50 p.m., Maru Park hosts a KBS traditional music celebration marking the founding of the Gangnam Korean Traditional Orchestra; Monday at 8 a.m., the Gangnam International Peace Marathon gets underway in the Bongeunsa-ro area; and Monday at 6 p.m., Bongeunsa Temple hosts a mountain-temple music concert.
The KBS traditional music special stage features nine acts — including the Gangnam Korean Traditional Orchestra, a traditional music high school, and master performers and ensembles Kim Yong-u and Park Ae-ri — for roughly 90 minutes of varied traditional music. Admission is free, and the performance is scheduled to air on KBS 1TV on Oct. 24 at 12:10 p.m.
The 23rd Gangnam International Peace Marathon, co-hosted by Gangnam-gu and the US Army Eighth Command and organized by the Gangnam-gu Sports Council, drew 10,000 participants. Runners compete across four distances — full marathon, half marathon, 10 kilometers and 5 kilometers — choosing the course that suits their fitness and ability. A donation ceremony presenting 177.32 million won ($130,000) raised through this year's race will also be held, along with awards by category and a prize draw. Starting at 10 a.m., the "Gangnam Global Master Chef Food Festival" adds food and entertainment for participants and their families.
A mountain-temple music concert at Bongeunsa Temple brings the Gangnam Festival to a close. Following a pre-show performance by the Bongeunsa Korean Traditional Music Ensemble, Bicycle Scenery, Jang Ha-eun, Kim Min-jong, Yang Su-kyung and Jeon Young-rok take the stage for roughly 120 minutes. Admission is free, and the concert will be livestreamed on the Gangnam-gu Office and Bongeunsa YouTube channels.
Five domestic sister cities join in — extending the festival into inter-city exchange.
As it did last year, Gangnam-gu is using the festival as a platform for exchange with its domestic sister cities. Delegations of about 20 representatives from five sister cities — Cheongyang-gun, Naju, Jeungpyeong-gun, Wonju and Chilgok-gun — are invited for a two-day, one-night visit from Sunday through Monday. The delegations will hold a friendship and cooperation meeting at the Gangnam Healing Center's Sinsa branch and take part in a healing program. In the evening, they will watch the K-pop concert on Dosan-daero together, experiencing Gangnam's festival culture and deepening inter-city ties.
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