Gwanak-gu to host 10th Gang Gam-chan Festival this weekend

Gwanak-gu will hold its signature history and culture festival, the 2026 Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival, at Nakseongdae Park from Friday through Sunday.

Marking its 10th anniversary, this year's festival carries the theme "Tomorrow's Gang Gam-chan — Opening the Future," drawing a line between the dreams of the young General Gang Gam-chan a millennium ago and the future that today's youth and citizens will build together.

Last year's festival drew about 208,000 visitors and recorded a visitor satisfaction score of 85.4, earning a "very excellent" rating in the Seoul Metropolitan Government's district brand festival assessment. According to the "2025 Culture and Tourism Festival Big Data Analysis Individual Report," the event generated roughly 10 billion won ($7.47 million) in regional economic and social ripple effects. This year, organizers are focusing on creating a festival that youth, families and residents can enjoy together, expanding on a decade of programming in new ways.

On opening day Friday, the festival kicks off at Anguksa Temple with a memorial rite honoring General Gang Gam-chan and an Inheon calligraphy competition, before moving to the main plaza for youth-centered programming. A South Chungcheong Province youth arts festival takes the stage at 3 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by the Youth Dream Concert — featuring hip-hop clubs from Seoul universities alongside Dynamic Duo and Sinse — filling the first night with youthful energy.

Also on Friday, the Nakseongdae Yabyeolhoe night program will connect the historic Nakseongdae area, associated with the general's birth legend, with Seoul National University's astronomical observatory, exploring the "star" of the general's birth story through historical commentary and stargazing.

Saturday's lineup is geared toward families. At 1 p.m. in the main plaza, history lecturer Seol Min-seok will host the Gang Gam-chan Talk Show on the theme "The Man Who Saved the Nation with a Brush," followed by a Golden Bell quiz show in which citizens answer questions about the general's story.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the main plaza will host the festival's centerpiece 10th-anniversary special performance, "Gang Gam-chan, Born of a Star & Aerial Fireworks Performance." The show reimagines the legend of a star falling on Nakseongdae a thousand years ago against the backdrop of a futuristic space station, combining traditional performing arts, contemporary dance, live music, video projection and aerial fireworks to convey the general's courage, solidarity and community spirit.

Throughout the festival, residents will have ample opportunities to participate directly. The "21 Neighborhood Round," a renamed version of the former Parade 21, introduces the distinctive character of each of the district's 21 neighborhoods through hands-on content. Other attractions include Goryeo Jangter, a market featuring 12 local restaurants and neighborhood bakeries; Byeolbyeol Playground, which reimagines Goryeo-era weapons and the Battle of Gwiju as eco-friendly games; and Little Gang Gam-chan Hunt, a mission tour of the festival grounds.

On the final day Sunday, the Simin Pungnyu Festival will bring the celebration to a close with host Jo Chung-hyeon, invited singer Kim Da-hyeon and 15 finalists competing on stage. The Living Arts Festival — in which Gwanak-gu lifestyle and culture clubs and local residents present performances, exhibitions and hands-on activities throughout the festival grounds — will add meaning to the three-day journey as a celebration made and enjoyed by the community itself.

This year the festival expands into Nakseong Flower Garden, a garden-style rest and cultural space that opened in March. In addition to a 10th-anniversary archive exhibition tracing the history of past Gwanak Gang Gam-chan festivals, the garden will host a children's painting contest, the Inheon Arts Festival, the Byeolbyeol Stage and a traditional archery experience at Gwanakjeong — offering a range of programs for the whole family to enjoy history and culture together.

"The Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival has established itself as Gwanak-gu's signature festival over the past decade by connecting the historical legacy of General Gang Gam-chan with citizen participation and the arts," Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee said. "We will use this year's festival — which adds youth arts and future technology to history — as the starting point for a new decade, and aim to grow it into a history and culture festival that represents all of South Korea."