10th annual Gwanak Gangam-chan Festival wraps up with 170,000 visitors

Gwanak-gu announced Tuesday that the 2026 Gwanak Gangam-chan Festival concluded successfully at Naksongdae Park on Friday and Saturday, drawing 170,000 visitors over two days. The festival brought together youth, families and local residents in a celebration of autumn, reinforcing its standing as a global history and culture festival. A third day of programming scheduled for Sunday was canceled entirely due to heavy rain and deteriorating weather.

Marking its 10th anniversary, this year's festival was held under the theme "Tomorrow Gangam-chan — Opening the Future," honoring the patriotic spirit of General Gangam-chan from 1,000 years ago and reflecting on the event's decade-long journey through a range of community participation programs.

On Friday, the opening day, the festival began with a solemn memorial rite for General Gangam-chan at Anguksa, the shrine dedicated to him, followed by the Inheon Calligraphy Competition. A nighttime program called Nakseongdae Yabyeolhoe also drew visitors, exploring the "star" motif in the legend of the general's birth through historical commentary and astronomical observation.

Saturday's lineup focused on programming for the whole family. Popular history lecturer Seol Min-seok captivated audiences with a talk show titled "The Man Who Saved the Nation with a Brush: Gangam-chan."

That evening at 7 p.m. in the main plaza, a special 10th-anniversary performance — "Gangam-chan, Born from the Stars & Aerial Fireworks Performance" — served as the festival's highlight. The show reimagined the legend of a star falling on Naksongdae 1,000 years ago against the backdrop of a futuristic space station, weaving together traditional performing arts, contemporary dance, live music and video to convey the general's courage, solidarity and community spirit.

However, the final day's planned events — a civic arts program and a lifestyle arts festival — were called off entirely due to strong winds and worsening weather. A Gwanak-gu official said the cancellation was unavoidable given that the programs were primarily outdoor events and visitor safety had to come first.

The Gwanak Gangam-chan Festival is one of Seoul's signature history and culture festivals, held annually in Gwanak to honor the patriotic spirit and achievements of General Gangam-chan, the hero of the Battle of Gwiju.

Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee said the festival's 10th anniversary was made possible by the enthusiastic support and participation of residents. "We were able to create a truly meaningful festival where everyone came together as one," he said, adding that the district would continue to develop the event into a leading history and culture festival that reaches beyond Korea to the world.