Festival · Jinju
Ended | Jinju Lantern Festival 2026: October 3–18, free admission and paid activities
Ended · 2026-10-18
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. 2026 · yudeung.com
Archived visitor guidance for the 2026 event
The 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival runs October 3–18 around Jinjuseong and the Namgang. The official VISITKOREA listing marks general admission as free and describes lantern displays, performances and activities. Free entry does not establish free access to every floating-bridge or wish-lantern activity; check individual charges before joining.
Decisions before your visit
Choose whether the view from the fortress or a closer riverside visit matters more. We suggest finding entrances and your return boarding point in daylight, then focusing on one area after dark. Allow separately for bridge queues and food, and set a departure time around your last train or bus. Check the daily programme rather than assuming drones or fireworks run at the same time every night.
Lantern history and today’s festival
The organiser traces the lantern tradition to military signalling and communication during the 1592 battle of Jinjuseong: lights on the Namgang were used to hinder crossings and send news to families outside the walls. Its account connects later lantern-floating with remembrance of those lost in the second battle in 1593. Today’s displays are a modern festival built around that historical memory, not evidence of a national size ranking or that every present-day programme has continued unchanged for four centuries.
Stops to choose for your route
For daylight, choose among Jinjuseong, Chokseongnu, Uiam and Jinju National Museum, checking each facility’s access hours. At night, prioritise either the fortress-side view or a closer riverbank view to simplify your route. Before crossing a pontoon bridge, check its cost, queue and your return deadline; do not wait indefinitely for every crowd to leave. Compare Jinju bibimbap, cold noodles or grilled eel at stalls or in the old town, with each business’s menu and opening checked separately.
- Jinjuseong fortress wall (진주성 성곽) — walk the wall before dark for the view of the whole river; during the festival the fortress is the venue.
- Chokseongnu pavilion (촉석루) — the great riverside pavilion on the wall — the festival's most photographed frame, with lanterns below and behind.
- Uiam rock & Nongae shrine (의암·의기사) — the rock below the pavilion where the Nongae legend is set, and her shrine inside the fortress.
- Jinju National Museum (국립진주박물관) — inside the fortress: the museum of the 1592 war, which explains what the lanterns commemorate; see it in daylight.
- The river lantern sculptures (남강 유등) — the big floating pieces — dragons, tigers, world landmarks, village scenes — best from the riverside path at eye level.
- Pontoon bridges — KRW 2,000 per crossing or 6,000 for a day pass, 13:00–23:00. Weekdays can also have queues.
- Wish-lantern wall (소망등) — write a wish, hang a lantern; the tunnel of thousands is one of the festival's own light shows.
- Lantern-floating point (유등 띄우기) — set your own small lantern on the water — the act the whole festival descends from.
- Drones — the last listed session, October 17 at 19:50, is now a past schedule. No October 18 session appears in the official special-show timetable.
- Jinju bibimbap & river eel (진주비빔밥·장어구이) — the city's own dishes — a raw-beef bibimbap unlike Jeonju's, and grilled eel on the riverbank — after the lanterns.
Open Jinjuseong on Naver Map (Korea's default map app — Google Maps is unreliable for walking directions here).
Getting there, dates & tips
| Getting there | Jinju Station and the intercity/express bus terminals are different arrival points. Check the endpoint of your booked service and your return connection first. Official free shuttles run October 3–5, 9–11 and 16–18, from 16:00 to 23:00; route 4 connects Jinju Station to Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center. They do not operate every festival day. The site spans both riverbanks, so add walking from your arrival stop to your chosen area. Festival enquiries: 055-761-9111. |
|---|---|
| Dates & hours | General festival admission is free; activities cost extra. Published 2026 prices are KRW 2,000 for one pontoon-bridge crossing or 6,000 for a day pass, 10,000 to hang a wish lantern, and 5,000 to make and float a lantern. Bridges/general booths operate 13:00–23:00; lantern floating runs 18:00–23:00, ending before the 18:00–24:00 display lighting. You can view displays from the riverbank without using a pontoon bridge, so choose according to budget and queues. |
| Best time | Find your entrance and return boarding point before dark, then focus on the fortress or riverside. Do not assume drones or fireworks run at the same time every night. |
| Pair with | Compare Busan and Gyeongju as separate travel days, checking the actual terminal and service rather than assuming ninety minutes or two hours from Jinju. Combining Jinjuseong or Jinju National Museum with the lanterns keeps the same-day route more compact. |
October 18 finale: lanterns are separate from special shows
At our October 17 evening check, the last listed drone show at 19:50 and fireworks at 20:00 were scheduled for October 17, and those times had passed. The festival runs through October 18, but the official special-show timetable lists no drone or fireworks session for the 18th. Plan lantern viewing separately. The scheduled fireworks area is the Namgang between Jinju and Cheonsu bridges; the October 10 “Pearl in the Night Sky” was not a nightly programme either. This is a schedule check, not confirmation that a performance took place. Check organiser notices for weather and safety changes before departure. All times are KST.
Check before you pay
Questions for planning this visit, not allegations against any business.
This article is retained as an archive, not a recommendation to book now.
- Check this article’s event year and end date. Do not use historical prices or sales links as current booking terms; wait until the new announcement and official seller match.
- Match the seller, venue address, date, party size, cancellation deadline and time zone on the confirmation. Save change/cancellation refund conditions and who handles them; an application receipt is not a confirmed booking.
Show this Korean message to staff
취소 마감 시각과 수수료를 메시지로 알려 주세요.
Please message me the cancellation deadline and fee.
Unexpected charges or a cancelled booking? Free help guide →
Editorial prevention advice added: · Official help channels and sources
Map
Loading the map connects to NAVER. You can also use the external map link below.
Open in Naver Map Check your route and departure time in the map service before travelling.
Quick answers
When is the Jinju Lantern Festival 2026?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. October 3–18, 2026 — sixteen days on the Namgang river below Jinjuseong fortress. The lanterns light from 18:00 to midnight. The Gaecheon Arts Festival runs alongside it from October 9 to 18.
Is the Jinju Lantern Festival free?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. General festival admission is free; activities cost extra. Published 2026 prices are KRW 2,000 for one pontoon-bridge crossing or 6,000 for a day pass, 10,000 to hang a wish lantern, and 5,000 to make and float a lantern. Bridges/general booths operate 13:00–23:00; lantern floating runs 18:00–23:00, ending before the 18:00–24:00 display lighting. You can view displays from the riverbank without using a pontoon bridge, so choose according to budget and queues.
How do I get to Jinju from Seoul?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. Jinju Station and the intercity/express bus terminals are different arrival points. Check the endpoint of your booked service and your return connection first. Official free shuttles run October 3–5, 9–11 and 16–18, from 16:00 to 23:00; route 4 connects Jinju Station to Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center. They do not operate every festival day. The site spans both riverbanks, so add walking from your arrival stop to your chosen area. Festival enquiries: 055-761-9111.
What is the best time to visit the lantern festival?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. Choose whether the view from the fortress or a closer riverside visit matters more. We suggest finding entrances and your return boarding point in daylight, then focusing on one area after dark. Allow separately for bridge queues and food, and set a departure time around your last train or bus. Check the daily programme rather than assuming drones or fireworks run at the same time every night.
Why does Jinju float lanterns?
The organiser traces the lantern tradition to military signalling and communication during the 1592 battle of Jinjuseong: lights on the Namgang were used to hinder crossings and send news to families outside the walls. Its account connects later lantern-floating with remembrance of those lost in the second battle in 1593. Today’s displays are a modern festival built around that historical memory, not evidence of a national size ranking or that every present-day programme has continued unchanged for four centuries.
What should I eat in Jinju?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. Jinju's own dishes are Jinju bibimbap (a raw-beef bibimbap different from Jeonju's), Jinju cold noodles, and grilled river eel (jangeo-gui) at the restaurants along the Namgang. The festival stalls and the old town across the bridge cover the rest.
Are drones or fireworks listed for the final day?
The official dates of the 2026 Jinju Namgang Lantern Festival (October 3–18) have passed. The fees, lighting, floating bridges, shuttle buses and performances below are a record of the 2026 event, not current operating information. Check a new official announcement for the dates and conditions of a future edition. At our October 17 evening check, the last listed drone show at 19:50 and fireworks at 20:00 were scheduled for October 17, and those times had passed. The festival runs through October 18, but the official special-show timetable lists no drone or fireworks session for the 18th. Plan lantern viewing separately. The scheduled fireworks area is the Namgang between Jinju and Cheonsu bridges; the October 10 “Pearl in the Night Sky” was not a nightly programme either. This is a schedule check, not confirmation that a performance took place. Check organiser notices for weather and safety changes before departure. All times are KST.
Sources & data: Jinju · 2026 · Jinju · activities and prices · Jinju · drones and fireworks · Jinju · transport · Jinju · history
Schedules and prices can change; use the linked official notices for your travel date. Route choices and time allowances are editorial suggestions.