Jinju Lantern Festival 2026: Dates & How to Get There

Jinju’s lantern festival is on now, until 18 October 2026, and the best plan for most visitors is an evening trip from Busan. This guide picks the night, gets you there and back, and lists what costs money. More October events are in Seasons & Festivals.

What is the Jinju lantern festival?

The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival (진주남강유등축제) fills the Namgang river in Jinju, South Gyeongsang, with floating lanterns for two weeks every October. The lanterns remember the siege of Jinju Fortress in 1592–93, when defenders floated lights on the river to signal and to send word to their families. The opening rite on 3 October honoured the 70,000 people who died there.

The 2026 edition runs from 3 to 18 October. Gyeongnam Ilbo reported about 70,000 lanterns lit at the opening ceremony, 165 sets of lanterns on the water and about 1,200 lantern pieces on land. Opening day drew a record 185,000 visitors.

In short, the whole festival is free to walk, and the only thing that changes from night to night is the size of the crowd and whether there are fireworks.

Which day should you go?

Pick the night first, because it decides how crowded the riverbank and the buses will be. The official programme lists three fireworks nights (3, 9 and 17 October at 20:00) and three drone light shows (3 and 17 October at 19:50, 10 October at 20:00). Two of each are still to come.

If you only care about lanterns, a Monday-to-Thursday visit gives you the same lights with much more room. If you want the full show, Saturday 17 October stacks the drone show and the fireworks back to back.

Jinju city and police close the riverside roads (Nongae-gil, Namgang-ro, Gangnam-ro) on 3–5, 9–11 and 16–18 October. Those windows are a good guide to the busiest days. The Hamo call bus that loops the festival also stops running when fireworks crowds build up.

How do you get to Jinju and back?

Jinju has a KTX station, but for this festival the intercity bus terminal is the better arrival point. It sits on Namgang-ro on the north bank, at the eastern end of the river lantern zone, which runs from the Muljinnaru rest area to the terminal. You step off the bus into the lanterns.

From Busan the bus wins easily: it is cheaper than any train, it drops you at the festival, and Busan-bound buses run later than anything else. The bus fares and times above come from the Jinju Intercity Bus Terminal’s posted timetable for the Jinju-to-destination direction. The page carries no date, so confirm your return at the counter. KTX fares and the last train back come from timetable listings, not from Korail, so check them in the KORAIL app before you rely on them.

From Busan

If your Busan hotel is near Haeundae or Dongnae, the Dongnae route (last bus 20:30) is shorter for you, but it ends earlier. Our Busan neighbourhood guide explains why Seomyeon on Line 2 works well for trips west like this one.

From Seoul

KTX trains from Seoul Station take about 3 h 30 min to Jinju Station on the Gyeongjeon line; timetable listings show around ten a day. Our KTX booking guide shows how to book them in English. Express buses from Seoul’s Nambu Terminal take 3 h 35 min and arrive at the intercity terminal by the river.

Can you do it as a day trip from Seoul?

Only with a very late night. Timetable listings show the last direct KTX from Jinju to Seoul leaving around 19:00, an hour after the lanterns switch on. That is too early to see the festival properly.

The bus is the one way back the same night. The Jinju terminal lists a 22:10 night bus to Seoul Nambu Terminal (₩43,300). It reaches Seoul around 01:45, after the subway has stopped, so you would need a taxi home. For most people coming from Seoul, a night in Jinju or Busan is the better plan. On festival weekends book a room early, or stay in Busan and take the bus.

How do you get around the festival site?

The festival spreads along both banks of the Namgang and up into Jinju Fortress, so you will walk a lot. Wear comfortable shoes and expect slow-moving crowds on the riverside paths after dark.

• Free shuttle buses: 7 routes with 80 chartered buses link the temporary car parks to the site. The Jinju Station car park route ends at the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center (경남문화예술회관) on the south bank, which is how KTX arrivals should get in.
• Hamo call bus: a festival loop of four buses, about every 20 minutes, between five stops: Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center, Namgaram Park, Namgang Music Fountain, Jinju Battle History Park and the intercity bus terminal. It is paid through the Tmoney GO app or a transit card, with no cash. Our transit card comparison covers which card to carry.
• City buses: 58 regular routes carry “to the festival” signs. Check the last bus before you set off.
• Floating bridges: four pontoon bridges cross the river (₩2,000 one way), which saves a long walk round by the road bridges.

Jinju Intercity Bus Terminal (진주시외버스터미널)Naver MapGoogle Maps Jinju Fortress (진주성)Naver MapGoogle Maps Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center (경남문화예술회관)Naver MapGoogle Maps

What does it cost?

Entry is free, and Jinju Fortress and the Namgang Lantern Exhibition Hall are free during the festival too. The fortress stays open until midnight and the hall until 23:00. Everything else is optional.

For two people, ₩22,000 covers an all-day bridge pass and a floating lantern each, before food and the bus. Booth payment methods are not published, so carry some cash as well as a card.

The festival also runs free activities: a citizens’ lantern-making table at the music fountain, AI lantern and K-pop dance games at Jinju Battle History Park, and nightly performances on the Mangyeong-dong and fortress stages from 19:00 to 21:30.

What should you see first?

Start where the crowds are thinnest. Arrive by 17:30, see the fortress in the last light, and be on the river when the lanterns switch on at 18:00.

1. Jinju Fortress and Chokseongnu. The 2026 fortress zones include a Joseon-era lantern street, a “Welcome to Joseon” pop-up zone on the Gongbukmun lawn, and a character zone with Pororo and Pinkfong lanterns that suits children.
2. The water lanterns below the fortress. The river zones run from the “Future City” space theme near Cheonsugyo to the “Hope for the Earth” zone by the bus terminal.
3. A floating bridge at dusk. The 1st bridge (Baedari) is hung with red-and-blue cheongsachorong lanterns and sits in the zone just upstream of Jinjugyo, below the fortress.
4. Mangyeong-dong “Street of History” on the south bank. It holds the 30 lanterns made by Jinju’s neighbourhoods and 1,000 lanterns made by local schoolchildren, and it is where you float your own lantern.
5. Railway Culture Park (K to W zone). A K-culture lantern zone with BTS and Blackpink character lanterns, a little apart from the river.

What else is on in Jinju this October?

Several other events share the riverbanks, which partly explains the weekend crowds. The 75th Gaecheon Arts Festival holds events under Jinjugyo bridge and at the Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center, with a national costume parade on 10 October. The Korea Drama Festival runs 9–17 October, with concerts every evening at 20:30 on the Jangdae-dong riverbank. The Jinju Silk Expo is on the Mangyeong-dong riverbank, and the World Folk Arts Biennale is at Railway Culture Park.

If you are building a wider southern trip, Jinju pairs naturally with Busan and with the later autumn foliage in the southern mountains, which peaks from late October.

What can go wrong?

• Cold by the water. October nights by the river are cool; bring a light jacket. Our weather by month guide has the October averages.
• Driving in. Riverside roads close on festival weekends, and the city asks visitors to park at the 36 temporary car parks and take a shuttle. Do not plan to park near the fortress.
• Fireworks-night transport. The Hamo loop bus pauses when crowds build. The intercity terminal is on the riverbank, so walking there is usually quicker than waiting for a ride.
• Maps. Naver Map gives the most detailed walking routes in Korea and has an English mode. Save the terminal as a favourite before dark.

When this advice is wrong: if the city changes the fireworks dates for weather, the busiest-night table no longer holds. Check the notices on yudeung.com on the day.