This post summarizes official announcements; it is not a review of a visit. Sources: Seoul city's October 2026 citizen notices and event plan (September 30, 2026), Seoul's festival listing (Fun Seoul), and Seoul Grand Park's eco craft program call, its winners notice (October 7, 2026) and its admission & hours, parking, directions, Elephant Train, park rules and glasshouse closure pages, checked on October 7, 2026. The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
- Dates
- Sat, Oct 31, 2026 ~ Sun, Nov 8
- Venue
- Around Seoul Grand Park (서울대공원 일대)102 Daegongwongwangjang-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do (경기 과천시 대공원광장로 102)
- Organizer
- Seoul Grand Park, Seoul Metropolitan Government (서울특별시 서울대공원)
- Official
- Official notice (Korean) ↗
- Updated
- when we last re-checked the official notice
📅 Schedule at a glance
October 20261/2
November 20262/2
Event daysTodayKorean public holidays
📌 What's on each day
🔁 Daily · Forest Art Gallery · artist-linked exhibition (hours not announced yet)
Seoul Grand Park Autumn Festival 2026 — Dates, Programs & Parking Before You Take the Kids to ‘Pinocchio’s Forest’
Late autumn, when the leaves turn,
is coming to Seoul Grand Park
in Gwacheon 🍁
The 2026 Seoul Grand Park Autumn Festival
(2026 서울대공원 가을축제)
runs Sat, Oct 31 – Sun, Nov 8,
9 days around Seoul Grand Park.
This year’s theme is
’Pinocchio’s Forest, Tinted with Art’.
We put this together from
Seoul city’s October event plan (September 30),
Fun Seoul and Seoul Grand Park’s notices.
The festival’s hours and fees
haven’t been announced yet,
so we’ve set them apart below.
🎪 What kind of festival is it?
Seoul Grand Park — Lakeside trail and bridge at Seoul Grand Park (Jun 2025) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization Photo Gallery · 김지연 · KOGL Type 1)
Fun Seoul describes it as
”a festival built around
Seoul Grand Park’s distinctive
autumn nature (autumn leaves, fallen leaves, etc.)”.
It’s made up of programs
that families — the park’s main visitors —
can join in and try for themselves.
The park is run by
the Seoul Metropolitan Government,
but its address is in
Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do.
Last year it ran as the
’Autumn Foliage Festival:
Autumn-Light Grand Park’
from October 25 to November 2, 2025,
around the Meeting Plaza (만남의 광장).
✨ What programs are there?
Forest Art Gallery (숲속 미술관)
Installation art that blends
with the autumn-leaf forest
Artist-linked exhibition
There’s also a large installation artwork
that visitors can take part in.
Performances
Acoustic concerts,
dance performances and more
Participation events & children’s drawing contest
Only the names are out so far —
no details on how to enter yet.
🌿 What are the eco craft booths?
The eco craft booths
(친환경 체험부스) are making activities
Seoul Grand Park picked
through a public call for ideas.
The themes are upcycling
and crafts from natural materials.
Four winning programs
were announced on October 7.
Endangered-animal
’bag safety reflector tags’
made from old banners
‘Jewels That Hold the Sea’,
made from discarded glass
Mini terrazzo mirrors
made from waste plastic
Making enrichment items
for the animals
The conditions in the call:
two weekend days during the festival,
up to 30 minutes per session,
5 hours a day.
Which weekend it’ll be,
and whether there’s a materials fee,
isn’t out yet. The notice says details
may change as the plans are worked out.
💰 Festival fees vs. zoo admission
Seoul Grand Park — Rocky elephant enclosure and Asian elephant (Jun 2025) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization Photo Gallery · 김지연 · KOGL Type 1)
Seoul Grand Park — Hippopotamus enclosure by the pond and hippopotamus (Jun 2025) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization Photo Gallery · 김지연 · KOGL Type 1)
The festival’s hours, admission and activity fees
are not announced yet.
Only two places charge admission:
the Zoo and the Theme Garden.
Whether the festival grounds
are inside them hasn’t been announced.
The table below is not the festival fee —
it’s Seoul Grand Park’s regular admission.
(Checked on the park’s fee page on October 7)
| Category | Regular individual admission (not festival fees) |
|---|---|
| Zoo | Adults 5,000 won · Youth 3,000 won · Children 2,000 won |
| Theme Garden | Adults 2,000 won · Youth 1,500 won · Children 1,000 won |
| Ages 5 and under · 65 and over | Free |
Tickets are valid on the day only.
The Zoo and Theme Garden’s regular opening hours.
Last entry is 1 hour before closing.
| Month | Zoo & Theme Garden hours |
|---|---|
| October | 09:00–18:00 |
| November | 09:00–17:00 |
🚇 Getting there & parking
Seoul Grand Park — Seoul Grand Park's loop train and mountain scenery beyond a flower field (Jun 2025) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization Photo Gallery · 김지연 · KOGL Type 1)
Subway Line 4, Seoul Grand Park Station
(대공원역), exits 1, 2 and 3.
Seoul Grand Park recommends public transport,
calling itself “10 minutes by subway
from Sadang Station”.
Apart from the parking lot,
regular cars and taxis
can’t drive into the park.
There’s no taxi stand inside either,
so get in and out outside the park.
Elephant Train (코끼리열차)
Loops from the main information center
→ Stop 1 (Zoo & Theme Garden)
→ Stop 2 (Seoul Land)
about every 5 minutes.
| Rider | Elephant Train one-way fare |
|---|---|
| Adults | 2,000 won |
| Youth & children (36 months+) | 1,500 won |
Parking Seoul Grand Park lot
(about 6,616 spaces): regular rates.
| How you pay | Parking fee |
|---|---|
| Kakao T app | 3,000 won for the first 2 hours · then 1,000 won per 30 min (max 5,000 won a day) |
| Pay machine | 4,000 won for the first 2 hours · then 1,500 won per 30 min (max 6,000 won a day) |
The daily maximums are a special discount
for the ‘parking lot stabilization period’.
👨👩👧 Going with kids
If you have a multi-child family card:
family members listed on Seoul’s
Dadungi Haengbok Card (다둥이 행복카드)
or Gyeonggi’s i-Plus Card (아이플러스 카드)
get into the Zoo and Theme Garden free
after an ID check.
(Cards from other cities and provinces don’t count)
Multi-child (Dadungi) cars
also get 50% off parking.
The Elephant Train’s doors are narrow.
With a large stroller,
the park suggests the Zoo’s stroller rental
(02-500-7193).
No pets, kick scooters, bikes,
inline skates or balls
in the Zoo and Theme Garden.
Strollers and wheelchairs are fine.
closes at 17:00
Last entry is 16:00!
If you want to see the Zoo too,
set out in the morning
⏳ Not announced yet
□ Festival opening hours
□ Festival admission & activity material fees
□ Festival area (inside the paid zones or not)
□ Which weekend the craft booths run
□ Performance schedule & performers
□ How to enter the children’s drawing contest
□ Parking restrictions & shuttles during the festival
□ What happens if it rains
None of this is in the official notices yet.
We’ll update this post once it’s out.
Fun Seoul puts ‘(planned)’ before the dates,
while Seoul city’s event plan lists only the dates.
The Botanical Garden’s exhibition glasshouse
is closed for maintenance
September 29 – October 31 (planned).
Questions? Seoul Grand Park 02-500-7022,
customer help desk 02-500-7335
👍 Recommended for these families
✔ Families who want to see installation art in the autumn-leaf forest
✔ Families looking for upcycling craft activities
✔ Families planning a full day out together with the zoo
Forest art, hands-on crafts
and the zoo, all in one park —
an easy festival to build a whole day around!
We put this together from official announcements before going ourselves. Photos marked ‘Photo Gallery’ are from the Korea Tourism Organization under KOGL Type 1 (shooting dates noted). The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
📷 The festival in photos 8
Swipe to see more
🔄 Updates
- First write-up
📎 Sources
- 한국관광공사 관광사진 갤러리 — 서울대공원 사진(공공누리 제1유형) 한국관광공사 · 관공서
- 2026년 10월 주요 시민안내사항 및 행사계획 서울특별시 · 2026.9.30 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 가을축제 서울특별시 펀서울 · 관공서
- [공모전] 2026 서울대공원 친환경 체험 프로그램 공모 서울대공원 · 관공서
- [당첨자 발표] 2026 서울대공원 친환경 체험 프로그램 공모전 선정작 알림 서울대공원 · 2026.10.7 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 이용요금 및 시간 서울대공원 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 주차장 이용안내 서울대공원 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 오시는길 서울대공원 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 공원 내 이동수단(코끼리열차) 서울대공원 · 관공서
- 서울대공원 공원이용안내 서울대공원 · 관공서
- 식물원 전시온실 임시휴관 안내(9.29.~10.31.) 서울대공원 · 2026.9.28 · 관공서
This is a guide based on official announcements, not a visit review. Schedules, programs and fees can change, so please re-check the official notice before you go.
Translated from our Korean post with AI assistance. Dates, times, fees and other numbers were checked against the Korean original on October 7, 2026. We did not check whether the festival offers guidance in English. Original post (Korean)