This post summarizes official announcements; it is not a review of a visit. Sources: Nowon-gu's press release and its attached poster (October 7, 2026), plus Seoul city's 'Seoul in My Hand' article (July 21, 2026) for directions, checked on October 7, 2026. The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
- Dates
- Sat, Oct 17, 2026 ~ Sun, Oct 18
- Hours
- 12:00–20:00 both days
- Venue
- Gyeongchun Line Forest Park, in front of Hagye 2-dong Community Service Center (경춘선숲길, 하계2동 주민센터 앞)Gyeongchun Line Forest Park in front of 88 Gongneung-ro 55-gil (Hagye 2-dong Community Service Center), Nowon-gu, Seoul (서울 노원구 공릉로55길 88 앞 경춘선숲길 일대)
- Organizer
- Nowon-gu Office, Seoul (organized by Nowon-gu Public Library)
- Official
- Official notice (Korean) ↗
- Updated
- when we last re-checked the official notice
📅 Schedule at a glance
October 2026
Event daysHighlightsTodayKorean public holidays
Korea Meteorological Administration · 10/15, 8 AM issued · forecasts can change
📌 What's on each day
- 10/17Sat★ Opening · ★ Opera gala · Meet authors · Book concertToday
- 10/18SunDocent concert · Chaekmeong timeToday
🔁 Daily · About 1,000 books · reading activities · family shows · Nangman Theater
Nowon Outdoor Library 2026 ‘Nangman Bojang’ in Seoul — Schedule, Parking & Programs for a Book Picnic with Kids on the Gyeongchun Line Forest Park
2026 Nowon Outdoor Library 'Nangman Bojang' (Romance Guaranteed) poster — Oct 17 (Sat)–18 (Sun), 12:00–20:00, Gyeongchun Line Forest Park, in front of Hagye 2-dong Community Service Center (경춘선숲길, 하계2동 주민센터 앞) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
A fall weekend when books
come out onto the grass
of a forest trail 📚
The 2026 Nowon Outdoor Library ‘Nangman Bojang’
(노원 야외도서관 낭만보장 — “romance guaranteed”)
runs for two days,
Sat Oct 17 – Sun Oct 18.
It’s set along the Gyeongchun Line Forest Park
in front of the Hagye 2-dong
Community Service Center,
from noon to 8 pm on both days.
We put this together from
Nowon-gu’s press release (October 7)
and the poster attached to it.
🎪 What kind of event is it?
past festival — people enjoying books at the outdoor event venue (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
past festival — a forest path with lighting decorations and reading chairs (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
It’s an outdoor reading festival
put on by Nowon-gu.
Nowon-gu hosts it,
and the Nowon-gu Public Library runs it.
This year’s theme is
’In the AI Era, After All, People’.
The focus is on people
meeting and talking
with books between them.
The Lawn Plaza,
Gyeongchun Station Book & Coffee
and the Gyeongchun Line railway tracks —
about 8,800 m² in all —
become the festival grounds.
| Place | What’s there |
|---|---|
| Lawn Plaza | Main stage · Camping zone · Book rest area |
| Gyeongchun Line tracks | ‘Nowon Neighborhood Bookstore Trip’ and a ‘bulmeong’ fire-gazing zone — four local bookstores (Bronte Salon 브론테살롱 · Jigu Bulsichak 지구불시착 · Chaekingam 책인감 · Ttaengttaengseom 땡땡섬) bring their recommended books |
Bookshelves & book baskets
About 1,000 books
picked by the Nowon-gu Public Library.
Insects, art, nature, ecology, rest, health —
chosen by theme and by age group,
so just pull one out and read!
✨ What’s on, and when?
Here are the programs with set times,
gathered by date and time.
| Date & time | Program |
|---|---|
| Oct 17 (Sat) 13:00 | Meet author Kim A-young — bookstore & author booth, Lawn Plaza |
| Oct 17 (Sat) 15:00 | Book concert with Professor Kim Sang-geun — ‘Reading People in the AI Era’ |
| Oct 17 (Sat) 16:00 | Meet author Heo Ji-na |
| Oct 17 (Sat) 17:20 | Opening ceremony |
| Oct 17 (Sat) 18:10 | ‘Ssolleolle’ (쏠레올레) opera gala show (poster time) |
| Oct 18 (Sun) 15:00 | Humanities concert by docent Lee Ji-an — ‘Comfort and Romance Found in the Stories of Italian Masterpieces’ |
| Oct 18 (Sun) 16:00 | ‘Chaekmeong time’ — resting with a book |
The featured book for
Professor Kim’s book concert
is The Odyssey.
The 18:10 opera gala time is from the poster;
the press release says it comes
’right after the opening ceremony’.
The opening ceremony offers
sign-language interpretation,
guidance for visually impaired visitors
and wheelchair seating.
🫧 What shows and activities are there?
past festival — audiences watching a performance on the outdoor stage (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
past festival — audiences watching an outdoor performance under the lights (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
Here are the shows, activities
and food, all in one table.
| Type | What’s there |
|---|---|
| Family shows | Family shows such as bubble and magic shows, plus string performances, run throughout the festival (times aren’t out yet) |
| Reading activities | Make a mini book, an emotion doll or a picture book; make a bookmark or a mini-book key ring |
| Mood-lamp making | With Words I Want to Hear (듣고 싶은 말), Nowon-gu’s ‘One Book of the Year’ |
| Nangman Theater: Beer Cinema | An open-air cinema in the afternoon on both days (the films haven’t been announced yet) |
| Food & booths | Food trucks, a CGV pop-up store and a craft beer cooperative take part — the poster also lists exhibitions and a local market |
🚇 Getting there & parking
The poster puts it like this:
“Parking at the venue is completely prohibited,
so please use public transportation.”
From Hagye Station (Line 7), exit 4
it’s a 7-minute walk
to Gyeongchun Station Book & Coffee
(경춘스테이션 북앤커피, 53 Gongneung-ro 55-gil).
(Seoul city’s ‘Seoul in My Hand’ article, July)
Gyeongchun Station Book & Coffee
is part of the festival grounds.
Bus stops and entrances
aren’t in the official notice yet.
👨👩👧 Going with kids
Times for the bubble and magic shows
haven’t been announced yet.
If the shows are what you’re after,
it’s easiest to check the times
as soon as you arrive.
The shelves also have books on themes
like insects, nature and ecology.
Pick one and read it
at the book rest area on the Lawn Plaza.
The festival runs until 8 pm.
On the 17th, the opening ceremony is at 17:20,
followed by the opera gala show.
public and small libraries
are closed (per the poster),
except the Nowon Lifelong Learning Center
Check your library plans for that weekend!
⏳ Not announced yet
□ Admission & activity material fees
□ Whether you need to book ahead
□ Times of the family shows & string performances
□ Nangman Theater films & showtimes
□ Hours & capacity for each activity
□ What happens if it rains
□ Whether libraries close only on the 17th or both days
None of this is in the official notice as of October 7.
We’ll update this post once it’s out.
📞 Nowon-gu Leisure Life Division
02-2116-0701
(the poster lists 0701–0702)
👍 Recommended for these families
✔ Families looking for a weekend of reading on a forest trail
✔ Families looking for mini-book or picture-book making
✔ Families who want to see bubble or magic shows
The same weekend, at Danghyeoncheon Stream in Nowon-gu,
the 2026 Nowon Moonlight Walk (노원달빛산책)
lights up every day from 5:30 pm.
Our guide → read it here
About 1,000 books, plus activities and shows —
a forest-trail library open from noon to 8 pm.
We put this together from official announcements before going ourselves. Event photos are from the Korea Tourism Organization, released under KOGL Type 3 (attribution, no derivatives) and shown unedited. The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
📷 The festival in photos 11
Swipe to see more
🔄 Updates
- One-week check
- First write-up
📎 Sources
- 한국관광공사 국문 관광정보(TourAPI) — 노원 북 페스티벌 행사 사진 (contentid 2865258) 한국관광공사 · 관공서
- 가을+독서+경춘선 숲길의 낭만 더하니 힙한 북페스티벌... 노원구, 2026 야외도서관 <낭만보장> 개최 서울특별시 노원구 · 2026.10.7 · 관공서
- 경춘선숲길, 더 길어지고 더 즐거워졌다! 숲길 연장·열차카페까지 서울특별시 내 손안에 서울(시민기자) · 2026.7.21 · 기사
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 and other numbers were checked against the Korean original on October 7, 2026. We did not check whether the festival offers guidance or books in English. Original post (Korean)