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FestivalAutumn 2026

Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival

진주남강유등축제

This edition · Data as of · Published · Compiled by

Every October the Namgang river in Jinju fills with floating lanterns, and lantern displays spread through Jinju Fortress and along both banks. They light up at dusk; you cross the river on pontoon bridges among them, and on set nights there are fireworks and a drone show over the water. The 2026 festival runs 3–18 October, and entry is free (the pontoon bridges and some activities cost a little). We read Korean blog posts from people who went in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival
2026 진주남강유등축제 (6).png2026 진주남강유등축제 (8).png2026 진주남강유등축제 (2).png2026 진주남강유등축제 (9).png2026 진주남강유등축제 (10).png
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type3). Shown uncropped, as supplied.

What’s on

From the official website and Jinju City press releases (checked 4 October). Site open 13:00–23:00, lanterns lit 18:00–24:00. Subject to weather.

River and fortress

Lantern displaysWalk-in₩0 Free
3–18 Oct · 18:00–24:00
Floating lanterns on the river and lantern displays in the fortress and on the banks.

Namgang river

Pontoon bridge crossingsWalk-in₩2,000 single · ₩6,000 day pass
3–18 Oct · 13:00–23:00
Four pontoon bridges across the river; buy at the booth or by QR code.
No booking needed — buy at the bridge booth or by QR code. Online sales pages are in Korean (Tfun Korea, Naver Booking, Kakao).
Check availability on Official ticket links (Korean) →
FireworksWalk-in₩0 Free
9 and 17 Oct · 20:00
Over the river between Jinjugyo and Cheonsugyo bridges.
Drone light showWalk-in₩0 Free
10 and 17 Oct · 10 Oct 20:00 · 17 Oct 19:50
Over the river.

Manggyeong-dong riverbank

Wish lanterns and floating your own lanternWalk-inWish lantern ₩10,000 · floating ₩5,000
3–18 Oct · 13:00–23:00 (floating from 18:00)
Hang a lantern with your wish, or make one and float it on the river.

Chokseongnu pavilion

LED hanbok rentalWalk-inFrom ₩10,000 (official sources differ on the hourly rate)
3–18 Oct
Wear a light-up hanbok round the fortress.

Riverside and fortress stages

Evening stage showsWalk-in₩0 Free
3–18 Oct · 19:00–21:30
Performances and busking every evening.

Fortress and city

Gaecheon Arts Festival and Korea Drama FestivalWalk-inFree
9–18 Oct
Companion festivals running alongside.

Sources: the festival's official website (programme, prices, transport) and Jinju City press releases (21 and 23 Sept, 1 Oct).

The essentials

Dates2026-10-03 – 2026-10-18
WhereJinju Fortress and the Namgang river, Jinju, South Gyeongsang
CostFree entry · pontoon bridges ₩2,000 single / ₩6,000 day pass · wish lantern ₩10,000 · float a lantern ₩5,000 (2026)
OrganisersJinju City · Jinju Culture & Arts Foundation (+82 55-761-9111)
Address626, Namgang-ro, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
경상남도 진주시 남강로 626 (본성동)
Contact055-761-9111, 055-755-9111 · yudeung.com/
ProgrammeLantern displays (18:00–24:00), pontoon bridges, fireworks 3, 9 and 17 Oct, drone shows 3, 10 and 17 Oct — see “What’s on” below.

Official poster

2026 진주남강유등축제 포스터.jpg

The organisers’ own poster, in Korean. Source: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type3), shown unaltered. Tap to open full size.

What 30 visitors said

We searched Naver, the blog platform most Koreans use, for posts written during each festival and the month after (30 for 2023 and 2024, 60 for 2025), read every one to the end, kept only people who went (15, 15 and 26), and took ten per year. Sponsored and official-supporter posts were dropped and no writer is counted twice. Every number counts the posts that mentioned something. Twenty of the 30 posts are from opening night, so the crowd stories lean towards the busiest day.

What people liked

Fireworks and the drone show over the river18 of 30 posts

Fireworks bursting over the lanterns on the water 23-14 23-16 23-24 23-27 24-09 24-13 24-16 24-20 24-25 24-29 25-24 25-36 25-37 25-39 25-47 25-48 25-52 25-53

Lanterns inside Jinju Fortress at night11 of 30 posts

Lit walls and Chokseongnu pavilion, a calmer mood inside the fortress 23-16 23-18 23-24 23-29 24-26 24-29 25-36 25-37 25-42 25-48 25-53

Crossing the pontoon bridges among the lanterns5 of 30 posts

Day passes are a wristband; quiet after 10pm 23-13 24-13 24-26 24-29 25-52

Park and ride works7 of 30 posts

Free shuttles from the stadium and Jeongchon car parks 23-13 23-16 23-29 24-09 24-20 24-25 25-53

Well policed crowds6 of 30 posts

Stewards kept people moving and managed the exit 23-14 23-27 24-16 25-24 25-36 25-53

Some fair-priced food5 of 30 posts

Gukbap ₩9,000, chicken skewers ₩5,000 23-10 23-18 24-20 24-21 25-47

What people struggled with

Opening and fireworks nights are a crush11 of 30 posts

15–20 minutes to cross a bridge; gridlock going home 23-10 23-14 23-20 23-27 24-09 24-13 24-25 25-24 25-36 25-37 25-39

Parking and taxis are hard10 of 30 posts

Near car parks full early; no taxis afterwards 23-10 23-20 23-29 24-15 24-16 24-29 25-39 25-42 25-48 25-53

The drone show often disappoints9 of 30 posts

Short, and hidden by firework smoke, cloud or trees 23-10 23-27 24-13 24-16 25-36 25-37 25-47 25-48 25-52

Pricey food and bridge tolls8 of 30 posts

Night-market pancakes ₩20,000; ₩2,000 per bridge crossing 23-14 24-09 24-16 24-20 24-21 24-25 25-24 25-47

These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.

Who goes, and when

Couples are the biggest group (8 of 30), then families with children or with grandparents; some drove from Busan or Gimhae, others stopped by on a holiday road trip. Almost everyone stayed from evening into the night. Twenty-four of the 30 posts call it crowded; those who went on a weekday or a later weekend found it comfortable.

Who they went with

With friends2 of 30 posts
With children5 of 30 posts
With parents or adult family3 of 30 posts
As a couple8 of 30 posts

12 of the 30 posts did not say.

Time of day

Evening8 of 30 posts
Night11 of 30 posts
Day into night8 of 30 posts
Afternoon2 of 30 posts

1 of the 30 posts did not say.

Visiting from abroad

2026 is Jinju's first year as a government-designated “global festival”: the city says it has three foreign-visitor information booths, 23 interpreters and guidance in English, Japanese and Chinese, and the official website has an English version and English leaflet and map. The main sights need no booking — buy pontoon passes at the booth or by QR code on the spot, and carry a little cash for stalls. If you go on a fireworks night, eat beforehand, arrive by mid-afternoon, and plan your way home: the shuttles stop at 23:00 and taxis are scarce.

Weather and crowds

Early October: warm by day, chilly after dark — several posts say bring a layer. Opening night 2025 was rained on, turning the riverbank to mud and hiding the drones. On opening and fireworks nights riverside spots fill hours before the show.

Getting there and access

Park and ride beats driving in. The car parks near the river fill early and the surrounding roads close (in 2026: 16:00–23:00 on holidays, 19:00–23:00 on Fridays). Free shuttle buses run on seven routes from temporary car parks — but only on 3–5, 9–11 and 16–18 October, 16:00–23:00. Route 4 starts from Jinju railway station. Taxis are very hard to find when the shows end; some people parked near Jungang Market and walked.

The official map marks wheelchair hire, accessible toilets and nursing rooms. The fortress grounds are flat; one family took a pushchair across the pontoon bridges, while another found the wheels caught on the ramps and stone banks and staff helped them through. On crowded nights a pushchair is hard work. Toilets are spread around and were clean, though one post queued 15 minutes for the women's and another found nowhere to sit.

Year by year

Autumn 2023

8–22 October. On the holiday-weekend opening night it took 15–20 minutes to cross a bridge; one regular felt it was smaller than the year before.

Autumn 2024

5–20 October. Opening night was so packed that ambulances came through several times; the stamp-tour app didn't work for some. New space and K-trend zones were added.

Autumn 2025

4–19 October. It rained on opening night and the lanterns lit about 30 minutes late; many said firework smoke hid the drone show. Pontoon passes could be bought by QR code on the spot.

Tips from people who went

  • For the best fireworks view, watch from the bank opposite the fortress — inside the fortress they burst right overhead
  • On fireworks nights arrive before 4pm (before roads close, to get a spot)
  • Crossing only twice? Two single tickets (₩4,000) beat the ₩6,000 day pass; buying by QR skips the queue
  • Shuttles return on the same route number you came on
  • Eat beforehand; carry some cash
  • Bring a mat, an umbrella and a layer
  • For space, go on a weekday night, or cross the bridges after 10pm

The 30 posts we read

  1. 23-10 · 2023-10-09 진주 유등축제 불꽃놀이 먹거리 부스에서 음식 먹으며 개막식 관람....
  2. 23-13 · 2023-10-10 진주 남강유등축제 일정표 주차장 셔틀버스
  3. 23-14 · 2023-10-10 진주 유등축제 주차장, 꿀팁 총정리
  4. 23-15 · 2023-10-10 2023년 진주 남강 유등 축제 진주 남강 유등 전시관
  5. 23-16 · 2023-10-10 진주 유등축제 방문후기 셔틀버스주차장 야시장 먹을거리 모습
  6. 23-18 · 2023-10-11 진주 남강 유등축제 개천예술제 기본정보 불꽃놀이 기간
  7. 23-20 · 2023-10-11 2023 진주유등축제 일정 진주남강유등축제 기본정보 불꽃 유래 기간 ....
  8. 23-24 · 2023-10-13 산청진주여행(치유의숲,유등축제)
  9. 23-27 · 2023-10-14 경남지역축제 - 진주남강유등축제 일정 코스 진주성 야경 불꽃놀이 ....
  10. 23-29 · 2023-10-15 진주유등축제로 무료 개장한 진주성 (낮에) 다녀와 봄.
  11. 24-09 · 2024-10-06 2024 진주남강유등축제 개막식, 드론쇼, 불꽃축제, 주차장, 스탬프&트....
  12. 24-13 · 2024-10-07 2024 진주 남강유등축제
  13. 24-15 · 2024-10-09 아이와가볼만한곳 진주남강유등축제 기본정보 일정 / 시간 / 주차장....
  14. 24-16 · 2024-10-09 2024년 진주 남강유등축제 정보 및 다녀온 후기: 불꽃놀이, 드론쇼, ....
  15. 24-20 · 2024-10-10 진주 남강 유등축제 꿀팁(불꽃놀이, 드론쇼 일정, 셔틀버스, 먹거리,....
  16. 24-21 · 2024-10-10 24년 진주 유등축제 나들이 2탄
  17. 24-25 · 2024-10-12 진주남강유등축제 진주성 체험 드론쑈 불꽃놀이 먹거리 놀이 기구 ....
  18. 24-26 · 2024-10-12 [경남축제][진주여행]2024진주남강유등축제(10/5~10/20)
  19. 24-27 · 2024-10-13 10.12.옷차림: 결혼식과 한낮의 진주 유등축제
  20. 24-29 · 2024-10-13 경남 진주 남강유등축제 일정 주차장 행사안내 부교
  21. 25-24 · 2025-10-09 진주 남강 유등축제 3세 5세 아이둘 유모차 태워 다녀온 후기 (아기....
  22. 25-34 · 2025-10-04 진주유등축제 다소 아쉬운 후기 여전히 변하는게 없다
  23. 25-36 · 2025-10-05 [진주 아이랑 가볼만한곳] 2025년 진주 남강 유등 축제 / 진주 불꽃놀....
  24. 25-37 · 2025-10-05 2025 진주 남강유등축제 첫째날 방문 후기 주차, 불꽃놀이, 행사장 이....
  25. 25-39 · 2025-10-05 경남 가볼만한곳 | 진주남강유등축제 불꽃놀이 드론쇼 일정 및 볼거....
  26. 25-42 · 2025-10-05 2025 진주 유등축제 다녀온 후기
  27. 25-47 · 2025-10-05 2025 진주 남강유등축제 주차 및 불꽃놀이+드론쇼 명당자리 팁
  28. 25-48 · 2025-10-05 진주유등축제 2025년 개막식 불꽃놀이와 드론쇼 구경하기_10월4일
  29. 25-52 · 2025-10-05 경남 진주 가볼만한곳 2025 남강유등축제 명당 데이트코스 추천
  30. 25-53 · 2025-10-05 2025 진주남강유등축제 개막식 방문 솔직후기 (10/4 ~ 10/19) 주차정보 ....

All posts are in Korean. We summarise them in our own words rather than quoting.