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FestivalWinter 2026

Garden of Morning Calm Light Festival

아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전

This edition · Data as of · Published · Compiled by

Every winter the privately run Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong, east of Seoul, drapes its hillside gardens in millions of coloured lights — the Ohsaek Byeolbit (“five-colour starlight”) Garden Festival, running since 2007 from early December to mid-March. The sunken Hagyeong Garden, seen from the viewpoint above, becomes a glowing flowerbed and a lawn lit in blue turns into a sea. Lights are on from sunset to 9pm (11pm on Saturdays) and adult tickets are ₩11,000. The 2026–27 dates are not yet announced, but the last three seasons all opened on the first Friday of December. This one isn't in the national tourism listings, so dates, prices and hours come from the garden's own website; we also read Korean blog posts from people who went in the last three seasons.

Garden of Morning Calm Light Festival
Photos: The Garden of Morning Calm, official website — loaded unaltered from the original.

What’s on

From the garden's official website (checked 4 October). The 2026–27 dates and poster are not out yet, so the dates shown are expected, following the last three seasons (opening on the first Friday of December, closing mid-March). During the season the garden is open 10:00–21:00, until 23:00 on Saturdays.

Garden of Morning Calm

Garden-wide lightsWalk-inIncluded with entry (₩11,000)
Early Dec – mid-Mar (expected) · Sunset–21:00 (Sat to 23:00)
Millions of bulbs across every garden — the Hagyeong sunken garden, the “sea” lawn, the Korean garden, each lit differently.
Hagyeong Garden from the viewpointWalk-inIncluded with entry
Early Dec – mid-Mar (expected)
The most-praised view; take portraits lower down.
Gallery and indoor exhibitsWalk-inIncluded with entry
Early Dec – mid-Mar (expected)
Worth seeing before 18:00 while you wait for the lights.

Sources: the Garden of Morning Calm website (visitor info, FAQ, directions, the “Ohsaek Byeolbit Garden” event pages) and past visitors' posts.

The essentials

Dates2026-12-04 – 2027-03-14
WhereThe Garden of Morning Calm, 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong, Gyeonggi
CostAdults ₩11,000 · teens ₩8,500 · children (3 to primary) ₩7,500 · seniors and disabled ₩9,000 (tickets at the gate)
OrganisersThe Garden of Morning Calm (+82 1544-6703)
Address432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
경기도 가평군 상면 수목원로 432
ProgrammeThe garden-wide lights, sunset to 21:00 (Saturdays 23:00) — see “What’s on” below.

What 27 visitors said

We searched Naver, the blog platform most Koreans use, for posts from each season (2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26) and the month after — 30 per season — read every one to the end, and kept only people who went to see the lights (21, 18 and 7; daytime-only visits were dropped). We used up to ten a season, 27 in all. Sponsored posts were dropped and no writer is counted twice. Every number counts the posts that mentioned something.

What people liked

Many call it the best light festival they have seen16 of 27 posts

Each garden lit differently; prettier in person than in photos 23-04 23-17 23-19 23-21 23-22 23-28 24-01 24-09 24-12 24-13 24-21 24-27 25-22 25-26 25-27 25-29

The sunken garden and the “sea” lawn steal the show11 of 27 posts

Look down on the Hagyeong Garden from the viewpoint; the blue-lit lawn looks like the sea 23-04 23-19 23-27 24-01 24-02 24-09 24-13 24-25 25-03 25-26 25-27

Photo spots everywhere10 of 27 posts

Hard to take a bad picture; bring a tripod 23-08 23-19 23-21 24-01 24-21 25-03 25-22 25-25 25-26 25-29

Worth the ticket4 of 27 posts

₩11,000 for adults 23-04 24-01 24-21 25-03

What people struggled with

It is bitterly cold up in the hills15 of 27 posts

Cold enough to freeze your feet — and drain your phone 23-04 23-17 23-19 23-22 23-27 23-28 24-01 24-09 24-12 24-13 24-21 25-03 25-22 25-26 25-27

Queues at the popular photo spots10 of 27 posts

Weekends, holidays and evenings when tour coaches arrive 23-21 23-27 23-28 24-02 24-13 24-23 24-25 24-27 25-25 25-26

Before dark the lights look flat4 of 27 posts

Wait until it is fully dark 24-01 24-27 25-03 25-25

Paths get icy after snow5 of 27 posts

Slopes, icy patches and a swaying bridge 23-27 23-28 24-13 25-25 25-26

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

Who goes, and when

Mostly couples, plus families with children, people with their parents and groups of friends. Many fitted it into an overnight trip to Gapyeong or Chuncheon, or a camping weekend. Twelve of the 27 posts noticed foreign tourists — one writer thought the tour-coach groups outnumbered Koreans.

Who they went with

With friends2 of 27 posts
With children6 of 27 posts
With parents or adult family1 of 27 posts
As a couple9 of 27 posts
In a group (incl. volunteer teams)1 of 27 posts

8 of the 27 posts did not say.

Time of day

Evening13 of 27 posts
Night11 of 27 posts
Day into night3 of 27 posts

Visiting from abroad

It is popular with visitors from abroad: 12 of the 27 posts mention foreign visitors, many arriving on tour coaches in the early evening — so come right at dusk or after 7pm to avoid the photo-spot queues. The garden has an English website (morningcalm.co.kr/eng). The official site says tickets are sold at the gate only (last season some visitors booked through Naver); paper maps at the entrance show a route through the gardens.

Weather and crowds

It is a mountain garden at night, so it is very cold — 15 of the 27 posts complain about it, and after snow the paths ice over. Even mild days turn chilly after sunset. Weekend, Christmas and New Year evenings were busiest; weekdays, the moment the lights come on, and the last hour were quiet.

Getting there and access

Most people drive. Parking is free (lots A–G) but fills on weekend evenings, so arrive early. Lot D is nearest the entrance but has steps; with children, attendants will direct you closer. By public transport: take the ITX-Cheongchun or Gyeongchun line to Cheongpyeong station, then bus 30-6 to the last stop at the garden (last bus back 20:00 on the 2026 timetable). A taxi from Cheongpyeong takes about 20 minutes. The Gapyeong City Tour Bus also stops here (not on Wednesdays).

Wheelchairs (₩1,000 deposit) and strollers (₩2,000) can be borrowed at the ticket gate. There are slopes, but several families managed fine with strollers, and a separate bridge beside the stepping stones takes wheelchairs and buggies; the swaying bridge can be bypassed. Toilets, nursing and baby rooms are on site. No pets.

Year by year

Winter 2023

1 December 2023 – 17 March 2024. One regular called it the best year yet; snowy nights left paths icy.

Winter 2024

6 December 2024 – 16 March 2025. New light sculptures and a changed layout; Naver online tickets with QR entry were available.

Winter 2025

5 December 2025 – 15 March 2026. Especially many foreign tour groups; there was a wishing-tree event.

Tips from people who went

  • It is prettiest once fully dark — just after the lights come on or near closing is quietest
  • See the Hagyeong Garden from the viewpoint above
  • Gloves, hat, hand warmers, warm boots — and a fully charged phone
  • Eat beforehand (dakgalbi spots nearby are a favourite)
  • Bring a tripod or selfie stick and use night mode
  • Garden + family zoo combo tickets were discounted last season
  • By bus, check the last departure

The 27 posts we read

  1. 23-04 · 2023-12-05 아침고요수목원 야간개장 불빛축제 오색별빛정원전 솔직후기 할인 ....
  2. 23-08 · 2023-12-09 경기도 가평 아침고요수목원 야간개장 겨울 데이트코스 추천 :: 입....
  3. 23-11 · 2023-12-12 연말 가족들과 함께 시간 보내기 좋은 가평 아침고요수목원 오색별....
  4. 23-15 · 2023-12-17 가평 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전 야간 아기랑 겨울여행
  5. 23-17 · 2023-12-21 아침고요수목원 야간 개장 오색별빛정원 서울 근교 겨울 데이트 요....
  6. 23-19 · 2023-12-23 가평 가볼만한곳 아침고요수목원 오색불빛정원 데이트코스
  7. 23-21 · 2023-12-26 겨울 가평 가볼만한곳 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전
  8. 23-22 · 2023-12-26 이색데이트 코스 가평 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전
  9. 23-27 · 2024-01-05 경기도 가볼만한 곳 겨울 데이트 가평 아침고요수목원 동화 같은 오....
  10. 23-28 · 2024-01-08 [가평 놀거리] 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전 자본주의 빛축제
  11. 24-01 · 2024-12-06 2024 2025 가평 겨울 가볼만한 곳 아침고요수목원 야간개장 오색별빛....
  12. 24-02 · 2024-12-08 겨울 밤 데이트 코스 - 가평 아침고요수목원 '오색별빛정원전'
  13. 24-09 · 2024-12-13 경기도 가평 가볼만한곳 아침고요수목원 오색불빛정원전
  14. 24-12 · 2024-12-18 24년 12월 겨울 야경 아침 고요수목원 오색별빛정원전
  15. 24-13 · 2024-12-19 경기도 가평 아침고요수목원-오색별빛정원전 겨울축제 겨울에 가볼....
  16. 24-19 · 2024-12-26 ［가평］여행1탄 "아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전"
  17. 24-21 · 2024-12-28 가평 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원정 2024 겨울축제 경기도 가볼만....
  18. 24-23 · 2024-12-31 가평 여행, 1일차 - 아침고요수목원
  19. 24-25 · 2025-01-03 가평 아이와 가볼만한곳 아이랑 아침고요수목원 빛축제 오색별빛정....
  20. 24-27 · 2025-01-05 [가평] 가평 2024 오색별빛정원전 후기 가평 아침고요수목원겨울 가....
  21. 25-03 · 2025-12-06 가평 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전 2025 야간개장 일정 시간 입장....
  22. 25-22 · 2025-12-24 [아침고요수목원] 겨울나들이, 겨울데이트 오색별빛정원전
  23. 25-25 · 2025-12-31 겨울밤이 가장 아름다웠던곳,아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전 야경....
  24. 25-26 · 2026-01-01 경기도 가볼만한 곳 '가평 아침고요수목원' 야간개장 오색별빛정원 ....
  25. 25-27 · 2026-01-07 아침고요수목원 야간 관람 (화장실, 수유실) 내부 카페 '굿모닝 커피....
  26. 25-28 · 2026-01-09 가평 아침고요수목원 별빛축제 점등시간 겨울 여행지 가볼만한곳
  27. 25-29 · 2026-01-09 아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전 후기 (25.12.05~26.03.15 ㅣ 겨울 야간데....

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