By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Chuseok, the full moon of the eighth lunar monthWednesday 15 September 2027
- Where
- Namsan and the royal palaces
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- September or October
- Dates
- Move each year with the lunar calendar
Gazetted in the Korea AeroSpace Administration’s 2027 calendar: Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 September, with Chuseok itself on Wednesday 15 September. It falls midweek, so there is no substitute day this time. The National Museum of Korea closes on Chuseok Day under its annual schedule, and free palace entry is announced a few days before the holiday.
Chuseok is the Korean harvest festival, a three-day public holiday built around the full moon of the eighth lunar month. Most Koreans spend it with family outside the capital, so Seoul’s neighbourhoods empty and the city is quieter than at any other point of the autumn. On the middle night, the moon rising over the rooftops, seen from Namsan or the old city wall, is the sight that belongs to the holiday.
What Chuseok actually is
Chuseok gives thanks for the harvest. Families converge on wherever the oldest generation lives, set the new season’s rice, fruit and rice cakes before the ancestors in a memorial rite, and visit family graves, which many tidy in the weeks before in a custom called beolcho. The food everyone makes together is songpyeon, rice-cake dumplings pinched into shape by hand the evening before.
The holiday is timed by the moon. Its middle day is the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month, when the moon is full, and stepping outside after dinner to find it and make a wish is part of the evening in many families.
Where to watch Chuseok
- Namsan, for the moonrise. The mountain in the middle of the city looks out over the rooftops in every direction, and the paths up from the Namsangol side are lit and walkable after dark. The observatory in the tower is the paid alternative.
- Naksan Park and the city wall. The old wall above Ihwa-dong runs along a ridge on the east side of the historic centre, a short climb from Hyehwa station on Line 4, and the moon comes up over the city beyond it.
- The palaces, by day. They have been free over recent holidays, the gatekeeper ceremonies at Gyeongbokgung carry on, and the courtyards are calmer than on an ordinary autumn weekend.
- The Han riverside parks. With the city emptied out, the parks at Yeouido and Banpo are quieter than on a normal warm evening, and a bench facing east is as good a view of the moon as any.
Tickets and what it costs
There is nothing to book for the holiday itself. What needs booking is any journey out of Seoul: Korail sells holiday train tickets in a separate advance sale some weeks beforehand, and the popular departures go quickly.
Official information and booking: www.kasa.go.kr/prog/plcyBrf/brief/kor/sub01_01_04/view.do?plcyBrfNo=431
Getting there
Inside the city the subway keeps running, and once the first day’s rush out is over the roads are emptier than usual. For Namsan, walk up from Myeong-dong station on Line 4 or ride the Namsan cable car; for Naksan Park, use Hyehwa on Line 4.
Out of the city, avoid the first day if you possibly can. The expressways out of Seoul are at their worst at the start of the holiday and those back into it at the end, and a coach trip that normally takes a few hours can take much of the day.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Expecting a street party
Chuseok is spent at home with family. There is no parade in the centre, and nightlife in the residential districts is quieter than usual.
Planning the National Museum for Chuseok Day
The National Museum of Korea closes on Chuseok Day under its annual schedule, leaving only its outdoor exhibition open. Check any museum’s holiday hours before you go.
Travelling onward on the first morning
That is when the roads out of Seoul are at their worst and the trains are fullest. A trip to Busan or Gyeongju fits better before the holiday or after it.
Leaving the songpyeon until the day
Rice-cake shops do most of their trade in the days before the holiday, and many of the small ones close for it. Buy a box a day or two ahead.
Looking for the moon at the wrong time
The full moon is a moment rather than a show. Look up the moonrise time for the night and be somewhere facing east as it clears the buildings.
Other Seoul events
Frequently asked questions
When is Chuseok?
On the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, with a day of holiday on either side of it, so anywhere from early September to early October. This edition’s three days head the page.
Is Seoul a good place to be over Chuseok?
Yes, if you are staying put. The city is calmer than usual, the palaces have been free over recent holidays, and the moon is out on the middle night. It is a bad time to travel onward within Korea.
What is open over Chuseok?
Most of what a visitor needs: palaces, parks, hotels, the big shopping districts and the chains. Family-run restaurants and some museums close for part of it, especially on the middle day, when the National Museum of Korea shuts.
What is songpyeon?
The rice cake of the holiday, shaped into a small crescent and stuffed with sweet sesame, red beans or chestnut. Rice-cake shops and markets sell it in the days before, so you can try it without an invitation to a family table.
Where can I see the Chuseok moon in Seoul?
Anywhere with a clear view east: Namsan, the city wall at Naksan Park, or the banks of the Han. Check the moonrise time for the night and get there before it.
Sources
- Korea AeroSpace Administration, calendar of public holidays
- Korea.kr policy briefing, free palace entry over Chuseok
- National Museum of Korea, hours and closures
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.