By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Lantern parade, Saturday eveningSaturday 8 May 2027
- Street festival beside JogyesaSunday 9 May 2027
- Buddha’s Birthday, a public holidayThursday 13 May 2027
- Where
- Jongno, from Heunginjimun to Jogyesa
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- May
- Dates
- Move each year with the lunar calendar
From the organiser’s 2027 schedule. Saturday 8 May: the Eoullim Madang rally at Dongguk University from 4:30pm, the parade from Heunginjimun along Jongno to Jogyesa from 7pm to 9:30pm, and the post-parade celebration at the Jonggak crossroads until 11pm. Sunday 9 May: the street festival in front of Jogyesa from 11am to 7pm and the closing Yeondeungnori from 7pm. Buddha’s Birthday is Thursday 13 May, with the main ceremony at 10am. The lantern lighting and the traditional lantern exhibition are listed only as April, dates to follow.
Yeondeunghoe, the Lotus Lantern Festival, is Seoul’s celebration of Buddha’s Birthday, and its centrepiece is a Saturday-night parade of lanterns carried from the old East Gate, Heunginjimun, west along Jongno to Jogyesa, the head temple of the Jogye Order. It is free and lasts about two and a half hours, with lanterns from hand-held lotuses to large lit floats. The next day the street in front of Jogyesa becomes a festival you can wander in daylight. And unlike most parades, this one has in recent years invited international visitors to walk in it.
What Lotus Lantern Festival actually is
Lighting lanterns for the Buddha is far older than the city around it: the organiser traces the custom in Korea back to the Silla kingdom, and UNESCO added Yeondeunghoe to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2020.
It is a religious festival the whole city is invited to. Temples and Buddhist groups spend weeks making the lanterns they carry, and much of the crowd on the pavement has come for the light rather than the liturgy. Buddha’s Birthday itself follows a few days later as a public holiday, with the main ceremony at Jogyesa that morning and no procession at all.
The weekend runs to a programme. On the Saturday afternoon the Eoullim Madang gathers the people who will walk at the sports ground of Dongguk University for a rally and a set lantern dance, whose moves the organiser posts online so that anyone taking part can learn them. The parade follows in the early evening, the celebration at Jonggak after it, and the Sunday brings the street festival by day and a closing Yeondeungnori at night.
Where to watch Lotus Lantern Festival
- Jongno, between Jongno 5-ga and Jonggak. This is the long central stretch of the route, and each viewing point the organiser lists sits at a subway exit: Jongno 5-ga, Jongno 3-ga and Jonggak. Pick one and stay, because crossing Jongno while the parade passes is slow.
- Heunginjimun, for the start. The parade sets off in front of the old East Gate at Dongdaemun, and exits 9 and 10 of Dongdaemun station open onto it.
- The Jonggak crossroads, after the parade. The Daedong Hanmadang fills the junction with music and dancing until late, the only stretch of the night where watching turns into taking part without having signed up for anything.
- The street in front of Jogyesa, the next day. Ujeongguk-ro closes to traffic for a day of stalls, crafts and performances, the easiest part of the festival to do with children.
- Jogyesa itself, in the weeks before. The temple courtyard is roofed with rows of lanterns through the season, and walking in costs nothing.
Tickets and what it costs
Nothing here is ticketed. The parade, the street festival, the celebration at Jonggak and the lantern exhibitions are all free.
Walking in the parade is the unusual part. In each of the last three years the organiser has posted an invitation for international guests to join the parade, with a separate lantern-making session, on the notice board of its English site in April or May. Places are limited and sign-ups close before the weekend, so check the site from April rather than assuming the same arrangement will return.
Official information and booking: www.llf.or.kr/eng
Getting there
Take the subway. The organiser warns that the roads along the route close and buses cannot be used on the day, and it names the stations for each viewing point: Dongdaemun on Lines 1 and 4 for the start, Jongno 5-ga and Jonggak on Line 1, and Jongno 3-ga on Lines 1, 3 and 5.
For the Sunday street festival, use Jonggak on Line 1 or Anguk on Line 3; the temple sits between the two.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Arriving as it starts
The pavements along Jongno fill before the first lantern moves. Come early for a place at the kerb, and eat beforehand, because the restaurants on the route are full.
Ending up on the wrong side
The route is a long straight road with the parade down the middle. Decide which side you want to leave from before it starts.
Skipping the Sunday
The street festival beside Jogyesa is the calmer half of the weekend, and it is where international guests have been able to make a lantern of their own.
Taking the bus
The organiser is explicit that roads along the route close and buses cannot be used on the Saturday. Every viewing point it lists has a subway exit beside it.
Going on Buddha’s Birthday for the parade
The parade is on the weekend before the holiday. On the day itself the main event is a morning ceremony at the temple.
Other Seoul events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Lotus Lantern Festival?
On the weekend before Buddha’s Birthday, which follows the lunar calendar and lands between late April and late May, so the parade weekend moves by up to a month from year to year.
Is the Lotus Lantern Festival free?
Yes. Watching the parade, visiting the street festival and seeing the lantern displays all cost nothing.
Can tourists join the lantern parade?
In recent years, yes. The organiser has invited international guests to walk in it and to make a lantern, announced on its English notice board in April or May with a limited number of places. Check there each year rather than assuming it will be repeated.
Do I need to be Buddhist to go?
No. The parade is led by temples and Buddhist groups, but the audience is the whole city and the Sunday street festival is laid out with visitors in mind.
How long does the parade last?
About two and a half hours from the first lantern to the last, from seven to half past nine on the organiser’s schedule, with the celebration at the Jonggak crossroads carrying on until eleven.
Where can I see lanterns if I miss the weekend?
At Jogyesa, whose courtyard is hung with lanterns through the weeks around Buddha’s Birthday, and at the traditional lantern exhibitions the organiser runs from April. Both are free.
Sources
- Yeondeunghoe (Lotus Lantern Festival), official schedule
- Yeondeunghoe, lantern parade route and stations
- Yeondeunghoe, English notices for international guests
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.