The 2026 Sejong Hangeul Festival, where visitors can experience the charm of Hangeul and the spirit of King Sejong through a wide range of cultural and artistic programs, will be held from October 9 to 11 around Sejong Lake Park and Sejong Central Park. Hosted by Sejong Special Self-Governing City and organized by the Sejong City Cultural Tourism Foundation, this year’s festival will be held under the slogan “Hangeul Across the World.” Visitors will be welcomed under the catchphrase “Hangeul Day? Hangeul Festival!”

The Sejong Hangeul Festival is Sejong City’s signature festival, offering performances and hands-on experiences that bring together tradition and the present day, allowing visitors to enjoy Hangeul in an accessible and engaging way. This year is especially meaningful as it marks both the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Hangeul Day and the 580th anniversary of the promulgation of Hunminjeongeum. It is also the first edition of the festival to be held after being selected as a 2026-2027 Culture and Tourism Festival.

The festival’s main stage will be set up at the Urban Festival Plaza in Sejong Central Park. Centered on a wide lawn, the venue will host a variety of performances and experiential programs, while a circular train will also operate so visitors can conveniently explore the festival grounds. The opening and closing ceremonies will feature representative performances by the National Symphony Concert Orchestra and the National Jeongdong Theater.

A wide range of programs will invite visitors to take part directly. At the 4th Hangeul Song Contest, held on October 9, participants will perform foreign songs they like with lyrics rewritten in Korean. Applications will be accepted online until September 18, and anyone who loves Hangeul may apply, regardless of nationality, gender, or age. On October 11, the 3rd Ring the Golden Bell! will be held in a quiz-show format, with questions about the Korean language and Hangeul, including spelling and proverbs.

At the Central Plaza of Sejong Lake Park, visitors can take part in 15 hands-on programs developed in cooperation with Hongik University in the city, as well as seven programs planned by citizens themselves. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a variety of permanent experience programs will be offered, including the “Eonhaebon Healing Workshop,” where visitors can make handmade books with hanji printed with Hunminjeongeum, and the “Hangeul Pharmacy,” where words and phrases suited to one’s feelings are “prescribed.”

In the Blue Field area of Sejong Lake Park, “Hangeul Playground” will provide an experience and rest area for the whole family. Through programs such as “Let’s Play, Hangeul,” where visitors build consonants and vowels with blocks; “Hangeul Climbing Zone,” where visitors can climb directly onto Hangeul sculptures; and “Share Your Heart,” where they express and display their feelings in Hangeul, visitors can naturally encounter Hangeul through play.

“Small festivals within the festival,” planned directly by citizens and local artists, will also be held. Performances planned by professional artists and citizens will unfold throughout the festival grounds. Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of stages that express Hangeul in diverse ways, including the musical “The Most Precious Thing in the World,” which combines the founding spirit of Hunminjeongeum with media art, as well as contemporary dance, wind orchestra performances, street theater, and children’s cheerleading.

Permanent hands-on programs will also offer fresh ways to experience Hangeul, from making crafts using Hangeul to writing Hangeul letters in the style of the Joseon era and receiving a “prescription” for words and phrases that match one’s feelings at the “Hangeul Pharmacy.” The festival will also feature the 2026 Chungcheong Confucian Jangwon-geupje “Oh My Gat Party,” which recreates a Joseon-era state examination, and the youth dance contest “2026 Sejong Ultra Teens Dance,” adding to the meaning of a participatory festival created together by citizens and artists.

Details on schedules and participation methods for each program will be announced sequentially on the festival’s official website (sjfestival.kr) and Instagram (@sjcf_festival).