Seoul Silver Grass Festival At Haneul Park

The 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival runs from Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October 2026 at Haneul Park in World Cup Park, 10am to 9pm, and entry is free. Take Line 6 to World Cup Stadium Station, then climb the 291 Haneul Stairs or ride the Maengkkong electric car (2,000 won one way). Get to the top about an hour before sunset, then stay for the lights.

Sunbae Says: Walk up, decide on the way down. The electric car’s last run in October is 7pm, so if you stay for the night lights, you are walking down. Charge your phone for the torch.

Picture it. You reach the top around 5pm, the grass catches the low sun and turns silver, then gold, the city skyline sits on the horizon, and you have a hot can of coffee from a convenience store warming your hands. Total cost: a subway fare.

What The Festival Is

Haneul Park (하늘공원, “Sky Park”) is a hilltop meadow about 98 m above sea level, covered in silver grass (억새, eulalia). Each October the city turns it into a week long festival. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s official notice (in Korean) confirms the 2026 dates, 17 to 23 October, 10:00 to 21:00, and the theme “억새, 자연이 건네는 위로”: roughly “silver grass, the comfort nature offers”.

That is Saturday to Friday, so you get exactly one weekend. The city’s festival programme page lists an opening ceremony with a lighting show and performances, hands on crafts such as making a silver grass bouquet, photo and wish zones, busking on a central stage, and an upcycling market (“리본 마켓”) selling plants in recycled pots and grass products. Evening lighting is billed as the signature: the city calls it one of Seoul’s flagship night festivals.

The 2026 night schedule was still not published when I checked on 4 October. For reference, last year’s festival (in Korean) ran media facades, landscape lighting and gobo projections from 7pm to 8:30pm every night, and the opening ceremony was at 6pm on day one. The festival also sits in my What’s On calendar with everything else that week.

The Story Under Your Feet

This is my favourite Seoul fact to tell visitors. The hill you are standing on is rubbish. The Visit Seoul page for Haneul Park says Nanjido took the city’s waste for 15 years, from 1978 to 1993, until it became a 98 m mountain of trash. It was capped, planted and reopened as World Cup Park in 2002. Seoul reinvents itself faster than any city I know.

Getting There

From central Seoul, this is a simple subway trip. From Hongik University Station, take Line 2 (green) one stop to Hapjeong, change to Line 6 (brown) and ride three stops (Mangwon, Mapo-gu Office, World Cup Stadium). Allow about 15 minutes on the train and 1,550 won on a transport card, the base fare since a June 2025 fare rise (in Korean). If you have not sorted a card yet, my guide to which transit card tourists need covers it.

1. Exit World Cup Stadium Station (Line 6) at Exit 1. Visit Seoul puts the park about 1.6 km from this exit.
2. Walk past the stadium toward World Cup-ro, cross into Peace Park (평화의공원) and follow the signs for 하늘공원 to the foot of the hill. Mapo-gu Office Station on Line 6 also works; check Naver Map for the best exit from there.
3. Choose your way up (table below). The city’s own estimate is about 40 minutes on foot from either station to the top.

Set your map app to “하늘공원” and walking mode. My Korea travel apps guide explains why Naver Map or KakaoMap beats Google Maps here.

Three Ways Up The Hill

Option	Best For	Cost	Time	My Take
Haneul Stairs (하늘계단, 291 steps)	Anyone with working legs	Free	10 to 20 minutes	My pick. Faster than the car queue at sunset.
Maengkkong electric car (맹꽁이 전기차) from Nanjicheon Park car park	Kids, grandparents, sore knees	2,000 won one way, 3,000 won return; ages 4 to 12: 1,500 / 2,200 won	About 10 minutes plus the queue	Worth it going up with family; useless after 7pm.
Zigzag path (희망의 숲길)	Buggies, wheelchairs, slow strollers	Free	20 to 30 minutes	The only sane option with a pram.

Seoul Parks lists the electric car at every 10 to 20 minutes, running until 7pm in October and November, on a 3.8 km return loop between Nanjicheon Park and the top. Small dogs under 40 cm at the shoulder can ride if you hold them; big dogs cannot. Korean travel sites say senior and disability discounts are sold only at the on site booth, so carry ID.

Heads Up: The electric car stops at 7pm but the lights only start around 7pm. Plenty of people ride up at 6pm, stay for the show, then discover there is no ride down. Plan to walk down in the dark on the zigzag path or the stairs, and wear shoes with grip.

Driving And Parking

Don’t. The city’s notice says traffic around the park gets very congested during the festival and asks everyone to use public transport. If you must drive, the official lots are Peace Park (1,162 spaces), Nanjicheon Park (438), Noeul Park (162) and a few smaller ones. Normal rates are 150 won per 5 minutes, but on festival and football days Seoul Parks switches to a flat event rate of 5,000 won per car for up to 4 hours. Charges apply 9am to 10pm.

Heads Up: If FC Seoul has a home game at World Cup Stadium on festival weekend, the stadium crowd and the festival crowd share the same lots, the same station and the same exit. Check the fixture list before you pick your day.

When To Go

On normal days Haneul Park opens 6am to 7pm in October and 6:30am to 7pm in November (the park closes at night to protect wildlife). During festival week the event runs 10am to 9pm, so the hilltop stays lit later than usual.

Sunset in Seoul that week falls at roughly 5:45 to 5:55pm and gets a few minutes earlier each day. Check your weather app that morning and be at the top by 4:45pm.

Which Day And Time

Option	Best For	Crowd Level	My Take
Weekday, 4:30pm to 8:30pm	Golden hour plus the full light show	Busy but fine	My pick, every time.
Weekday morning, 8am to 10am	Quiet walk, photographers, a reset	Light	Best grass light without people; no festival stalls yet.
Sat 17 or Sun 18 Oct, afternoon	Opening buzz, busking, stalls	Very heavy	Only if the weekend is all you have.
After the festival, late Oct to Nov	Fewer people, grass still standing	Light	The grass peaks around now anyway. Lights gone, peace returns.

Worth It: a Tuesday or Wednesday at golden hour, with a hot drink in your pocket and the lights to follow.

Skip It: Saturday 3pm. You will spend it photographing the backs of strangers’ heads, then queuing for the car.

[SUNBAE FIELD TEST: how long the electric car queue is at 5pm on a festival weekday versus the weekend, and how long the stairs take at a normal pace]

What Locals Know

Koreans know the difference between 억새 and 갈대. Silver grass (억새) grows on dry hillsides; reeds (갈대) grow by water. Korean blogs and news headlines about Haneul Park always say 억새, and locals will gently correct you if you call it reeds. More on that in Word Of The Stop.

The Korean internet treats this as a sunset event. Local blogs repeat the same advice: the grass shows its real colour at 노을 (sunset glow), weekday evenings beat weekends, and during the festival the electric car queue gets long enough that you should be ready to take the 291 stairs instead.

Weekends start at the car park. Korean visitor reviews describe the crowd building in the parking lots before you even see the grass. On the subway, you skip the worst of it.

The busking is on a schedule. Last year the city’s Seoul Mediahub report (in Korean) listed central stage busking from 3pm to 4:30pm on Saturday and 2pm to 5:30pm on other days. If you want music with your grass, aim for mid afternoon, then stay through sunset.

Pick Your Version

If It’s Your First Time

Make it your easy evening after a heavy palace day: stairs up at 4:45pm, sunset, the first lights, then two stops on Line 6 to Mangwon for dinner. If you are in town that week, my late October Seoul guide shows how this fits with your other days.

If You’re Bringing Kids

Ride the electric car up, enjoy the crafts and photo zones in the afternoon, and be back on the car before its last run at 7pm. The stairs are steep for little legs and the zigzag path is slow in the dark. The flat lawns of Peace Park below are where they can run. My Seoul with kids guide has more outings that cost almost nothing.

If You’re Travelling Solo

One of the best solo evenings in Seoul: free, safe, full of people doing exactly what you are doing, with a direct subway home. Go on a weekday, take the stairs, and give yourself an hour at the top. My solo in Seoul guide has more ideas for that week.

If You’re Here For A Reset

Go early. The park opens at 6am in October, the hill is nearly empty, and walking slowly through tall grass while the mist burns off is about as calming as Seoul gets. The city’s Seoul Wellness Travel Week starts on 29 October in Gangnam, a week after the festival, if you want more of that.

Sunbae’s Picks

My pick for the festival: Tuesday 20 or Wednesday 21 October, stairs up at 4:45pm, stay until the lights, walk down.

If I only had one evening in Seoul that week, I’d do this over a rooftop bar. The view is better and it is free.

I’d skip the electric car at sunset unless you have kids or grandparents. You will be at the top before your turn comes.

I’d save ginkgo for later in the season. Come back in November and my ginkgo walks guide takes over where the grass leaves off.

[SUNBAE STORY: a memory of the hill at golden hour across your 24 autumns here, such as the first time you saw the grass light up, or how the old landfill looked before it became a park]

Offers Worth Knowing

The festival and the park are free. The stairs and the zigzag path cost nothing; only the electric car charges, and children aged 4 to 12 pay 1,500 won one way instead of 2,000 won.

What’s Changing In 2026

The grass may stay up all winter again. For 23 years the grass was cut in November after the festival. Last winter, for the first time, the city left about 94,000 square metres uncut (in Korean) as shelter and food for wintering birds, including kestrels and sparrowhawks, cutting it between March and May instead. The Korea Herald reported it gave the hill a completely different winter look. As of 4 October the city has not said whether it will repeat this for winter 2026 to 2027, though its notice talks about managing the grass this way going forward. If it does, December gets a second, quieter season on this hill.

A 25 year fixture. This is the 25th edition, which tells you it is part of the Seoul calendar, not a one off. My read: weekday evenings stay manageable, while Saturday 17 October, opening day, will be the busiest single day of the week.

Make An Afternoon Of It

Pair the hill with the rest of World Cup Park. Peace Park and the lower parks along the Nanjicheon stream are flat and good for kids who need to run. Then take Line 6 (brown) two stops to Mangwon (for Mangwon Market) or three to Hapjeong for dinner. If Halloween weekend is also on your list, my Halloween in Seoul guide covers that weekend.

[AFFILIATE: Agoda hotels near Hongdae and Mangwon]

Wear layers and proper shoes. The hilltop is exposed and the wind picks up after dark; my what to wear guide has the list. For more autumn colour, see my Seoul fall foliage 2026 guide.

Heads Up: The park normally closes at 7pm in October and shuts at night to protect wildlife, so when the festival wraps at 9pm, head down with the crowd rather than lingering on a dark hilltop.

Word Of The Stop

억새 (eoksae): silver grass, also called eulalia. Not to be confused with 갈대 (galdae), reeds, which grow by water. Use the right word and a Korean friend will be impressed.

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Map And Directions

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is The Seoul Silver Grass Festival 2026?

Saturday 17 to Friday 23 October 2026, 10am to 9pm daily, at Haneul Park in World Cup Park. Entry is free.

How Do I Get To Haneul Park?

Line 6 to World Cup Stadium Station, Exit 1, then about 1.6 km on foot to the foot of the hill through Peace Park. Climb the 291 Haneul Stairs, take the zigzag path, or ride the Maengkkong electric car from the Nanjicheon Park car park.

How Much Is The Haneul Park Electric Car?

2,000 won one way or 3,000 won return for adults, and 1,500 or 2,200 won for children aged 4 to 12. It runs until 7pm in October and November, every 10 to 20 minutes.

Is There A Light Show At Night?

Yes, evening lighting is the festival’s signature. The 2026 times were not published on 4 October; last year the media art ran from 7pm to 8:30pm nightly.

Can I See Silver Grass After The Festival?

Yes, through late October and November. Last winter the city kept it standing into spring for migratory birds; check whether that repeats this year.

Next Stop

• Seoul Fall Foliage 2026: where the red and gold is, week by week.
• Ginkgo Walks In Seoul: the next free walk once the grass has peaked.
• Seoul In Late October: build the rest of your week around the festival.

Resources

• Seoul Silver Grass Festival page: official programme and updates.
• Visit Seoul: Haneul Park: access, hours and the park’s story in English.
• Western Parks Office festival line: 02-300-5574 (Korean); World Cup Park general line: 02-300-5500.
• 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: dial 1330 (or +82-2-1330 from abroad) for English help, 24 hours.
• Naver Map or KakaoMap: search “하늘공원” for walking directions and live subway times.
• VisitKorea: World Cup Park: English overview with monthly opening hours.

How I Checked This

On 4 October 2026 I re-checked the festival dates, hours, theme and transport advice against the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s notice and the city festival page, and the park hours, electric car fares and hours, and parking rates against Seoul Parks and VisitKorea, then read Korean news and visitor blogs for crowd patterns. Still unconfirmed: the 2026 lighting show and opening ceremony times, whether the grass stays up this winter, and the 291 step count, which comes from Korean travel sites rather than an official page. Sunset times are calculated estimates; check your weather app.

Sources

• Seoul Metropolitan Government: 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival notice (Korean)
• Fun Seoul: Seoul Silver Grass Festival programme page
• Seoul Parks: 24th Seoul Silver Grass Festival 2025 programme and media art times (Korean)
• Visit Seoul: Haneul Park, Exit 1 and distance
• VisitKorea: World Cup Park
• Seoul Mediahub: 2025 festival busking and media art times (Korean)
• Seoul Metropolitan Government: silver grass kept through winter for migratory birds (Korean)
• The Korea Herald: Haneul Park keeps its silver grass for winter
• Financial News: subway base fare rises to 1,550 won (Korean)
• The Korea Times: Seoul Wellness 100 and Seoul Wellness Travel Week
• Tell Trip: Haneul Stairs, electric car and zigzag path times (Korean)

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Written by your sunbae. 24 years living in Seoul, former Korean TV and radio presenter, university professor, and two decades behind the decks in the city’s clubs. Every fact here is checked against official sources and, wherever possible, on the ground.

Beep Check: verified 4 Oct 2026. Rules, prices and dates change; confirm with the official source before you travel.