Seoul Silver Grass Festival 2026 at Haneul Park: How to Go
Checked Sept 25, 2026
The 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival (서울억새축제) runs Oct 17 to 23, 2026 on top of Haneul Park (하늘공원) in western Seoul. It's free, there are no tickets, and it's open 10:00 to 21:00, two hours later than the park normally closes in October. Go up around 4:30 pm, watch the sun set over the grass, and stay for the lights.
It's been a while since I last went, but back then Haneul Park was one of the best date spots in Seoul. This guide is the practical part: the times, the 425 stairs, and the one detail about getting back down that most guides skip.
Jump to: When to go · Getting up the hill · Getting down at night · Bring lunch · The night festival · The cold · Photos · FAQ
What time should you go?
Silver grass needs light from behind. At noon, with the sun overhead, it looks like dry weeds. When the sun is low and behind it, every plume lights up silver. That happens in the last hour before sunset.
Sunset in Seoul that week is between 5:44 and 5:52 pm. So:
- 4:30 pm: start walking up from the station. The walk takes about 40 minutes.
- 5:15 to 5:50 pm: walk the grass with the sun behind it.
- About 6:15 pm: the sky is still blue, and the lights start to show. This 20-minute window is the prettiest of the day.
- From 7:00 pm: the lighting and media art. In 2025 it ran 7:00 to 8:30 pm every night of the festival. The 2026 schedule isn't out yet.
Weekday or weekend? The festival has one weekend, Oct 17 and 18. In 2025 the opening ceremony was on the first Saturday, 6 pm to 7 pm, with media art and a concert; the 2026 time isn't out yet. If you want the ceremony, the first Saturday is the likely day. If you want space, go Monday to Thursday.
How do you get up to Haneul Park?
Haneul Park is a 98-metre hill. The festival is on the flat top, so everyone has to get up there somehow. You have two choices.
Walk (free)
- Take Line 6 to World Cup Stadium Station (월드컵경기장역) and use Exit 1.
- Walk past the stadium, over the footbridge and through Peace Park (평화의공원) to the foot of the hill. That's 10 to 15 minutes.
- Climb the Haneul stairs (하늘계단): 425 steps in a zigzag up the side of the hill.
- The city's own notice says to allow about 40 minutes from the station to the festival.
The stairs are steep but short. Anyone who walks around Seoul all day can do them. Take them slowly and you'll be fine.
I remember the walk better than the numbers. We'd get off at World Cup Stadium Station and buy gimbap and lunch boxes from the little shops built into the stadium. Then over the footbridge, across the park, and up the stairs one step at a time. We were out of breath the whole way up, and those stairs are where we talked the most. If you're going with someone, don't rush that part.
Take the Maengkkongi electric car
- The Maengkkongi electric car (맹꽁이 전기차) runs up a road on the other side of the hill.
- It leaves from the ticket booth at the Nanjicheon Park parking lot (난지천공원 주차장), not from the subway station.
- 2,000 won one way, 3,000 won return. The route is 3.8 km and takes about 10 minutes.
- From October to November its regular hours are 9:00 to 19:00.
- Around sunset the queue gets long. Everyone has the same idea as you.
Getting back down after the lights
This is the part most guides leave out. The festival stays open until 9 pm, but the electric car's regular schedule for October ends at 7 pm, which is exactly when the lighting starts. I couldn't find any notice that it runs later during the festival.
So plan to walk down if you stay for the lights. Either take the stairs back down or follow the road the electric car uses. Everyone leaves at the same time, the stairs are narrow, and it's dark between the lamps.
- Keep your phone light ready.
- Don't carry a heavy bag; you'll want one hand for the rail.
- If your knees hate stairs, go down a little before the last light show, not after it.
Bring your own lunch
The top of the hill is a park, not a food street. There are festival booths and a market, but I wouldn't count on a proper meal up there. Bring food from below and carry your rubbish back down.
At the top it was so wide that one lap took a long time. (The loop around the top is about 1.5 km.) We'd tuck ourselves into the middle of the grass for photos, then find a sunny spot and eat our lunch. That is still the best way to do it. Arrive after lunch, eat on the hill in the afternoon sun, and you're in the right place when the light turns gold.
What's on at the night festival
At night the festival turns into a completely different world. When the lights come on, the silver grass glows in colour. It was so pretty it's hard to describe, and there are good photo spots set up along the paths.
The city has announced these programmes for 2026:
- An opening ceremony with performances and a lighting show
- Silver grass bouquet making
- Photo zones and a place to write and hang a wish
- Busking in different styles
- A Re-born Market of upcycled goods and farm produce
For a sense of timing, in 2025 the busking ran 2:00 to 5:30 pm and the hands-on activities 1:30 to 5:30 pm. Some activities in past years needed a booking on Seoul's public reservation site, yeyak.seoul.go.kr, which is in Korean. You don't need anything to walk in and see the grass.
It gets cold up there
Seoul in mid-October is pleasant in the day and cool at night, usually around 10 to 12°C (50 to 54°F) after dark. Haneul Park is colder than that feels. It's high, open on every side, and right next to the Han River, so the wind comes straight across the top. There's nothing up there to hide behind.
People go up in a T-shirt at 3 pm and are shivering by 7. Bring a windproof jacket. A scarf and thin gloves help if you plan to stay for the whole light show.
Photo tips
- Face the sun. Shoot into the light, with the grass between you and the sun.
- Don't put people in the middle of the field. The grass is about head height and swallows them. Stand them on the path with the grass behind.
- A windy day is a good day. The grass leans all one way and looks like water.
- The 20 minutes after sunset give you a blue sky and the lights at the same time.
- If you use a tripod, set up before the crowd arrives, and keep it off the narrow paths.
Names to know
| English | Korean | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul Silver Grass Festival | 서울억새축제 | Searching for 2026 news |
| Haneul Park | 하늘공원 | Naver Map, Kakao Map |
| World Cup Stadium Station | 월드컵경기장역 | Line 6, Exit 1 |
| Peace Park | 평화의공원 | On the walk to the stairs |
| Haneul stairs | 하늘계단 | The 425-step way up |
| Maengkkongi electric car | 맹꽁이 전기차 | The ride up |
| Nanjicheon Park parking lot | 난지천공원 주차장 | Where the electric car leaves |
FAQ
When is the Seoul Silver Grass Festival in 2026?
Saturday Oct 17 to Friday Oct 23, 2026, from 10:00 to 21:00, at Haneul Park in World Cup Park.
Is it free?
Yes. There's no entry fee and no ticket. Only the electric car costs money: 2,000 won one way.
How many stairs are there at Haneul Park?
425, in a zigzag. Allow about 40 minutes from World Cup Stadium Station to the top.
Can I see the silver grass outside the festival week?
Yes. The grass is usually at its best through most of October. But outside the festival the park closes at 7 pm in October, so you miss the night lighting.
Should I drive?
No. The city asks visitors to use public transport because the roads around the park jam during the festival.
Things I could not confirm yet:
- The 2026 lighting schedule. The times above are from 2025.
- Whether the electric car runs later than 7 pm during the festival.
- Whether the electric car ticket booth takes foreign cards or only cash and Korean cards. Bring some cash to be safe.
- Which 2026 activities need a booking, and when booking opens.
If you only go once, go at dusk. Nothing above the two of you but sky and silver grass. Go at least once.
Sources
- Seoul Metropolitan Government, 25th Seoul Silver Grass Festival notice (Sept 23, 2026), and the FUN SEOUL festival page
- Seoul Parks (parks.seoul.go.kr), World Cup Park page: Haneul Park opening hours, Maengkkongi electric car routes, fares and hours
- Seoul Parks, 24th Seoul Silver Grass Festival notice (2025): opening ceremony, lighting and programme times
- Sunset times calculated for Haneul Park (37.568°N, 126.886°E)
— Aslan
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