On Saturday 10/24, a bunch of one-day events land on the same day all over Seoul.
Rice threshing, a forest festival for little kids, a science museum open at night. All on that one day, it turns out.
Some run through Sunday too, so I picked just 7 spots across the east, west, south and north of the city.
1. Seoul Science Center Starlight Festival
10/24 (Sat) 9:30–21:00 · 10/25 (Sun) 9:30–17:30 · Free
It’s an autumn science festival run jointly by Seoul Science Center and the Nowon astronomy and space science center.
On Saturday the museum stays open late, with a stargazing session until 21:00. The stargazing is Saturday only.
Hands-on booths are booked on site. The astronomy talks, workshops and the planet exploration event take separate reservations.
Location: 160 Hangeulbiseok-ro (Hagye-dong), Nowon-gu, Seoul
Starlight Festival official page
2. Yongsan Family Park Autumn Harvest Festival
10/24 (Sat) 13:00–17:00 · Free
The one thing you can still do without signing up is the “A good harvest is here! rice threshing” activity. Just show up between 13:00 and 16:00.
Little ones need to be 4 or older. Each round takes 100 people.
The 6 pre-registration crafts (straw crafts, loofah, acorn wool brooches and so on) were already fully booked on 10/18. Rice-cake pounding and traditional games run separately as side programs.
Location: Yongsan Family Park (Plaza 1), 168-6 Yongsan-dong 6-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Autumn Harvest Festival official page
3. Hangang Forest Adventure
10/24 (Sat)–10/25 (Sun) 13:00–17:00 · Free
A rope play zone with tree climbing, monkey climbing and a zipline pops up next to the kids’ playground at Gangseo Hangang Park.
There are two age cutoffs. Tree climbing is for age 9 and up, the other rope activities for age 6 and up.
The adventure zone is walk-in, but they say entry may be limited depending on the line. The autumn forest workshop, which took advance bookings, is full.
Location: 279-23 Yangcheon-ro 27-gil (Banghwa-dong), Gangseo-gu, Seoul
Hangang Forest Adventure official page
4. The 26th Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival
10/23 (Fri)–10/25 (Sun) · Hands-on zone 10:00-19:00 · Hanseong Baekje Market 11:00–21:00
Songpa-gu’s Baekje history and culture festival, held around the 88 Lawn in Olympic Park. Shows, a hands-on zone and a market all run together.
Saturday’s stage program is 16:50–20:10. I’d do the hands-on zone in the daytime and the shows after dark.
Inside the same park, the Seoul Baekje Children’s Museum also opens its permanent exhibition free on weekends. It’s reservation-based, but 10 people per session get in through on-site sign-up 10 minutes before.
Location: 424 Olympic-ro (Olympic Park), Songpa-gu, Seoul
Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival official page
5. Gwanak-gu Family Forest Festival for Little Kids
10/24 (Sat) 10 to 14:30 · 1 thousand won per team
Families play in the kids’ forest at Nakseongdae Park. There’s a kids’ swap-and-resell market at the same time, too.
Sign-up closes 10/22 at 23:01. Bodeul-nara and Namu-nara are still open, while the free Mulsok-nara session is fully booked.
A team is 1 child + 1 guardian. Each session takes only 12–18 teams.
And bring a picnic mat. It’s required.
Location: 77 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (in front of Gang Gam-chan Cafe, Nakseongdae Park)
Gwanak-gu Family Forest Festival booking page
6. Seoul International Garden Expo: the last weekend
Closes 10/27 (Tue) · Secret postcard Sat & Sun 12:00–19:00 · Free
The garden expo that’s been on at Seoul Forest since May wraps up on 10/27 (Tue). That makes this the last weekend.
You pick up a secret postcard and a map at the main information center, then walk the gardens hunting for stamps.
On 10/24 (Sat) 18:30–20:30 there’s a free screening of the movie <Secret> on the lawn at the family plaza. Seating is first-come, so bring your own mat.
Location: Seoul Forest, 273 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Garden secret postcard official page
7. Jongno Family Love Get-Together
10/24 (Sat) 11:00–16:00 · Free
Jongno-gu Family Center puts on activity booths and performances at Marronnier Park in Daehak-ro.
Booths are split by age. Babies and toddlers get things like bead-pen decorating, older kids get bookmark making.
There are wish lantern and worry doll booths too. It’s open to Jongno residents and Seoul residents, so coming from another district is fine.
Location: 1 Daehak-ro 8-gil (Marronnier Park, Daehak-ro)
Jongno Family Love Get-Together official page
Also this week
- Geumcheon Family Forest Festival “Popopaepe” (포포패페) · 10/25 (Sun) · Group folk games and ganggangsullae circle dance at Geumcheon Green Plaza, free, advance booking
- The 13th Family Forest Festival at Jatjeol kids’ forest · 10/24 (Sat) · Jatjeol Park, Guro, 20 families with kids age 3 and up or in the lower grades of elementary school, free
- Gangbuk Campus Village Festival “Hamkkehajak (作)” Picnic · 10/24 (Sat) 11:00–18:00 · Lawn at Hanshin University Seoul Campus, mug, keyring and woodworking booths, free
- The 8th Bukchon Gyedong-gil Festival · 10/24 (Sat) 10:00–16:00 · Hanji paper craft booths and a residents’ flea market, free
- Seoul Children’s Museum one-day cooking class “Persimmon sticky rice cakes from our neighborhood” · 10/24–25 · Age 5 and up, 15,000 won, first come first served on site. Temporarily closed 10/20 (Tue) and 10/21 (Wed)
- Seoul Botanic Park Garden Healing Festival “The Kindest Autumn” · 10/23 (Fri)–10/24 (Sat) · Garden healing concert Saturday at 16:00. No exhibition guided tours on these two days
FAQ
Q. Until what time is the Seoul Science Center Starlight Festival open?
On 10/24 (Sat) it runs until 21:00 with the late opening. On 10/25 (Sun) it ends at 17:30.
It’s free, but the astronomy talks and the planet exploration event need separate reservations.
Q. How old do kids need to be for Hangang Forest Adventure?
Tree climbing is age 9 and up. Rope activities like monkey climbing and the zipline are age 6 and up.
10/24 (Sat)–10/25 (Sun) 13:00–17:00, free and walk-in.
Q. When does the Seoul International Garden Expo end?
It closes on 10/27 (Tue). The secret postcard activity runs Sat & Sun 12:00–19:00, free.
* Based on each organization’s official notices as I checked them on 10/18–19. Things may change.
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