If your trip happens to fall during Chuseok in Korea 2026, you may find a few closed shops — but you may also discover a side of Korea that ordinary travel dates rarely reveal.
If Chuseok in Korea 2026 falls during your trip, checking transportation and opening hours in advance is a good idea.
Korea has two major traditional holidays: Seollal, the Lunar New Year, and Chuseok, often described in English as Korean Thanksgiving.
People who normally work in other regions, as well as relatives who live apart after marriage, often return to their hometowns during the holiday to see their parents and families. This is why a huge nationwide movement begins just before Chuseok.
Cars crawl along the expressways, while train and express-bus seats from Seoul to other regions become difficult to find. These crowded roads and stations are part of the familiar scenery of a Korean Chuseok.
If you plan to leave Seoul for Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju, Andong or another regional destination during Chuseok, check your train, express-bus and domestic-flight tickets as early as possible.
The official 2026 Chuseok holiday runs from Thursday, September 24 to Saturday, September 26, with Chuseok Day falling on Friday, September 25. Since September 27 is a Sunday, many travelers can effectively treat Thursday through Sunday as a four-day holiday period.
However, Chuseok in Korea 2026 is not simply a period when many places close.
For travelers, it can be a rare opportunity to experience traditional games, holiday food, performances, local markets and the family culture behind Korea’s biggest holiday.
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Book KTX, express-bus and domestic-flight tickets early. Small restaurants and independent shops may set their own holiday hours.
What Changes During Chuseok in Korea 2026?
Government offices, banks and other public institutions close during the Chuseok holiday. Far fewer hospitals and pharmacies operate than on ordinary days.
Independently owned restaurants, cafés and shops may close on Chuseok Day or choose different days off during the holiday.
On the other hand, many of Seoul’s major palaces, tourist facilities and large shopping districts may remain open.
The useful question for a traveler is therefore not, “Is all of Seoul open?” but “Is the place I want to visit open that day?”
Traditional markets work a little differently
Markets such as Gwangjang Market, which are popular with international visitors, require a little extra attention.
They can be extremely crowded before Chuseok as people shop for holiday food, yet many vendors may close on Chuseok Day to spend time with their families.
You may still be able to enter the market, but you should not assume that every restaurant and street-food stall you have seen in photographs will be open at the same time.
Myeongdong, Insadong and Ikseondong can be similar.
Large chains and stores aimed at tourists often stay open, while a small independent restaurant next door may take the day off.
Instead of saving only one famous restaurant, keep two or three nearby alternatives for your Chuseok itinerary.
There is no need to worry too much, though.
Rather than focusing on a few closed shops, look for the Chuseok events in Seoul that can only be experienced at this time of year.
“Before Chuseok, the market can be packed. On Chuseok Day, the same alley may suddenly feel quiet.”
CHUSEOK 2026 · BEFORE & DURING THE HOLIDAY
Traditional Culture Events Begin Before Chuseok
In Seoul, traditional culture programs and holiday markets begin in mid-September, before the official holiday arrives.
September 12–13 — 2026 Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival
Traditional performances, intangible heritage arts and hands-on cultural experiences in Seoul.
VIEW EVENT GUIDE ↗About two weeks before Chuseok, the 2026 Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival takes place at Namsangol Hanok Village and the Seoul Namsan Gukakdang on September 12 and 13.
Bearers of Seoul’s intangible heritage participate directly, presenting performances, demonstrations, exhibitions and hands-on programs for the public.
For international visitors interested in Korean traditional culture, this can offer a much deeper experience than simply walking through a hanok village.
You can see that traditional skills and performances are not sealed behind museum glass; real people are still learning, practicing and passing them on today.
The festival offers opportunities to encounter and experience Korean traditions, including folk percussion and singing, alongside demonstrations of inherited cultural skills.
September 15–17 — Chuseok Seoro Market at Seoul Plaza
A seasonal market where visitors can explore regional products, local specialties and Chuseok holiday shopping in central Seoul.
VIEW EVENT GUIDE ↗This major direct-sales market connects regional producers with city shoppers, giving farmers a place to sell and consumers access to reasonably priced holiday groceries.
Seoul’s regional-cooperation market information lists the 2026 operating period as September 15–17.
Farms and producers from around the country participate, selling agricultural products and regional specialties.
For an international visitor, this is more than a shopping event. It is a chance to see which ingredients and local specialties Korean families prepare before Chuseok.
It is also fun to find foods from many different Korean regions gathered in the center of Seoul.
Seoul Becomes a Holiday Playground During Chuseok
Once the official holiday begins, traditional games and cultural programs continue across Seoul.
September 24–27 — Gwanghwamun Bitmorak Autumn Festival
One of the most accessible events whose dates overlap exactly with Chuseok in Korea 2026 is held at Gwanghwamun Square.
The 2026 Gwanghwamun Square Bitmorak Autumn Festival is scheduled for September 24–27 at the square’s Play Yard.
The currently published plan includes:
- music, instrumental performances, stage acts and a cinema concert
- book and humanities programs for children
- calligraphy and family-motto writing
- postcard writing and drawing
- traditional games and craft activities
Its location is one of the main reasons it works so well for international visitors.
Gyeongbokgung Palace is directly ahead, while the Sejong Center, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Insadong are all nearby.
You can visit Gyeongbokgung during the day and enjoy the Chuseok and autumn programs at Gwanghwamun Square later.
If you want to experience part of a Korean traditional holiday without a long trip outside central Seoul, this is one of the easiest choices.
September 26 — Seoul Museum of History Hangawi Festival
A hands-on Chuseok celebration with traditional performances, folk games and cultural activities at the Seoul Museum of History.
VIEW EVENT GUIDE ↗Two especially interesting events are planned for September 26, the day after Chuseok.
At the Seoul Museum of History, the Hangawi Festival focuses on activities you can try rather than performances you only watch.
The published program includes traditional games such as archery, neolttwigi seesaw jumping, beona spinning, biseokchigi and jegichagi.
Visitors can also make a traditional gat hat, a tiger-and-magpie suncatcher and a traditional knot bracelet. A performance combining traditional culture with contemporary K-pop is also planned.
For Koreans, some of these may be childhood holiday games. For international travelers, they are likely to feel quite unfamiliar.
Games such as jegichagi and biseokchigi have simple rules, making them easy to join even when people do not share the same language.
Gyeonghuigung Palace, Jeong-dong and Deoksugung Palace are all close to the museum, so the event fits easily into a full-day route.
September 26 — Baebongsan Neighborhood Folk Festival
A neighborhood Chuseok celebration at Baebongsan Neighborhood Park with songpyeon making, traditional folk games, singing contests and local performances.
VIEW EVENT GUIDE ↗If you want to see a real neighborhood celebration rather than an event designed mainly for tourists, Dongdaemun-gu offers another interesting option.
The Hangawi Residents’ Folk Festival is scheduled for September 26 at Baebongsan Neighborhood Park.
Neighborhood teams take part in a songpyeon-making contest, followed by a residents’ singing competition and celebratory performances by local artists.
A hands-on folk-game area is also planned, with jegichagi, tuho arrow throwing and ttakji paper-tile games.
Baebongsan is probably much less familiar to international travelers than Gwanghwamun Square.
But joining local residents in an activity is one of the most literal ways to spend Chuseok in Korea.
This is not simply a tourist program. A neighborhood festival that residents continue year after year can be one of the best places to understand the energy, culture and people behind a Korean holiday.
How to Experience the Real Korean Chuseok
Wearing hanbok at Gyeongbokgung or eating traditional food can be wonderful parts of a Korean trip.
Chuseok, however, is a little different.
This is when Koreans actually travel back to their hometowns,
prepare gifts for their parents,
make songpyeon and jeon,
meet relatives they have not seen for a long time,
and sometimes introduce children to traditional games such as jegichagi and tuho.
Scenes that are difficult to find in everyday Seoul appear naturally during the holiday.
Of course, international visitors can face inconveniences.
A restaurant you hoped to visit may be closed,
train tickets may be sold out,
and a market that is normally crowded may feel unexpectedly quiet.
But seen another way,
you are traveling in the middle of Korea’s biggest traditional holiday.
Planning your trip during Chuseok in Korea 2026
If you plan to travel outside Seoul, secure your transportation first.
If you stay in Seoul, checking the holiday hours of the restaurants and small shops you want to visit should prevent most problems.
Instead of spending every day checking off famous attractions, consider using one day for the things to do during Chuseok that are only available during the holiday.
On September 12–13, you can see the Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival at Namsangol Hanok Village.
In mid-September, you can browse the Chuseok Seoro Market at Seoul Plaza.
During the holiday, you can enjoy traditional games and performances at Gwanghwamun Square.
On September 26, you can try holiday activities at the Seoul Museum of History or join a neighborhood celebration at Baebongsan.
Rather than thinking that Chuseok has made your itinerary inconvenient, try thinking:
“My trip happens to include Korea’s biggest traditional holiday.”
The restaurant that was closed may be forgotten. The holiday you joined may stay with you much longer.
With that perspective, your journey through Chuseok in Korea 2026 may become a far more special memory than an ordinary trip.
Event schedules marked as planned can change. Check each linked official event page again shortly before visiting.