SEOUL, South Korea — Seoul is turning one of its landmark urban forests into a massive autumn garden destination, with 51 new gardens, outdoor performances, wellness programs and hands-on activities coming to Maeheon Citizens’ Forest from Oct. 1 to 27.
The fall edition of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Festival expands beyond Seoul Forest, where the festival originally opened in May. The Maeheon Citizens’ Forest event also marks the site’s 40th anniversary, bringing together professional designers, students, companies and hundreds of local citizen gardeners.
51 gardens take over Maeheon Citizens’ Forest
The centerpiece of the autumn festival is its collection of 51 gardens.
They include 14 competition gardens — four created by professional designers, five by citizens and five by students — along with 31 gardens involving local hobby gardeners and six company or institutional gardens.
The project involves 367 citizen gardeners, who are participating not only in creating and maintaining the gardens but also in explaining their designs and helping operate festival programs.
That citizen participation is a major feature of this year’s autumn edition, shifting the event beyond simply displaying professionally designed gardens.
The festival goes beyond flowers
Visitors will have plenty to do beyond walking through the gardens.
The festival includes 128 activity sessions, featuring health walks, forest interpretation, gardening experiences, herbal therapy and other forest-based programs designed for different groups, including young people.
Visitors can also join garden docent tours three times a day, with citizen gardeners explaining the stories and ideas behind the displays.
A garden market will showcase gardening and lifestyle products, while additional rest areas will provide benches, cushions and picnic spaces for visitors who want to stay longer.
Autumn nights bring movies and live performances
The festival is also turning the forest into an evening entertainment venue.
Opening-week programs include an autumn garden concert, talks with garden designers and garden-themed activities.
An outdoor “Forest Theater” will screen movies during the evening, while live performances are scheduled throughout October. A separate flower festival is also planned for Oct. 16-18, featuring activities including a children’s flower drawing contest, quizzes, magic performances, talks and music.
Seven linear gardens connect the neighborhood
The transformation doesn’t stop at the main festival grounds.
Seven linear gardens covering approximately 3,580 square meters have been created along pedestrian routes connecting Maeheon Citizens’ Forest with nearby neighborhoods and access points, including areas around Yeoucheon, Yangjaecheon, Gangnam-daero and Maeheon-ro.
The goal is to make the gardens part of the surrounding walking routes rather than confining the festival experience to one exhibition area.
Seoul’s garden festival is getting bigger
The Maeheon Citizens’ Forest expansion is part of Seoul’s broader effort to bring the international garden festival to different parts of the city.
The 2026 festival first opened at Seoul Forest in May, and that exhibition will continue even as the autumn edition expands into Maeheon Citizens’ Forest.
The city says the fall edition is designed around greater citizen participation, allowing residents to take part in creating, caring for and explaining the gardens rather than simply visiting them.
With 51 new gardens, 367 citizen gardeners, 128 activity sessions and weeks of performances and outdoor events, Maeheon Citizens’ Forest is set to become one of Seoul’s major autumn gathering spots.
And as the gardens open on Oct. 1, the real question is how dramatically this 40-year-old urban forest will look once Seoul’s autumn transformation is finally complete.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
