Home › Festivals › Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony
Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony
- 📅 Dates
- Jan 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025
- 📍 Location
- 161 Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- 🎫 Admission
- Free
- 🕘 Hours
- [Royal Guard Changing Ceremony] 10:00, 14:00 [Ceremony of Guarding Gwanghwamun Gate] 11:00, 13:00 [Public Training of the Royal Guard Soldiers] 09:35, 13:35 * Schedule is subject to change; refer to the official website for details.* Events may be canceled in the case of rain.
- 🎪 Venue
- Gyeongbokgung Palace Heungnyemun Gate and Gwanghwamun Gate areas
- 🏛️ Organizer
- Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation
- ☎️ Contact
- +82-2-3210-1645
⚠️ This festival's listed dates have passed
The dates above are from the most recent official schedule. Many Korean festivals are annual events held around the same time each year, but the next date has not been officially confirmed yet — please check the official website or a Google search below before planning a trip.
Overview
In the Joseon dynasty, the royal guards of the palace were gatekeepers who were responsible for guarding the the main gates of Gyeongbokgung Palace as well as the main gates of the city such as Heunginjimun Gate and Sungnyemun Gate. The royal guards worked in shift duties and were in charge of opening and closing Gwanghwamun Gate. Before the royal guard system was enforced in 1469, the palace gates were protected by soldiers of the central army. The Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony held at Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Gwanghwamun area reenacts the guard-changing procedure that took place d
Source: Korea Tourism Organization (official English translation, TourAPI).
What happens at Palace Royal Guard Changing Ceremony
- Refer to the official website
Official programme as registered with the Korea Tourism Organization for the most recent edition. Details can change — check with the organizer before you go.
🅿️ Nearby attractions — with actual parking capacity
Most sites only say "parking available." These are official figures from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, so you can judge before you drive.
Names and addresses here stay in Korean on purpose. Google Maps cannot give directions inside South Korea, and NAVER Map / KakaoMap find these places only under their Korean names — copy an address above and paste it straight in.
🏮 Traditional market days during the festival
Korean country markets open only on days ending in fixed digits — every 5 days. These are the actual dates they open while the festival runs, so you can add one to the same trip.
Names and addresses here stay in Korean on purpose. Google Maps cannot give directions inside South Korea, and NAVER Map / KakaoMap find these places only under their Korean names — copy an address above and paste it straight in.
🎪 Other festivals nearby at the same time
Overlapping dates, within 60 km.
Nearby Attractions
Places near the festival venue, described in English by the Korea Tourism Organization. Distances and times are road-based driving estimates from NAVER route search — useful for taxi trips — and can change with traffic. Places under 1 km in a straight line are marked “walkable”. Anything more than 15 km away by road is left out.
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The Children’s Museum of the National Folk Museum of Korea국립민속박물관&국립민속박물관 어린이박물관 Attraction0.3 km straight · walkable
The Children s Museum of the National Folk Museum of Korea, located within Gyeongbokgung Palace, showcases artifacts related to Korean traditional culture. This…
Korean address for map apps서울특별시 종로구 삼청로 37 -
Boan1942보안1942 Cultural facility0.3 km straight · walkable
Prior to becoming an art space in 2007, Tongui-dong Boan served as a place for rest for travelers from 1942 to 2005. After a short suspension, the place was renovated…
Korean address for map apps서울특별시 종로구 효자로 35-1 -
National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul [MMCA Seoul]국립현대미술관 서울관 Cultural facility0.3 km straight · walkable
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA Seoul) opened in 2013 as a city venue of the MMCA, which opened in 1986 in Gwacheon. The museum site was…
Korean address for map apps서울특별시 종로구 삼청로 30 -
Gallery Simon갤러리 시몬 Cultural facility0.4 km straight · walkable
Since its opening in April, 1994, Gallery Simon has continued to focus on promoting the beauty of modern art. Exhibitions include works from experienced artists as well…
Korean address for map apps서울특별시 종로구 자하문로6길 20 (통의동) -
Seochon Village서촌마을 Attraction0.4 km straight · walkable
Seochon Village is the name given to the area to the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It is a historic village, home to old shops and hanok buildings that have stood the…
Korean address for map apps서울특별시 종로구 필운대로 45 (누하동)
Google Maps cannot provide driving or transit directions inside South Korea. Paste the Korean addresses above into NAVER Map or KakaoMap — both work with these addresses and are what people here actually use.
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