The 31st Gangdong Seonsa (Prehistoric) Culture Festival runs from Friday, October 16, to October 18 at the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site in Seoul, a Neolithic settlement about 6,000 years old. The program includes an opening drone show, a nightly light festival, and a talk by Go master Lee Se-dol and fireworks on the final day. Admission is free.
Opening night and light show
The festival fills the Seoul Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site (875 Olympic-ro) and Amsa Historical Park under the theme 'The Beginning of Seoul, Amsa'. After sunset on all three nights, light, music and video are projected along the site trail and onto the museum’s outer wall.
The opening ceremony is on the afternoon of October 16 at the main stage, followed by a drone show and performances by Space A, Wax and Seol Un-do. Gangdong-gu said it is the only Seoul festival selected as a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism preliminary festival for 2026–2027.
Lee Se-dol talk, closing fireworks
On October 17, the Gangdong-gu arts troupe performs and Baewijeol Village’s Hosangnori, a Seoul intangible heritage, is re-enacted.
On October 18, Lee Se-dol gives a talk concert titled 'A Divine Move' at the forest stage. The main stage hosts the 'Seonsa Rock Festival' and closing performances by Shin Hyo-beom, So Chan-whee and Nam Jin, followed by fireworks.
Activities and hours
At the entrance, the Time Slip Handcrafted Market features work by emerging artists on themes from the Paleolithic and Neolithic to the future. Inside the site, 'Land of Clay' offers a Neolithic archaeology experience school, and there is a prehistoric barbecue.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (from 3 p.m. on October 16), according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Admission is free; some activities charge a fee. Inquiries: 02-3425-5247; website gdsunsa.com. The announcements did not include transit directions or foreign-language support.
A reconstructed Neolithic pit dwelling at the Amsa-dong site, photographed in 2008. Archive photo, not from this festival. Photo: Kang Byeong Kee · CC BY 3.0
