Dongdaemun Festival Opens on the 3rd... Choi Jungwon and Jaurim to Perform

by Kim Minjin

Published 01 Oct.2026 11:04(KST)

Full 700 Meters of Janghan-ro Closed to Traffic
Trunk Market and Street Roller Rink to Open

Dongdaemun District of Seoul (District Mayor Choi Dongmin) will host the ‘2026 Dongdaemun Festival’ on October 3 in Janghan-ro, Jangan-dong. Singer Choi Jungwon and the band Jaurim will perform on stage, along with experiential programs such as a market where car trunks are transformed into shops and a rollerskating rink on the street.

Photo from last year's Dongdaemun Festival site. Provided by Dongdaemun-gu.

This year’s theme is ‘A New Dimension of Culture in Motion.’ The district office announced its plan to showcase the history of Janghan-ro—from its origins as a military horse training ground in the Joseon Dynasty to a modern center of the automobile industry—through performances, exhibitions, and interactive experiences.

For the evening concert, musical actor Choi Jungwon will open with a gala performance, followed by the rock band Jaurim. The official stage will also feature performances by the district’s women’s choir, children’s choir, senior choir called Yegrina, and a fathers’ choir. In addition, 13 teams of local artists and community organizations will run performance and citizen experience spaces.

Debuting this year, the ‘My Car Becomes a Store for a Day (My Car Store)’ program is a participant-driven reinterpretation of Jangan-dong’s car industry history. In the late 1970s, auto businesses from the Cheonggyecheon area relocated to Jangan-dong, helping it grow into the country’s largest hub for automobile parts and distribution. On the day of the festival, citizens can decorate their car trunks as small shops or exhibition spaces to sell or display personal collections.

Various experiential spaces will be set up along Janghan-ro, including the ‘DDM Roller Rink’ on asphalt, a giant rest area called the ‘Lazy Floor,’ and ‘Urban Camping’ for families. At the electronic darts experience zone, co-hosted by the Korea Soft Darts Association and Phoenix Darts, professional players will provide free one-on-one coaching to visitors, and a national competition featuring club members from across the country will also take place.

Due to the festival, all vehicle traffic will be prohibited from the intersection in front of Woori Bank’s Jangan branch to the Jangan-dong intersection, from midnight on October 3 until 4 a.m. on October 4. The district office recommends that visitors use Janghanpyeong Station on subway line 5. Alternate routes can be checked on Tmap, Naver Map, and Kakao Map.

District Mayor Choi Dongmin stated, “We aimed to capture and showcase Dongdaemun’s unique identity by turning the history and spatial characteristics of Janghan-ro into festival content. I hope everyone will come and experience this ‘new dimension of culture in motion’ created by citizens and local artists together on Janghan-ro.”