Royal Culture Festival to kick off Oct. 1

The fall edition of the Royal Culture Festival will run from Oct. 1 to 9, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Tuesday.

Jointly hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palace and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the festival has attracted 3.8 million visitors since its launch in 2015.

The fall edition is scheduled to take place at Seoul's four royal palaces -- Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung -- as well as Jongmyo shrine and the Sajikdan altar.

At Gyeongbokgung, starting Oct. 1, two culinary programs -- Saenggwabang and Sisikgonggam -- will offer visitors a chance to try out royal tea confectioneries and sample royal court cuisine. All dishes that will be available are prepared based on dishes found in "Joseonwangjosillok," or "The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty."

Visitors can enjoy traditional games that were played at royal courts and view various crafts on display as part of the Sisikgonggam program. A total of 30 guests will be admitted per session.

Live gugak and court music performances will be held at different locations through the festival.

On Oct. 1 and 2, a ballet performance set to traditional royal court music will to take place in front of Gyeongbokgung Jibokjae, King Gojong’s private study.

A number of gugak musicians who regularly perform overseas will perform at Deoksugung palace from Oct. 3 to 7.

Families can enjoy the offerings at Changgyeonggung. Visitors can try out royal court-style makeup and walk around the palace in traditional costumes.

One of the festival highlights, "The Palace Loved by the Artist," which was previously shown online due to pandemic restrictions, will be performed in front of audiences for the first time at Gyeongbokgung's Gyeonghoeru from Oct. 1 to 9. The pavilion, which used to serve as a banquet hall for foreign officials, is located on the northwest side of Geungjeongjeon.

The performance will begin after a short tour of the compound led by a guide.

A special speaker series centered around the theme of Joseon royal court culture will run for three days beginning Oct. 7.

Titled, "Gojong's Invitation," the hosts of the series are professor Ju Yong-ha, poet Yoon Ji-yang and a physicist Kim Sang-wook.

Online ticket reservations for the festival programs will open consecutively, starting with Saenggwabang, on Thursday at 3 p.m. at Interpark.

The number of tickets available per person may vary depending on the program, with tickets to some events given on a lottery-basis to those who have applied. Tickets range from 5,000 won to 100,000 won.

A schedule of events and reservation guidelines for the Royal Culture Festival can be found at the festival's official website and also on its Instagram account.

(hykim@heraldcorp.com)