Biannual palace festival to kick off next week

The biannual festival at the four biggest Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul will start a five-day run Wednesday packed with performances from ballet to classical music and musicals.

The K-Royal Culture Festival, held in spring and fall, will host performances at Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung and Deoksugung. At Gyeongbokgung, “The Royal Concert: Ballet and Sujecheon” will be performed Oct. 10-13, showing a blend of ballet and the royal court music of Joseon.

On Oct. 10 and 11, Seo Kyoung-duk, an outspoken promoter of Korean culture, will moderate a talk show titled “Hanbok,” discussing what it means to carry on the tradition of hanbok, or traditional Korean clothing.

From Oct. 9-12, Changgyeonggung will host “The Royal Concert: Pungryu and Classic,” drawing on original gugak music performed by an ensemble of Korean instruments and Western classical music instruments, as well as traditional Korean dance.

“The Royal Musical: Peach Blossom” will take place at the same palace from Oct. 11-13. The musical, first presented in October 2019, recaps the 1724-1800 rule of King Yeongjo and his grandson King Jeongjo -- the Joseon monarch credited with lasting reforms.

Online ticket purchases or reservations are required for some of the shows. More information is available at the website Ticketlink.