• Nighttime opening of major city-run cultural facilities to expand from one day a week (Friday) to five days a week.
• Venue-specific evening programs to feature yoga, running, historical tours, escape-room experiences, book talks, and more.
• Unique nighttime offerings linked to festivals and performances to expand, including a winter sleeping competition, an outdoor sauna by the Hangang, and backstage tours.
• Unique evening weddings at cultural venues to be introduced in phases, expanding Seoul’s nighttime cultural options and helping revitalize local economies.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, September 22, 2026 — From visiting museum exhibitions after work to enjoying evening experiences at traditional hanok venues, residents and visitors will have more opportunities to enjoy Seoul’s cultural facilities after dark. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expanding nighttime access to city-run museums and traditional cultural spaces as part of its “Seoul Culture Night” initiative, with programs that make the most of each venue’s unique character.

The initiative will expand nighttime hours at cultural facilities from one day a week—Friday—to five days a week. Beyond simply extending operating hours, participating venues will offer experiences distinct from their daytime programs, including yoga and meditation, nighttime running, historical tours, and escape-room experiences. The initiative aims to broaden the role of cultural facilities beyond exhibition spaces, creating places where residents can spend their evenings enjoying culture and leisure.

“Seoul Culture Night” is part of the city’s broader “Seoul, a 24-Hour Vibrant Economy City” initiative, announced on August 20. It will give residents more options for enjoying culture and leisure later in the day while offering visitors opportunities to experience a different side of Seoul after dark, bringing greater vitality to the city at night.

<From One Day to Five Days a Week: Major City-Run Cultural Facilities to Stay Open Until 9 P.M. >

From September 15 through November 30, Seoul will expand nighttime hours at major city-run cultural facilities, including the Seoul Museum of History, Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Seoul Baekje Museum, and Unhyeongung Palace. Taking each facility’s closing days and schedule into account, participating venues will remain open until 9 p.m. five days a week—Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Nighttime access will vary by facility, reflecting each venue’s characteristics and operational needs. At the Seoul Museum of Craft Art, Exhibition Building 1 and the Information Building will remain open, while the Seoul Museum of History will open its special and permanent exhibition halls, City Model Image Hall, and Seoul History Archives. The Seoul Baekje Museum will keep its special exhibition hall and information center open, while The Story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin will operate its exhibition space until 9 p.m.

Libraries and art museums will also offer nighttime programs, with expanded nighttime access at select facilities on a pilot basis. Seoul Library will continue to keep its reading rooms open until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, alongside evening reading and cultural programs such as author talks and the Seoul Outdoor Library, which operates from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

<Beyond Exhibitions: Yoga, Running, Historical Tours, and Escape Rooms Offer a Different Cultural Experience After Dark >

During extended nighttime hours, each facility will offer a variety of programs that draw on its unique spaces and content. Existing programs will be extended into the evening, while new nighttime programs will combine exercise, relaxation, reading, performances, and hands-on experiences.

At the Seoul Museum of History, “Exhibition Stories After Dark” will feature curators sharing highlights from special exhibitions and stories connected to the artifacts on display. The museum will also offer “Nighttime History Tour,” a family program that combines exhibition viewing and hands-on activities while exploring Seoul’s history and culture after dark.

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art will use outdoor spaces, including its Craft Courtyard and rooftop, for yoga, meditation, and running programs. “Craft Night: Yoga × Meditation,” held six times from September 19 through October 14, will offer participants a chance to recharge their bodies and minds to the sounds of singing bowls, gayageum, and handpans, with their headsets on.

The Seoul Baekje Museum will extend some of its existing educational programs into the evening while adding new nighttime programs. These will include “Moonlight Tour of the Baekje Royal Capital,” exploring Mongchontoseong Fortress and the museum; “Little Baekje Musicians,” where children learn about and play Baekje instruments; “Moonlight Library,” featuring transcription of classics in the information center; and “Gallery Talk Talk,” a nighttime exhibition tour led by museum curators.

Traditional cultural venues will offer experiences that make the most of autumn evenings. Unhyeongung Palace will host nighttime performances inspired by the site’s history, along with a variety of programs where visitors can enjoy a peaceful evening in a traditional hanok setting. At Namsangol Hanok Village, a nighttime escape-room program will begin September 28, inviting participants to search for hidden clues and solve challenges amid traditional houses and gardens.

The Story of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, located beneath Gwanghwamun Square, will also remain open until 9 p.m. Visitors can explore permanent exhibitions on King Sejong’s people-centered philosophy and Hangeul, as well as the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, along with interactive experiences including digital rubbing and boarding a turtle ship.

Detailed schedules and participation information for nighttime programs are available on each institution’s website. For programs requiring reservations, advance registration is available through each institution’s website or Seoul’s Public Service Reservation system.

<More Unique Nighttime Experiences Linked to Festivals and Performances, Along with Evening Tours of Seoul’s History and Culture >

Alongside extended hours at cultural facilities, Seoul will continue to develop distinctive nighttime experiences linked to festivals, performances, and the city’s historical and cultural resources. Existing events will be adapted for evening hours, while spaces and experiences that are not normally accessible will be opened to give residents and visitors new ways to enjoy Seoul after dark in different seasons and settings.

This winter, the 2026 Seoul Winter Festa will feature unique nighttime programs that make the most of the season. The city plans to expand its “Winter Sleeping Competition,” in which participants’ heart rates are measured to determine who sleeps most soundly, and offer an outdoor sauna experience at Ttukseom Hangang Park overlooking the Hangang’s winter nightscape.

At the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, the “Backstage Tour,” which offers a unique look inside and around the venue, will expand into the evening. Four nighttime tours will be held from October through December. Participants will visit Gwanghwamun Square and the Garden of Gratitude before exploring the lobby, auditorium, and backstage areas of the Sejong Grand Theater, hearing stories about each space along the way.

The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture is running “Dae-rak-ro,” a cultural campaign encouraging visitors to spend more time in Daehak-ro before and after performances, from August through November. As part of the campaign, “After Theater” will take place every Saturday from 10 p.m., combining music, talks, film, performances, and other nighttime programs so audiences can continue sharing their impressions and enjoying the night in Daehak-ro after the curtain falls.

Nighttime walking programs exploring Seoul’s history and culture will also expand. “Seoul Cultural Heritage Walks at Night” will offer guided evening tours of cultural heritage sites in areas including Jeong-dong and Naksan in September and October. Nighttime tours focusing on Seoul Future Heritage sites will also be offered on a pilot basis this year, with plans to run them regularly starting next year.

<Unique Evening Weddings at Cultural Venues, Building a Cultural Ecosystem that Supports Local Revitalization >

Seoul will also gradually expand the use of cultural facilities as venues for residents’ special occasions. Outdoor courtyards, lobbies, traditional houses, and other spaces at city-run museums and traditional cultural venues will be made available as unique evening wedding venues that highlight each location’s architecture and scenery.

For evening weddings at cultural facilities, available spaces, the number of events, and guest capacity will be determined based on the safety of artworks and artifacts, as well as visitor flow. Rather than large-scale, high-cost weddings, the program will focus on smaller ceremonies that make the most of each venue’s unique character. The venues are expected to offer a new option for couples seeking a small but memorable wedding, as well as those looking to create new memories through a vow-renewal ceremony.

During this year’s extended nighttime opening period, Seoul will assess visitor numbers, program participation rates, public satisfaction, facility management, safety, and staffing at each venue. Based on the results, the city will refine the scope of nighttime operations and nighttime programs while continuing to expand nighttime cultural spaces that residents can enjoy as part of their daily lives.

Seoul will also strengthen ties with local communities, encouraging visits to cultural facilities to extend naturally to nearby restaurants, cafés, performance venues, and other local businesses. By expanding opportunities for residents to enjoy culture in the evening, the city aims to bring new vitality to Seoul after dark.