4.2 km at night: the Saturday Lulu and Maya walked the Namsan Night Festival’s Autumn Leaf Walk from Yejang Park down to Namsangol Hanok Village

At about half past four on Saturday afternoon, Maya is standing on the escalator that climbs from the entrance plaza on the Myeongdong side up into Namsan Yejang Park. On the step above, Lulu turns halfway round and taps her wrist lightly. “We start at five, so there’s time. Take your photos up top.” Maya nods, but her phone camera is already on. Maya is twenty-one and from Singapore, and wherever she goes, she steps back and takes in the whole frame first.

Today Lulu has decided everything, the meeting place and the time, from start to finish. The two were friends before either of them came to Seoul, and Namsan, the wooded mountain in central Seoul, is not new to them: they once walked the Namsan Sky Forest Trail together by day. That day Maya was busy fitting the tower and the city into one shot, and Lulu filmed the walk. What Lulu offers this time is the same mountain at night. “Namsan by day and Namsan by night are completely different paths. This one doesn’t fit in one shot.”

Lulu was born and raised in Seoul, and she is a beauty creator who tries new things first and puts them on video. When she picks a good path to walk, her test is always the same. She prefers a place you only understand by walking it to one that fits in a single photo. Every time Maya hears this, she laughs out loud. Fitting everything into one photo is exactly what Maya does, so Lulu’s test always sounds like a small challenge.

Today’s route is Course 2 of the Autumn Leaf Walk (단풍산책) at the 2026 Namsan Night Festival (2026 남산 나이트 페스티벌). It is 4.2 km, starting at Namsan Yejang Park, following Namsan’s North Ringway, coming down the Namsan North Forest Path and finishing at Namsangol Hanok Village. This piece follows Saturday 7 November into the night and sets out the dates, booking, deposit, start times and what to bring, in that order. The Palgak Club on 14 November, and how to walk the North Ringway at night once the festival is over, come towards the end.

The Cue — At a glance

The 2026 Namsan Night Festival is a Seoul Metropolitan Government night-time event held around Namsan Park on seven set Fridays and Saturdays: 23, 24, 30 and 31 October and 6, 7 and 14 November. Course 2 of the Autumn Leaf Walk ran on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November, and Saturday 14 November is the Palgak Club’s day. Course 2 is 4.2 km from Namsan Yejang Park along the North Ringway to Namsangol Hanok Village, and the deposit of 5,000 won per person comes back to you once your attendance is confirmed. After the festival, Namsan Park stays open at all times, and no cars or bicycles use the North Ringway.

2026 Namsan Night Festival dates — the 6th, 7th and 14th in November

The 2026 Namsan Night Festival runs on seven set Fridays and Saturdays in all: 23, 24, 30 and 31 October and 6, 7 and 14 November, around Namsan Park. There are three programmes. Namsan Campnic is for staying a while at Baekbeom Square, the Autumn Leaf Walk is for walking Namsan on an autumn night, and the Palgak Club is silent DJing with the Seoul night view behind it. The Seoul Metropolitan Government runs the event, and the operations office takes enquiries.

Open in Kakao Map — Chungmuro Station

November has three dates: Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Saturday 14. Course 2 of the Autumn Leaf Walk ran on the 6th and 7th, and the 14th belongs to the Palgak Club. Lulu first sent Maya these dates one evening in October, before booking opened. The message held nothing but three dates and two words: “Namsan, night”.

Namsan Campnic at Baekbeom Square also ran until the 7th. Campnic booking opened on 12 October and all 600 sites were taken almost at once. Maya was tempted by Campnic for a moment, but Lulu was set on walking from the start. “Sitting and watching Namsan can wait. This time we walk.” Maya circled the 7th on the calendar there and then.

Booking the Autumn Leaf Walk and the deposit — the 5,000 won comes back when you take part

The 5,000 won deposit for the Autumn Leaf Walk isn’t an entry fee. It is money you get back once your attendance is confirmed. You pay 5,000 won per person in advance. When Maya first heard this, she asked, “So it’s free?” Lulu kept it short. “You get it back once they confirm you came. If you cancel, it depends on when.” Maya typed “5,000 — back once confirmed” into her phone notes and drew a small circle next to it.

Places are booked in advance through Naver Booking. Booking for the Autumn Leaf Walk opened at 10:00 on Monday 12 October 2026, and each week opened at a different time. The walk takes 700 people a day. Once booking opened, Lulu reserved two places for Saturday 7 November, and Maya took a screenshot of the confirmation screen. The start they chose was session 2 at five, so that they would be walking after the sun had gone down.

The deposit comes back after your attendance is confirmed. On the day, have your booking checked at the reception desk first. Next to the circle in her notes, Maya added one more line: “Reception first”. Seeing the note, Lulu said that on the day they should find the reception desk the moment they reached the plaza. Which of them would forget that promise first, neither of them knew at the time.

If your plans change, how much you get back depends on when you cancel. Cancel up to seven days before your booked date, or on the same day you booked, and you get it all back. From six to three days before, 10% is deducted, from two days to one day before, 30% is deducted, and after that date there is no refund. If the event can’t go ahead because of a natural disaster or force majeure, you get the full amount back. Lulu copied this table into her notes app and added at the very end: “Weather = website”.

Weather is the biggest variable at this event. If it rains or snows, or the weather otherwise turns bad, the event may be cancelled for participants’ safety. In strong wind or severe cold, start times and the course may change, or programmes may be cut back or cancelled. Any changes, and what happens as a result, are posted separately on the event website. So the two of them agreed that on Saturday morning they would open the website before they even opened the curtains.

Setting off from the reception at Namsan Yejang Park — session 1 at 16:00, session 2 at 17:00, latecomers at 18:00

The Autumn Leaf Walk begins once your booking has been checked at the participant reception in Namsan Yejang Park. Walkers don’t all set off at once, but in groups, one after another. Session 1 sets off between 16:00 and 16:20, and session 2 between 17:00 and 17:20. The event as a whole runs from 16:00 to 21:00. Lulu and Maya are going with session 2 at five, so they reach the park at about half past four, with a little time to spare.

Namsan Yejang Park officially opened on 9 June 2021. Long ago, this site held Yejang, the ground where Joseon-era soldiers trained in martial arts, along with Nokcheonjeong and Jujaso. The park is made up of green space above ground, an entrance plaza for walking up from Myeongdong to Namsan, and underground facilities beneath. Underground there is a bus transfer centre. The escalator the two of them rode up stands in this entrance plaza.

As soon as Maya reaches the plaza, she resettles her bag on her shoulder and steps back a few paces. She wants the fading sky, the darkening woods and the wide plaza all in one shot. She takes a few photos and starts choosing between them, and before she knows it, the clock has passed five. Lulu comes over and taps her wrist right in front of Maya’s eyes. “We’re past the start time. Let’s go to reception and check our group first.”

Keep these times in mind. If you arrive later than your set start time, you gather separately and set off together at 18:00. Depending on the situation on site, you may not be able to take part, or you may be moved to the next group. Arrive after 18:00 and you are treated as a no-show: you can’t join the walk, and the deposit is not refunded. Only now does Maya put her phone in her pocket and hurry after Lulu towards reception.

Once your booking is checked at reception, you receive the participant items and a glow item. These are handed out to identify participants, so you must wear them while you walk. Maya takes her glow item and rests it on her palm for a moment. Thinking of these small lights moving in a line along the path once it is dark, she is already picturing the scene. Lulu laughs at her. “Save that for the walk.”

What to bring before the dark mountain path — a warm coat, non-slip shoes and a light bag

Late-autumn nights turn cold, so bring a warm coat, gloves and a scarf. The organisers have also prepared for the night chill by spreading the start times out by group, posting safety staff and adding extra lighting in the dark stretches. Maya winds her scarf once more over her navy overshirt. Lulu takes a spare pair of gloves out of her bag and hands them to Maya. “I knew you wouldn’t bring gloves.”

For shoes, non-slip trainers or walking shoes are recommended. Fallen leaves or damp can make the steps slippery. Lulu has come in walking shoes, and Maya, after some thought, chose trainers with thick soles that grip well. Both of them came knowing that today’s route includes a stretch of continuous steps. More on that stretch once they are past the North Ringway.

It is best to pack light. There is no left-luggage point on the course, so you look after your own valuables and belongings. The start and finish are in different places, so settle on your finish point and your way home before you set off. Maya’s navy bag holds only a phone power bank and a bottle of water. She swings the strap with its light blue charm round to the front and keeps it where her hand can reach.

While walking, it is best not to look at your phone or wear earphones. The paths are shared with other members of the public, so take care not to push past people, run or block the way. After reading this, the two of them make a promise before setting off. While they walk, phones stay in pockets, and photos happen only when they have stepped aside and stopped. For two people who are always filming something, it is not an easy promise.

Namsan’s North Ringway at night — a wide path with no cars and no bikes

No cars or bicycles use the North Ringway (북측순환로), so even at night you can keep your mind on walking. It runs 3,420 m from the rest area at the North Ringway entrance in front of Namsan Cable Car to the North Ringway Entrance outside the National Theater of Korea. It is the longest and widest section of the Namsan Dulle-gil, and its slope is gentle. Joining the path among the session 2 groups, Lulu feels her steps settle into an even rhythm on their own. She has walked it a few times by day, but this is her first time at night.

This is where you see why Lulu chose this path. It is wide, and the slope is gentle. The two of them match their pace and talk as they walk. Safety staff lead the line at the front, and glow items bob gently on people’s wrists and in their hands. Without slowing down, Lulu nods towards the path ahead. “See? This doesn’t fit in one shot.”

Maya gets it straight away. The line of lights stretches a long way ahead and a long way behind, so to fit it into one shot she would have to step a very long way back. Stopping in the middle of a walking line blocks the people coming behind you. Maya slowly moves aside to the edge of the path and waits for the line to pass. Then, facing up the path where the lights run longest, she takes the day’s second photo, just one.

When Maya tries to step back once more, Lulu catches her sleeve. “When you step back, look at your feet first.” It is something Lulu says a lot. At the dark edge of a path, you can see far less of the ground than by day. Maya smiles, glances down at her toes, and puts the phone back in her pocket without even checking the photo she has just taken.

Busking performances carry on stretch by stretch all along the course. Discovering what music you will come across along the way is another part of the fun. As the music comes closer, Lulu slows for a moment with the flow of the line. Normally she would have her gimbal out first, but today, as promised, she leaves her phone in her pocket and just listens. Instead of pressing record, she marks in her head the spot where she heard the song, and beside her, Maya bobs her head in time.

Past the Jangchung Sports Association to the Namsan North Forest Path — a stretch of continuous downhill steps

The place to take most care on Course 2 is the Namsan North Forest Path (남산북측숲길). On this stretch the downhill steps go on and on, which can put strain on your knees and joints. If your knees or joints trouble you, or steps are hard for you, consider your physical condition before choosing this course. Course 2 is rated five stars out of five for difficulty. Those five stars were also the very first thing Lulu sent Maya before she booked.

The course runs from Namsan Yejang Park along the North Ringway to the Jangchung Sports Association (장충체육회), then through the Namsan North Forest Path and ends at Namsangol Hanok Village. A few stretches past the Jangchung Sports Association, the downhill steps of the Namsan North Forest Path begin between the trees. Maya, wearing the gloves Lulu gave her, takes a fresh grip on her bag strap. Ahead of her, Lulu looks back. “Steps from here. Let’s take it slow.”

On the steps, both of them talk less. Steps covered in fallen leaves can be slippery when damp, so they have to go down one at a time, watching their feet. On this stretch, at least, Maya puts photos out of her mind completely. Stopping on the steps is risky for her and for the people coming behind. Every two or three steps, Lulu looks back once and matches her pace to Maya’s.

About halfway down, Lulu says quietly, “Apparently getting down fast isn’t the point.” The Autumn Leaf Walk is not about rankings or times. It is a programme for enjoying Namsan’s autumn and its night view together. Even if a gap opens up between you and the person ahead, there is no need to hurry. At that, Maya takes one long breath and, no longer minding the distance to the person in front, goes down one step at a time, even more slowly than before.

Arriving at Namsangol Hanok Village — collect the finisher’s souvenir, then head for Chungmuro Station Exit 4

Course 2 of the Autumn Leaf Walk ends at Namsangol Hanok Village. At the finish, everyone who walked the whole way gets a finisher’s souvenir, and there are prizes by prize draw too. Members of Sonmok Doctor 9988 (손목닥터 9988) who complete the course also get 1,000 points. Only when Maya, down the last of the steps, takes her souvenir does the tension go out of her shoulders. Seeing the face that stayed stiff all the way down the steps finally relax, Lulu bursts out laughing.

The traditional garden at Namsangol Hanok Village is open 24 hours, and entry is free. So even late, after the walk is over, you can stop in the garden and catch your breath for a while. The address is 28 Toegye-ro 34-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. The two of them step aside into a corner of the garden, and only then do they take their phones out of their pockets. Neither of them had taken a phone out much the whole way.

It helps to decide your way home in advance. From Namsangol Hanok Village to Chungmuro Station Exit 4 on Lines 3 and 4 is 307 m. That is about a five-minute walk. Yejang Park, where you set off, and the hanok village, where you finish, are different places, so remember that you won’t be going back the way you came. Lulu and Maya had planned from the start to head home from Chungmuro Station.

Course 2 is laid out to link up with the local shopping streets and markets of Chungmuro, Pil-dong, Inhyeon Market and Euljiro. If you are looking for somewhere to have dinner after the walk, think of those side streets. Lulu says she is hungry and opens the map, and in the meantime Maya flicks through the photos she took today. There are far fewer than usual. They agreed to take photos only when they had stopped, so that is no surprise.

The Palgak Club on 14 November — a silent party on wireless headphones

The Palgak Club (팔각클럽) is a silent party at Namsan Palgakjeong Pavilion on Saturday 14 November 2026. Participants wear wireless headphones handed out on site and enjoy the DJ’s music. The music plays only inside the headphones, so from outside it looks like a quiet crowd with only the people moving. Side programmes such as glow-in-the-dark tattoo stickers run on site as well. Maya, flicking through her photos, looks up sharply at this.

The Palgak Club runs twice in the day, in two sessions. Session 1 is from 17:30 to 19:00, and session 2 from 19:30 to 21:00. Each session takes 300 people, 600 in all. The deposit is the same as for the Autumn Leaf Walk, 5,000 won per person, refunded once your attendance is confirmed. As with the Autumn Leaf Walk, booking is in advance, and it opened at 10:00 on Monday 2 November 2026.

There are a few rules to know before you go. The event may include strong lighting and fast-flashing light effects, so take particular care if you are sensitive to light or have a photosensitive condition. Collect your headphones as the event staff direct, and be sure to return them when you have finished. Don’t take them apart or carry them out of the venue. The venue is outdoors and it can get cold at night, so dress warmly, just as for the Autumn Leaf Walk.

The area around the venue is shared with pedestrians and other visitors, so it is best to enjoy it from a spot where you are not blocking the way, as on today’s walk. Maya puts both hands on top of her head like headphones and laughs. “What if I got 300 people dancing in silence in one wide shot?” Lulu thinks for a moment, then admits that this one really might work in one shot.

After the festival — how to walk Namsan’s North Ringway at night

The Autumn Leaf Walk ended on 7 November, but you can walk the North Ringway on days without the festival too. Namsan Park is open at all times, and no cars or bicycles use the North Ringway. Ordinary cars and taxis have been barred from Namsan Park since 1 May 2005, and large vehicles such as tour coaches since August 2021. As they leave the hanok village, Lulu says, “Let’s come back, just us, without the festival. You can take your phone out whenever you want then.”

To reach the North Ringway’s end outside the National Theater of Korea, come out of Exit 6 of Dongguk University Station on Line 3. From the stop behind Exit 6, take Namsan loop bus 01B and get off at Namsan North Ringway Entrance. The other end is the rest area at the North Ringway entrance in front of Namsan Cable Car. The Namsan Cable Car end is a 10-minute walk from Exits 3 and 4 of Myeongdong Station on Line 4. Whichever end you start from, it is 3,420 m from one end to the other.

Namsan Park as a whole has 12 toilets and 16 drinking fountains, and the car parks inside the park are small, so coming by public transport is much easier. Namsan Park opened on 10 September 1968, and its walking paths and hiking trails add up to 58.5 km. But the safety staff at the front of the line, the extra lighting in the dark stretches and the busking along the course on festival night were all laid on specially for the festival. So Lulu decides that next time they will start walking before sunset and get to know the shape of the path while it is still light. Maya says that on that day she will take one daytime photo and one night photo from the same spot and set them side by side.

One shot at the start, one of the line of lights, one at the finish — 4.2 km that didn’t fit in one shot

What the two of them keep from that day is three photos and one line of notes. Walking towards Chungmuro Station, Maya shows Lulu her photos. One at the Yejang Park plaza, one of the line of lights on the North Ringway, one at the hanok village. Normally she would have picked only the best one, but today she puts all three side by side. “Put together like this, they turn into a path.” It is Maya who says it first.

Lulu opens the notes app on her phone. Instead of filming, she had been marking spots in her head as she walked, and she has written them down in order: “Plaza — line of lights — music — steps — garden”. Since she started making videos, this is the first route Lulu has walked all the way without pressing record once. And yet, strangely, she can clearly recall, one by one, which stretch had which sound and where her legs felt heavy.

They put Lulu’s note under Maya’s three photos and make a single set. The photos are Maya’s way, and the order is Lulu’s. Maya names the set “Namsan, night, not one shot”. Lulu says she loves the name and laughs out loud. The two who always bicker over “one shot or not” are, for the first time, nodding in agreement at the same name.

Common Mistakes

• 01

  Arriving after 18:00

  if you miss your start time, you set off with the 18:00 group. Arriving after 18:00 counts as a no-show: you can’t join the walk and the deposit is not refunded.

• 02

  Planning to go back to the start

  the walk starts at Namsan Yejang Park and finishes at Namsangol Hanok Village. The station for the way home is Chungmuro Station Exit 4 (307 m).

• 03

  Bringing a big bag

  there is no left-luggage point on the course.

• 04

  Wearing slippery shoes

  fallen leaves and damp can make the steps slippery. Non-slip trainers or walking shoes are recommended.

• 05

  Treating the deposit as a fee

  it comes back once your attendance is confirmed. Cancel up to seven days before, or on the day you booked, for a full refund. 10% is deducted from six to three days before, and 30% from two days to one day before.

• 06

  Stopping in the middle of the walking line for photos

  step aside to the edge first. No pushing past, running or blocking the way.

• 07

  Walking off with the Palgak Club headphones

  return them when you have finished. They must not leave the venue.

FAQ

Recap — 30 seconds before you go