A square with quizzes, calligraphy and history: Gwanghwamun’s festival lasts beyond a weekend

At Gwanghwamun Square, history can arrive as a quiz, a handwritten message or a short performance. Despite the name, Bitmorak is more than an evening light display.

Seoul announced talks, music, magic, fusion gugak, Nobel quizzes, family experiences and calligraphy for Oct. 24–25. A 5 p.m. Oct. 24 lecture by professor Shin Hee-kwon was scheduled for 100 children. November adds guided stories around the square, followed by a December history mission game near its landmark statues.

A two-day headline can obscure the broader program running toward year-end. The unusual part is its ambition to make a famous photo stop into a participatory classroom.

The verified sources are city announcements and its event listing, not on-site visitor interviews. No attendance rate or satisfaction score is claimed.

The square includes statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin as well as the Garden of Gratitude. City officials cited roughly 1,000 daily participants in last year's calligraphy program; that is not a 2026 attendance figure.

Seoul announced the festival Oct. 13, with opening activities Oct. 24–25. Applications for the Oct. 24 children's lecture opened Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. November story tours are planned for Fridays and Saturdays and December missions for weekends. Actual completion of every scheduled session was not independently confirmed.

Visitors on Oct. 25 should verify hours, booth locations and any reservation caps on the official square website. Later November and December sessions may receive updated details.