Hwaseong Fortress hosts Lantern-Linking Event on 24 October

Hwaseong Fortress (Hwaseong) in Suwon hosts a Lantern-Linking Event on 24 October 2026, bringing participants onto the fortress path between Changnyongmun Gate and Hwaseomun Gate. The evening cultural event is organised by the Suwon City Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee and gives visitors a current reason to see the World Heritage site along a defined route.

The event is part of the autumn programme around the historic fortress, rather than a performance inside a single building. Its route connects the eastern Changnyongmun Gate with the western Hwaseomun Gate, allowing the lantern procession to use the defensive walls and gates as its setting.

Lantern-Linking Event follows the fortress path

The organiser plans for participants to carry Citizen Participation Lanterns while walking along the fortress path. The stated meeting point is Changnyongmun Gate, with the procession continuing to Hwaseomun Gate. The event source describes the route as a shared walk for citizens and tourists, with the fortress night view forming part of the experience.

Registration was announced through Saebit Toktok, Suwon City’s mobile communication platform. The organiser also stated that participants completing the course would receive a commemorative Gongdeok keyring. These details make the event different from a general evening visit: access is structured around a group route linking two named gates.

The announced date is 24 October 2026, and the same report identifies the fortress path and the organising committee.

Hwaseong Fortress gives the walk its historic route

The fortress surrounds the centre of Suwon in Gyeonggi Province. UNESCO describes its surviving walls as 5.74 km long, enclosing an area of 130 hectares and incorporating defensive structures including gates, bastions, towers and floodgates. The lantern walk therefore follows part of a substantial fortified circuit rather than a short route through a standalone monument.

The east and west gates named for the event have different forms. UNESCO identifies Changnyongmun as a single-storey eastern gate and Hwaseomun as a single-storey western gate, while Janganmun and Paldalmun are the larger northern and southern gates. The route between Changnyongmun and Hwaseomun connects two parts of the circuit that UNESCO records as surviving features of the property.

King Jeongjo commissioned the late eighteenth-century fortress after moving his father’s tomb to Suwon. Its design combined defensive, administrative and commercial functions, and the site entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. The World Heritage Centre’s description of Hwaseong Fortress records both the historic setting and its surviving architectural features.

Visiting Hwaseong Fortress: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Lantern-Linking Event takes place on 24 October 2026 at Hwaseong Fortress, following the path from Changnyongmun Gate to Hwaseomun Gate.
• The event changes the visit from an independent walk into an organised lantern procession, with Citizen Participation Lanterns distributed to participants.
• Hwaseong Fortress is in Suwon, South Korea, and the route uses a historic wall circuit with gates, slopes and defensive structures rather than a level indoor venue.
• The walls extend for 5.74 km and the property includes four main gates, so visitors should expect an outdoor route across both flat and hilly ground.
• The official language is Korean and the national currency is the South Korean won.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Hwaseong Fortress

When does the Lantern-Linking Event take place at Hwaseong Fortress?

The event takes place on 24 October 2026. The announced route runs from Changnyongmun Gate to Hwaseomun Gate.

What is Hwaseong Fortress?

It is a historic fortress surrounding the centre of Suwon, with walls measuring 5.74 km and four main gates. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1997.

Where is Hwaseong Fortress and how do you get there?

Hwaseong Fortress is in Suwon, South Korea. The event route begins at Changnyongmun Gate and ends at Hwaseomun Gate.