Seoul Garden Show Passes 2.5 Million Visitors in 20 Days: What the Seoul Forest Surge Means

The 2026 Seoul Garden Show has passed 2.5 million cumulative visitors within 20 days of opening on May 1, making Seoul Forest and nearby Seongsu-dong one of the city’s busiest spring destinations. The milestone matters not only for visitor numbers, but also for what it signals about crowd movement, local spending, rest areas, and how people are using the Seoul Forest area during the festival period.¹

For readers planning around the event, the key point is simple: the Seoul International Garden Show is drawing very large crowds, and the surrounding commercial district is seeing measurable gains in activity. Seoul’s official release said sales around Seoul Forest and Seongsu rose 31.5%, while the daily living population increased 20.4% in the city’s analysis.¹

2.5 Million Visitors at Seoul Forest: The Core Numbers

The 2026 Seoul International Garden Show opened on May 1 and crossed 2.5 million cumulative visitors on its 20th day. That figure was echoed across multiple reports, including Seoul’s official announcement and coverage from Seoul Shinmun, Money Today, New Daily, and Financial News.¹²³

The pace was fast from the start. The event reportedly surpassed 1 million visitors within six days, then reached 2.5 million after 20 days.⁴ Opening day also set the tone: Korea Economic Daily reported that 306,548 people visited on May 1, exceeding the previous year’s opening-day figure at Boramae Park and marking the largest single-day attendance recorded for the Seoul International Garden Show.⁵

The main venue, Seoul Forest, drew about 250,000 visitors on opening day, while Seongsu Handmade Shoes Park received more than 50,000.⁵ New Daily also reported that at 2 p.m. on opening day, Seoul’s analysis counted about 76,000 people staying in the Seoul Forest area, including 72,391 Koreans and 3,576 foreigners.⁴

For visitors, these numbers point to a practical reality: the Seoul Forest area may be busier than usual during peak hours, especially around the main garden zones, walking routes, food areas, and nearby commercial streets. The available sources do not provide full operating hours, reservation rules, ticket prices, or crowd-control instructions, so planning should be based on the confirmed fact that attendance has been exceptionally high.

What Changed Around Seongsu During the Show

The garden show’s impact has extended beyond the park. Seoul analyzed Seoul Forest and the Seongsu-dong area from May 1 to 10 and found that the average daily living population reached about 42,300 people, up 20.4% from the same period in April.² This figure refers to people present in the area, not just ticketed visitors or event participants.

Spending also rose. Reports based on Seoul’s data said average daily domestic credit card spending in the Seongsu-dong area increased 31.5% compared with the same period in the previous month.² Financial News added that the number of card transactions in the area rose 25.6%.⁶

Inside the event area, the Seoul Garden Show also generated direct on-site sales. Money Today reported that garden market and food truck sales totaled about 1.2 billion won during the first 10 days after opening.³ Seoul also supplemented rest facilities, increasing seats from 2,160 to 4,620, and placed garden markets and three food truck zones around Seoul Forest.⁶

For anyone visiting the area, that means the show is not only a garden-viewing event. It is also affecting how people move through Seongsu, where they spend time, and where they eat or rest. Seoul’s Garden City Bureau Director Kim Young-hwan described it as “a new urban festival model” where citizens stay longer, rest, and add vitality to local commerce.¹

Practical Planning Notes for Visitors

Because the confirmed figures show sustained heavy attendance, visitors should treat Seoul Forest and Seongsu as a high-traffic area during the show period. The sources confirm that the event began on May 1, 2026, and reached 2.5 million visitors by its 20th day, but they do not provide detailed guidance on best arrival times, transport routes, ticketing, or reservation requirements.

What can be said from the available data is that crowds are broad, not limited to a single opening-day spike. The event passed 1 million visitors within six days and continued to build to 2.5 million by day 20, while the surrounding living population and card spending also climbed.⁴⁶ That pattern suggests visitors should allow extra time for movement around Seoul Forest, especially if they plan to use nearby restaurants, cafes, markets, or food truck zones.

The sources also point to a visitor mix that includes both domestic and foreign short-stay travelers. Seoul’s official announcement said that among short-stay foreigners visiting for tourism purposes, the share staying one to two hours was 34.3%.¹ This gives a useful clue about how some visitors are using the area: as a short but concentrated stop rather than only an all-day destination.

작성자 소개

Patrick Choi

Administrator

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