Yuseong Reading Festival
Oct 10 – Oct 11, 2026 · Daejeon
Overview
The 2026 Yuseong Reading Festival is a leading regional reading culture festival held in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, designed so visitors can enjoy books, culture, and relaxation together outdoors. It was organized to offer a special time for people to step away from their busy daily lives, connect with their neighbors through books, and heal both body and mind. The festival features a variety of cultural programs so that visitors of all ages — families, friends, and couples — can spend meaningful leisure time at the festival grounds. In particular, a large reading area set amid nature is created in the open outdoor space, along with literature experience booths and multipurpose exhibitions that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can freely join. In addition, a wide range of book-themed side events take place, including meetings with renowned authors, book talk concerts, reading appreciation events, and a book market featuring local bookstores and publishers. Beyond simple reading, the 2026 Yuseong Reading Festival serves as a key cultural exchange venue that helps citizens rediscover the joy of reading in daily life and contributes to building a healthy reading ecosystem in the community.
Why go
The Yuseong Reading Festival is a major regional celebration of reading culture, held outdoors at Yurim Park in Daejeon. Visitors can browse a book market of local bookstores and publishers, try literature experience booths and exhibitions, and catch talks and concerts with authors. It's designed for all ages, making it a relaxed outdoor outing for families, friends, and couples.
Getting there from Seoul
Take the KTX or SRT from Seoul (Seoul Station, Yongsan, or SRT Suseo) to Daejeon Station, a ride of roughly an hour. From there, continue by taxi or local bus to Yurim Park in Yuseong-gu (Bongmyeong-dong), about 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. Express buses from Seoul's intercity bus terminals to Daejeon are a slower but cheaper alternative.
Tips
- The festival is held outdoors in Yurim Park, so dress for October weather and bring something to sit on in the reading areas.
- Author meetings, book talk concerts, and reading events run across the two days, so check the on-site schedule once you arrive.
- Bring cash or card if you want to buy from the book market, which features local bookstores and publishers.
Best for: families, book lovers, couples, literature enthusiasts.
Photos
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization
Other festivals in Daejeon
Daejeon
Yuseong Chrysanthemum Festival
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The 17th Yuseong Chrysanthemum Festival, Yuseong-gu's signature autumn festival in Daejeon that has been selected as a representative festival of Daejeon City since 2022, will be held for 16 days from October 17 to November 1 in the Yurim Park area. Visitors can enjoy a variety of exhibitions, experience programs, and performances that showcase the inherent beauty of chrysanthemums along with the distinctive character of Yuseong, a city of science. This year, Hanbit Tower, the symbol of the science city, will be newly presented as a chrysanthemum sculpture, while the Aster Chrysanthemum Garden will be expanded to Yuseongcheon Stream (below Eoeun Bridge), and a cosmos path will be created along Bandoji Pond and the Yuseongcheon Stream walking trail to offer a rich autumn flower landscape. In addition, programs will include drawing caricature robots, terrarium-making and other everyday gardening experiences, woodworking experiences, chrysanthemum-related experience programs, and performances by local university students and local artists. At night, the festival offers emotional nighttime content such as moonlight busking, candle garden concerts, wish lanterns, and the Chrysanthemum (Onbit) Cinema, making it a festival where visitors can stay longer and enjoy themselves. A receipt event and a restaurant map linked with businesses near the festival site will also be run, helping to boost the local economy. At the Yuseong Chrysanthemum Festival, where beautiful chrysanthemums and autumn flowers blend with science and art, culture and relaxation, visitors can create special autumn memories.
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Dates and programs can change. Check the official site before you go.