Changdeokgung Palace stages royal banquet on 3 November

Changdeokgung Palace (Changdeokgung) in Seoul will host the restored Jinjangnye Royal Banquet of 1828 at Yeongyeongdang on 3 and 4 November 2026. The performance returns a Joseon court ceremony to the rear garden setting where the original banquet took place.

Royal banquet returns to Yeongyeongdang on 3 November

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service is presenting the programme with the Research Institute of World Ethnic Dance, affiliated with the School of Dance at the Korea National University of Arts. Performances are scheduled for 11am on both 3 and 4 November at Yeongyeongdang in the rear garden.

The ceremony recreates a banquet held in the sixth lunar month of 1828. Crown Prince Hyomyeong staged it to mark the 40th birthday of his mother, Queen Sunwon. The restored performance is based on the Sunjo Muja Jinjak Uigwe, the royal protocol record associated with the reign of King Sunjo. Details of the November programme describe the event as a return to the original site after 198 years.

Ten of the 17 court dance pieces recorded in the protocol will be performed. They include Bakjeommu and Chungwangho, whose titles are preserved in the historical record. The Seoul Economic Daily also reports that the 2026 presentation marks 20 years since the performance was first restored for the stage. The reported 2026 performance details confirm the venue, dates and participating institutions.

Joseon history meets a UNESCO palace setting

The rear garden gives the performance a direct connection with the history it represents. Yeongyeongdang is the house where the 1828 banquet occurred, so the November programme uses the original location rather than a separate theatre or festival venue.

The palace served as the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty for 261 years, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It is part of the historical setting around Jongno-gu, where the palace and nearby Jongmyo Shrine were separated in 1932 and reconnected after restoration in July 2022. Seoul government background places the site within the citys restored historic landscape.

The performance also links two international heritage designations. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site, while the Joseon royal protocols that document the banquet are inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. That combination allows visitors to encounter the building and the archival record in the same programme.

Visiting Changdeokgung Palace: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Jinjangnye Royal Banquet of 1828 takes place at 11am on 3 and 4 November 2026 at Yeongyeongdang in the rear garden.
• The performance is open to visitors who have access to the rear garden; garden admission is required separately, and admission to the performance is free.
• The palace is in Jongno-gu, Seoul, within the historic district around Jongno 3-ga and the old royal sites of central Seoul.
• The programme presents 10 court dances from the 17 pieces recorded in the Sunjo Muja Jinjak Uigwe.

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Frequently asked questions about Changdeokgung Palace

When does the Jinjangnye Royal Banquet take place at Changdeokgung Palace?

The restored performance takes place at 11am on 3 and 4 November 2026 at Yeongyeongdang in the rear garden.

What is the Jinjangnye Royal Banquet of 1828?

It is a reconstruction of the court banquet held by Crown Prince Hyomyeong in 1828 for Queen Sunwons 40th birthday, using the Sunjo Muja Jinjak Uigwe as its historical basis.

Where is Changdeokgung Palace and how do you get there?

The palace is in Jongno-gu, Seoul, in the central historic district near Jongno 3-ga and other Joseon-era royal sites.