Autumn 2026: the draws have closed
Changdeokgung Moonlight Tour runs 10 September–17 October. The draw closed 26 August; remaining-seat sales opened 3 September at 14:00 KST, continuing subject to availability until 10:00 on each event day. Check the official booking link for actual seats.
Gyeongbokgung Saenggwabang runs 2 September–26 October, excluding Tuesdays, at ₩15,000. Its draw closed 20 August and remaining-seat sales opened 28 August at 14:00 KST. Palace admission is separate.
Moonlight sessions for foreign visitors are 20 and 27 September, 4 and 11 October, booked through Creatrip from 24 August at 09:00 KST. The operator lists eligibility and identity documents; confirm these before paying. These are a separate allocation, not evidence of better odds.
How the draw works — spring example
The night programmes are run by the Korea Heritage Service Agency (국가유산진흥원) using programme-specific booking rules; the examples here use a free draw, a winners’ announcement, a purchase period for winners and a later sale of remaining seats. The spring 2026 Moonlight Tour (창덕궁 달빛기행) — a 100-minute night walk through Changdeokgung to the Huwon garden, with music and tea — shows the calendar:
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Free draw entry | 23 March 14:00 → 29 March 14:00 |
| Winners announced | 31 March 17:00 |
| Winners buy | 1 April 14:00 → 4 April 23:59 |
| Open sale of leftover seats | 6 April 14:00 → 10:00 on the day of each performance |
| Season | 16 April → 31 May, Thursday to Sunday, two sessions a night |
In that spring programme, tickets cost ₩30,000 and each winning account could buy two through Ticketlink using a credit card. Gyeongbokgung's Saenggwabang (생과방) — court desserts and tea in the palace's confectionery — ran the same way a few days earlier at ₩15,000, with 34 seats a session, four sessions a day, and the palace ticket not included. Deoksugung's Seokjojeon evenings follow the pattern. The spring dates above are historical examples; use the autumn links above for current travel.
Separate sessions for foreign visitors
The Moonlight Tour keeps dedicated sessions for foreign visitors outside the draw — in spring 2026, four Sundays in May — sold first-come through Creatrip from a set morning. Check the current programme’s foreign-visitor section for its dedicated dates, eligibility and authorised seller.
Check identity requirements and the results announcement
The name on the booking is the name at the door. Collection needs the buyer's own original photo ID and the booking number, from 20 minutes before the session. A ticket bought on a Korean friend's account is not one you can use; the account must be yours, and your ID is your passport.
Winners are told by text, to the number on the Ticketlink account — and the winners' list is also posted as a file you search yourself. If your number cannot receive Korean texts, check the list on the announcement day rather than waiting for a message.
What is not a lottery
Huwon (후원), Changdeokgung's garden by daylight, is first-come: online at 10:00 six days before your visit, or at the gate from 09:00 on the day, ₩5,000 on top of the palace ticket, and gone fast in April–May and October–November. There is no draw to enter — “Palace and museum tickets”.
K-pop presales (선예매) have event-specific rules, which may include fan-club eligibility, identity verification and a designated international seller — “Buying K-pop and concert tickets from abroad”.
Your odds
The official winners' announcements carry a name list and nothing else — no entry totals, no ratio — so those announcements do not establish a win rate. What is published is supply: 136 Saenggwabang seats a day; two Moonlight sessions a night, four nights a week, six weeks. Enter a draw only if you meet its eligibility requirements and can attend the dates offered. Note the winners’ purchase deadline and any remaining-seat sale. Keep another plan for the day because entry does not guarantee a ticket.
