NAJU — The 2026 Naju Yeongsan River Festival, which drew 540,000 visitors and established itself as a leading regional festival in the Gwangju and South Jeolla region, has closed. But autumn at the Yeongsan River Garden is far from over. The festival crowds have thinned, yet the landscape left behind has only deepened. With burning bush shrubs turning crimson and cosmos flowers swaying in the breeze, the garden is now reaching another peak.
The city of Naju said on the 16th that the 2026 Naju Yeongsan River Festival, held from the 7th to the 11th, attracted a total of 540,000 visitors over five days. The festival has ended after a record turnout, but residents and tourists continue to make their way to the garden.
In place of the crowds that filled the festival grounds, the garden now moves at the pace of autumn, where visitors walk slowly and linger.
Spanning about 400,000 square meters, the garden is showing the colors of the deepening season as autumn flowers blend with the landscaped grounds. The burning bush, in particular, is shedding its green for red in the cooler weather. The round, full-grown shrubs darken by the day, creating vivid autumn scenes throughout the garden.
Cosmos flowers ripple in the wind, giving the garden a calm and romantic atmosphere different from that of the festival days.
Visitors walk slowly along the flower paths and take photographs with family, partners and friends, savoring the afterglow of the festival.
This year the garden expanded its flower beds and added new plant varieties, making it fuller than last year. With each plant blooming at a different time and changing color on its own schedule, the garden is building its appeal as a seasonal destination that draws repeat visits.
The city plans to cultivate the garden not as a space limited to the festival period but as a place of rest in residents' daily lives and a garden that tourists visit each season. It will monitor the condition of the plants and improve walking paths, visitor facilities and the surrounding environment to create a more comfortable setting.
The garden's autumn program continues. The 31st Namdo Food Culture Festival will be held from the 23rd to the 25th around the Yeongsan River Garden. The event offers a chance to enjoy the food and culture of the Namdo region in a garden approaching the height of its autumn bloom. The program includes tasting experiences with well-known chefs and masters of Namdo cuisine, signature dishes from across the region and a range of food culture activities.
Yoon Byung-tae, mayor of Naju, said he hopes the garden "becomes a part of daily life where residents and tourists can experience nature up close and stay comfortably through all four seasons." He added, "I hope visitors take their time enjoying the autumn scenery, where the reddening burning bush meets the cosmos flowers."