Jamsu Bridge car-free festival draws record crowds before pedestrian-only conversion

Seoul's Jamsu Bridge car-free festival set a record with 2.38 million visitors this year, the city announced on Wednesday. Over the past five years, attendance has reached 7.68 million as the bridge prepares to become pedestrian-only. The event concluded on October 25, with "Ttubeok-ttubeok" being a Korean term for the sound of footsteps. Construction of Jamsu Bridge began in 1976, positioning it just above the Han River's surface, under the upper deck of Banpo Bridge, making it the closest bridge to the water.

Since 2022, cars have been prohibited from Jamsu Bridge during festival Sundays. This year's festival spanned 15 Sundays from April to June and September to October, attracting an average of 159,000 visitors per day. Attendance surged by about 1.4 times compared to last year and 2.1 times from 2022. Food trucks, a handicraft market, and a farmers' market collectively sold approximately 2.58 billion won ($1.8 million) worth of goods, setting a record and representing a 1.7-fold increase from the previous peak in 2024. Food truck operators contributed 53.27 million won ($35,000) from their earnings to the cause.