When the autumn sun sets over the Han River, the capital’s urban centers usually rely on bright neon storefronts and late-night eateries to fuel the city's nightlife. This season, municipal authorities are taking charge of the nocturnal landscape, launching an ambitious cultural campaign designed to turn the evening hours into economic engines. The Seoul Metropolitan Government released its updated seasonal "Seoul Festival Map," detailing a lineup of events from September through November. For the first time, city planners have carved out a dedicated "Night Festival" category. The strategic pivot aims to expand evening leisure choices for residents after work while extending tourist stay times to inject foot traffic into local neighborhood businesses. The initiative comes as local governments across Korea seek new avenues to boost domestic spending and support small merchants recovering from persistent economic headwinds. By bundling cultural programming with neighborhood commercial districts, city officials hope to capture tourism dollars that often evaporate once traditional daylig