Marking Family Month in May, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will run programs for families and teenagers using downtown cultural spaces and parks. The plan bundles festivals that offer cultures from around the world, free performances for students, children's garden events, and the creation of urban rest areas into citizen-participation events.
The biggest event is the 2026 Seoul World Cities Culture Festival, to be held May 9-10 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Marking its 30th anniversary this year, the festival will feature participation from embassies and cultural centers of 73 countries. Food from about 30 countries, desserts from 19 countries, and promotional booths from 45 embassies will be set up, along with world cultural performances, film screenings, and traditional costume and traditional games experiences.
This year, organizers expanded spaces aimed at family visitors. They will newly operate Kids Play Zone, a children's experience space, and Seoul Popup Library, where visitors can rest and read. The event will run from noon to 9 p.m. over two days.
Cultural programs for teenagers will continue through the end of the year. Starting this month through December, the city will run Spring Day of Performances, a free performance program for about 80,000 elementary, middle, and high school students and their families. Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will take part and present performances.
The operating approach also segments audiences. On weekdays, the focus is on school group viewings, while on weekends and evenings, family viewing programs are offered. Opportunities for students at special schools and out-of-school youth will also be expanded. Organizers will provide educational materials before performances and connect post-viewing experience programs so the event is not limited to passive viewing.
Around Children's Day, park events will be concentrated. At Seoul Children's Grand Park, the 2026 Seoul Children's Garden Festival will run from the 5th to the 18th. The city will create a Garden Gallery of about 12,000 square meters, shaping the gardens into spaces for exhibition, experience, and rest.
During the festival, there will be guided garden tours, making and drawing experiences, a children's stamp tour, and cultural performances. On Children's Day, an orchestra concert, live painting, and a children's musical will be held, and on weekends there will be craft experiences, a stroller race, and outdoor concerts.
At Seoul Forest, a rest-focused garden called Welcome Garden will be set up. Centered on the Sky Fun Pavilion, the symbolic space of the Seoul International Garden Expo, it is designed so citizens can look up at the sky and relax. The pavilion is an open structure installed in the park that provides both shade and rest functions.
Welcome Garden will feature layered canopies, large shade facilities, beanbags, and mobile benches. A lawn of about 1,000 square meters will be used as a multipurpose space for busking and workshops. At night, lighting in a morning yellow color will create a nighttime landscape.
Through these events, the city aims to enable children, teenagers, and family units to enjoy cultural experiences and rest within the urban center. Kim Su-deok, the city's director-general for global city policy, said, "I hope the Seoul World Cities Culture Festival will serve as an opportunity to spread the value of cultural exchange that has continued for 30 years," adding, "We will continue to create venues where Seoul and the world communicate through culture."