By Jong-il Park, Senior Reporter, Herald Economy A festival that puts children and teenagers at center stage—where they can freely showcase their talents and passions—will open.Songpa District will host the Songpa Children and Youth Festival at Seoul Nol-i Madang (Seoul Play Yard) on May 9.
Songpa is home to 84,942 children and adolescents (ages 0–17, as of the end of 2025), the largest youth population among Seoul’s 25 districts. For that reason, the district has steadily organized programs for young people. Now in its 11th year, the festival—under the theme "Dreaming Together, Opening Tomorrow"—is expected to bring together about 2,000 children and teens.
Thirteen interactive booths will open at 11 a.m., offering activities such as making calming perfumes, wooden key rings, fortune cookies, mission games, and photo-card crafting. Attendees who collect stamps at the booths can redeem churros, ice cream, or a four-shot photo booth print at the Stamp Tour Reward Zone.
The standout program this year is the Dance Challenge, modeled on the short-form video culture familiar to today’s youth. At the booth, participants can follow choreography to the song "Adults Don't Know," dance freestyle, and record videos on site.
The 1 p.m. opening ceremony will begin with performances by FBI, the dance team from Hallym Performing Arts High School, followed by the b-boy group MB Crew.
Children from the Songpa Ki-um Center and youths from the Youth Center will then sing the national anthem together to underscore unity. The festival will also present awards to young people and leaders recognized for volunteerism and acts of kindness.
The festival’s highlight starts at 2 p.m. with club performances by children and teens. Ten teams will showcase the skills they’ve honed in bands, dance, and Nanta percussion. Rapper Kim Haon, the winner of Mnet’s Show Me the Money 12, will close the event with a celebratory performance.
A Songpa official said, "We hope this festival gives students a chance to set aside academic stress for a day and make joyful memories with friends and family. We will continue working so children and adolescents in Songpa can freely dream about the future and grow up healthy and happy."
