The Gyeonggi Suwon World Cup Foundation plans to fully open Suwon World Cup Stadium on Children's Day, May 5, as part of an effort to make the venue a daily public asset rather than a facility used only for major matches.
On May 5 the foundation will stage the \"2026 Children's Day Main Stadium Opening Event — World Cup Stadium Playpark\" across the main field and the Central Plaza. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizers say the program is designed to shift the stadium’s role from a place you only watch events to one you actively use. After drawing roughly 20,000 visitors last year, they expanded this year’s lineup by linking activities across the main stadium and the Central Plaza.
At the main stadium, the schedule includes the Bebepin Happy Concert, a Pinkfong and Ttunteun Teacher dance party, a Robocar Poli sing-along and a character parade. The Central Plaza will host Hello Carbot performances, a magic show, a bubble show and a tall-clown act.
Hands-on offerings pair safety instruction with education. Suwon South and Hwaseong fire stations will run fire-safety drills, and the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency will offer demonstrations of police motorcycles and its mounted unit. The Gyeonggi Sports Council and Gyeonggi Disabled Sports Council will lead community-sports sessions. Other activities include barista workshops, traditional games, AI fitness challenges, multicultural play and child-safety bracelet making.
The stadium’s interior and grounds will feature inflatable bounce houses, oversized character photo zones and a trackless train. A young farmers' market organized by the Gyeonggi 4-H Federation and a social-economy \"Awesome Market\" will connect the event to the local economy.
Observers say the event is a practical example of how public facilities can be repurposed. Since hosting large international matches, the stadium has struggled with underuse. The foundation opted for open, community-focused programming to boost utilization and public access.
Opening the stadium free to children and families underscores its function as a public good returned to the community. The effort reflects a broader shift: venues once active only on game days are being reimagined as everyday cultural and athletic platforms.
The foundation is also beefing up on-site safety: joint inspections with related agencies, medical support booths and deployed safety personnel are all part of the plan.
Kim Hwa-jun, the foundation’s secretary-general, said, \"We've prepared the stadium as an open festival space. Visitors can enjoy performances, hands-on activities and the local market together.\"
Whether this experiment will remain a one-off or evolve into a sustained public-use model will depend on the operators' policy commitment and long-term follow-through.
/Jang Seon, Reporter now482@incheonilbo.com
