Seoul City is turning the entire downtown area into a cultural experience space in anticipation of the five-day Family Month holiday period spanning Labor Day and Children’s Day.
The city said on the 28th that it will operate cultural events for families from May 1 to 5 at major spaces including Namsan, Seoul Plaza, Gwanghwamun and the Han River, as well as key cultural facilities such as libraries, museums and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.
The lineup ranges from traditional culture experiences to reading, exhibitions, performances and spring festivals. The city said it is grouping the events under “Fun Seoul,” with the goal of turning the downtown area itself into one big playground.
High fuel prices and inflation were the starting point for planning the events. The aim is to draw family travelers who may be reluctant to take long-distance trips and keep them within the city.
Traditional cultural spaces will open their doors first. On May 5, Namsangol Hanok Village will host the “2026 Namsangol Children’s Village,” a participatory event bringing together traditional games, performances and hands-on programs. On the same day, Unhyeongung will stage “Children’s Day at Unhyeongung,” featuring fusion gugak, creative gugak and children’s songs performed with traditional instruments.
Namsan Bonghwadae will also be busy. The “Namsan Bonghwadae Children’s Day Festival,” centered on a reenactment of the beacon-fire ritual and combined with magic shows, children’s martial arts demonstrations and experience programs, will be held there. In front of Deoksugung’s Daehanmun Gate, children can take part in the royal guard changing ceremony, traditional martial arts demonstrations and gugak performances.
At Uijeongbuji Historic Site Plaza, where regular traditional cultural events are held every Saturday, a reenactment of “Yeolmu,” a Joseon-era military rite, and a “Seunggyeongdo” game experience will take place on May 2. On May 5, a special Children’s Day program will add traditional games such as pogurak, jegichagi and tuho, along with juggling and magic performances.
A holiday with books is also possible. “Reading Seoul Plaza,” which opens on May 1, will operate through May 5 with special Children’s Day programs.
A mini outdoor library will also be specially set up at the lawn square of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), while “Gwanghwamun Book Square,” which opened on the 23rd, and Cheonggyecheon’s “Reading Clear Stream” will welcome visitors throughout the holiday period.
Museums and art museums are joining in with hands-on programs as well. The Children’s Museum at the Seoul Museum of History will run workshop and experience programs under the title “Let’s Play in Hanyang!” At Gyeonghuigung, a reading program called “Read, Gyeonghuigung” will be held, along with an experiential special exhibition aimed at children.
At the Seoul Museum of Art Buk-Seoul Museum of Art, the “I Write, You Draw” program, where children create poems and drawings, will be offered, while the Seoul Museum of Photography will hold “Museum Exploration,” a photography appreciation education program for children.
The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is targeting family audiences. It will sequentially present six productions, including dance, ballet, film concerts, choir, Korean traditional music orchestra and musicals. A 30 percent discount applies when booking for three or more family members. Two outdoor opera productions staged at Gwanghwamun Square and along the Han River waterfront are also included.
The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold the “2026 Seoul Philharmonic Kids Concert – Classical Music Journey” at Lotte Concert Hall on May 2. It is a children’s concert that presents music by composers from around the world through classical performance and animation.
Outdoor spring festivals will also fill the holiday. “Festival Bombom,” a family arts festival organized by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, will run from May 1 to 9 at Nodeul Island, Seoul Forest and Seoseoul Lake Park. It is an integrated event combining four themed festivals.
There is more to see. The Seoul Spring Festival, the car-free Jamsu Bridge pedestrian festival, the Seoul International Garden Expo, the Hangang Festival-Spring, and the Seoul Children’s Garden Festival will be held simultaneously across the city.
Detailed schedules and locations can be found on the Seoul Culture Portal, the festival platform “Fun Seoul,” and the official websites and online promotional channels of each organization.
“These days, when high fuel prices make long-distance travel burdensome, Seoul’s cultural content alone can provide a rich holiday,” said Kim Tae-hee, head of the Seoul Culture Bureau. “We hope this holiday will be a time to make many special memories with your family at ‘Fun Seoul.’”