365-Day Festival City... Linking Seasonal Festivals to Become a Global Top 5 City

'365 Festival City Seoul' Plan Announced
Connecting Four Seasonal Signature Festivals
Expanding from Downtown to the Han River

Seoul is transforming into a city of festivals all year round. The city has decided to connect its seasonal festivals, which have each been held once per year, into continuous events throughout the year, and to use the Han River as a primary stage.

On March 16, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its '365 Festival City Seoul' plan, stating its ambition to raise the global recognition of 'Festival City Seoul' and join the ranks of the world's top five cities.

2025 Seoul Winter Festival (Gwanghwamun Market) event scene. Seoul City

The core of the plan is branding Seoul as a '365-Day Festival City.' By connecting the four seasonal festivals that have each showcased the characteristics of their respective seasons since 2022—namely, the Seoul Spring Festival (spring), Leisurely Han River Triathlon Festival (summer), Seoul Autumn Festival (fall), and Seoul Winter Festival (winter)—the city intends to create a seamless flow of festivals throughout the year.

The city also plans to strengthen its global recognition as a festival city by applying the unified brand 'Fun Seoul' to all festivals. To this end, Seoul will develop a Fun Seoul brand identity (BI) and standardize the use of the term 'festival'—replacing the previously used 'festa,' which is based on other languages—with the English term 'festival' to make it easier for foreign tourists to understand.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the annual operation of the Spring Festival in 2022, Winter Festival in 2023, Leisurely Han River Triathlon Festival in 2024, and Autumn Festival in 2025 resulted in a dramatic increase in participation, from about 80,000 people in 2022 to approximately 13 million in 2025. The four major festivals also recorded about 340 million views on social media last year.

To achieve the goal of '365 Festival City Seoul,' the city will expand festival venues from the city center to the Han River, a Seoul landmark. Additionally, the city will greatly enhance hands-on programs that allow not only citizens but also tourists to participate, moving beyond spectator-oriented festivals.

First, the flagship spring event, the 'Seoul Spring Festival,' will be expanded into a comprehensive festival that connects K-content, performances, culture, and tourism. The festival period will be extended from last year’s 7 days to 26 days, and the main festival stage will move to the Han River, where a variety of waterfront events will take place.

The '2026 Seoul Spring Festival' will be held from April 10 to May 5 at Yeouido, Ttukseom, and Banpo Hangang Parks under the theme 'Ride the Seoul Vibe.' The main program, 'Big Show' (including Wonder Show, Signature Show, Road Show, and Drone Light Show), will feature a wide range of cultural and artistic performances representing K-culture, as well as unique programs utilizing the Han River, such as a carousel on the water. Starting with the 'Drone Light Show' on the opening day, April 10, a variety of spring events are planned, including the 'Hangang University Song Festival' at Jamwon Hangang Park and the 'Seoul Circus Festival' at Nodeul Island.

The Leisurely Han River Triathlon Festival, a citizen-participation summer sports festival based on swimming, cycling, and running, will introduce a new 'intermediate' category this year, in addition to the existing 'advanced' and 'beginner' categories, to further segment difficulty levels. The festival will also expand its relaxation and experience programs, strengthening its identity as a sports festival that offers healing and enjoyment. The '2026 Leisurely Han River Triathlon Festival' will take place from June 5 to June 7 in the areas of Ttukseom and Jamsil Hangang Parks.

The 'Seoul Autumn Festival,' which began last year and returns for its second edition this year, will present a variety of autumn performing arts works and festivals under a unified brand. This year, the festival period will be extended by about a month, running for a total of 72 days, and will feature 204 performing arts works and festivals throughout the fall. From September 19 to November 29, the festival will be held across Seoul, including the Han River, offering 204 public and private performing arts works encompassing creation, participation, and international exchange. The festival will focus on Daehakro, an area with a rich history of performing arts creation, and will strategically place creative performances of artistic value there. Through connections with performance halls, local businesses, and cultural spaces across Seoul, the goal is to establish Seoul as 'the city to visit for performing arts.'

The 'Seoul Winter Festival,' which achieved 'ten million seller' status last year with about 11 million visitors, has established itself as a leading winter festival featuring light and media art. This year, it will showcase large-scale content linking the Han River and nighttime cityscapes. The '2026 Seoul Winter Festival' will run from December 4 until January 31 of the following year at locations including the Han River, Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, Bosingak, and DDP.

In addition to the four seasonal festivals, Seoul will revamp the 'Fun Seoul' website so that people can easily access information on various city, district, and private sector festivals taking place year-round. The city will also provide personalized information through AI chatbots and other means. An annual 'festival calendar' and 'festival map' will make it easy for users to find desired information.

Taehee Kim, Director of Culture at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "Through the revitalization of festivals, we aim to attract 30 million foreign visitors to Seoul this year, 60 million visitors to the four seasonal festivals, and generate an economic impact of 500 billion won. Based on the power of festivals, we will rapidly elevate Seoul's brand recognition and secure a spot among the world's top five cities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.