10,000-Youth Festival to Be Held at Yeouido Park, Bringing Running, Music and More Together

[Financial News] A large-scale festival for 10,000 youths will be held at Seoul's Yeouido Park. The event will offer a range of programs, including 5K and 10K runs, vocal and band competitions, and basketball and dodgeball tournaments, allowing participants to enjoy sports, music and cultural experiences in one place. Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 23rd that it will host the '2026 Seoul Youth Festival' around the park's Culture Plaza from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on October 17. The event is open to youths and citizens alike.
This year's festival will be held under the theme 'Youth Energy ON, Filling Seoul with Our Colors!' and will feature four categories: challenge, support, participation and recovery. Running, music, sports and policy-experience programs will take place across four zones themed on the White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise, using Seoul Metropolitan Government's characters, Haechi and Soul Friends.
At the White Tiger Arena, the 'Mind Run' 5K and 10K races will be held under the theme 'When I Need Mental Strength, I Run.' The event was organized to raise awareness of youth mental health, giving participants an opportunity to experience the meaning of challenge and completion through running. Baseball commentators Park Yong-taik and Yoo Hee-kwan will also run alongside the participants.
The event venue will also feature a 'Mind Run Care Zone,' where specialists from the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association will provide mental-health assessments and counseling. A healing concert featuring singers KyoungSeo, Outsider and Sleepy will also be held.
The finals of the 'Youth Music Festival,' a vocal and band competition for young people, will take place at the Vermilion Bird Arena. A total of 20 teams—10 vocal groups and 10 bands selected through document and video screenings in July and preliminary rounds in August—will take the stage. Eight teams will receive awards across the categories, including the grand prize, top prize, excellence award and encouragement award. Outstanding participants will also be given opportunities to produce music and take part in performances.
At the Azure Dragon Arena, youths who passed preliminary rounds in Seoul's four regions will compete in sports and dance. Sixteen 3-on-3 basketball teams, eight girls' dodgeball teams and 16 creative dance teams will advance to the finals and compete for the titles. The winning teams will receive the Seoul Mayor's Award.
In addition, the Black Tortoise Arena will feature 45 hands-on promotional booths introducing policies related to youth, education and health. Seoul Metropolitan Government, municipal youth facilities and related organizations will participate and present various initiatives, including Youth Mongttang, Seoul Learn and drug prevention.
All programs except Mind Run are free and open to youths and citizens. Details about the event schedule and how to participate are available on the Youth Mongttang website and official Instagram account.
Lee Hae-sun, head of Seoul Metropolitan Government's Lifelong Education Bureau, said, "This is a festival where young people run, sing, compete, cheer each other on and share their energy," adding, "I hope it will be a time for them to gain confidence in taking on new challenges and grow together through sports, music, culture and hands-on experiences."

[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter