Art Trees Grow 'By Leaps and Bounds'... Festival Concludes as Arts Council Korea Trains Arts Sponsorship Professionals

[Financial News] The festival may be over, but the fun continues. The '2026 Art for:rest Festival' will reconnect with the public through YouTube videos by creators who captured the cheers and excitement from the event. Even those unable to attend in person can experience the festival online, including surprise live performances and vivid audience reactions. ARKO plans to use the videos to offer more people diverse ways to enjoy culture and the arts while broadening interest in arts sponsorship. 
According to ARKO on the 6th, the '2026 Art for:rest Festival WITH Background Live' concluded successfully on the 3rd at Seoul Children's Grand Park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
Since its launch in 2023, the ARKO Art for:rest Festival has attracted attention with diverse lineups featuring artists such as Sumi Jo, Kim Chang-wan Band and Choi Jae-rim. It offers people an opportunity to support the performing arts ecosystem while enjoying the festival.
This year's festival invited arts and culture supporters without requiring tickets. A total of 700 people attended: 350 supporters selected by lottery from among 1,821 people who donated at least 5,000 won to the Theatre Tomorrow Fund, along with one companion each.
This year, the festival collaborated with JAYKEEOUT's 'Background Live' to introduce a new format that could be enjoyed without a fixed timetable or stage.
10CM, Urban Zakapa and Eric Nam made surprise appearances at various locations throughout Seoul Children's Grand Park to meet the audience. A live performance by the previously veiled hidden artist Baek Ji-young added to the excitement. Performances by AnnoyingBox and pianist Yoonhan were also held, along with flash mobs featuring the play 'Cruise' and the musicals 'SIX' and 'A Tale of Two Cities.'
Around the performance areas, the festival also featured various sponsorship-linked activity spaces, including Foodinko's F&B booth, a JOGUMAN character photo zone, a Sinieo Market merchandise zone, Geuryeobori's 'Portraits Your Way' and 'Romance on a Typewriter.'
Major events held at the Art for:rest Festival will be produced as JAYKEEOUT's 'Background Live' content and released on YouTube. 

YouTube creators also took part at the event as 'sponsorship partners' who promoted arts and culture giving in a friendly way. KWONTTOTTO, Juhoda and JAYKEEOUT participated in sponsorship activities at the 'Giving Participation Zone' by using the distinctive content of their respective channels. Jo Hyun Ah's Ordinary Thursday Night provided additional entertainment for the audience through programs such as 'I'll Continue the Song.'
Lee Beom-heon said, "This year's Art for:rest Festival is meaningful because it lowered the barrier to arts sponsorship by using YouTube, a familiar new-media platform, to make it more accessible to the public. We hope a new culture will emerge in which arts sponsorship becomes a familiar part of everyday life, like play and festivals. I thank all the supporters who took part."
Meanwhile, all funds raised through advance applications and on-site programs at the festival will be used for the Theatre Tomorrow Fund. The Theatre Tomorrow Fund is ARKO's flagship fundraising campaign, launched after donations from actors Shin Goo and Park Geun-hyung. It supports the growth of young theater artists and sustainable artistic activities.

Meanwhile, ARKO is also stepping up efforts to train arts sponsorship professionals. Starting today, the 2026 Arts Sponsorship Intermediary Professional Training Course, 'Artners Club Season 7,' will be offered. 
'Artners Club' is an educational program designed to train arts sponsorship intermediaries who facilitate communication and exchange between donors—individuals, companies and institutions—and sponsorship recipients, including arts and cultural organizations and artists, helping to promote active sponsorship in the arts and culture sector. Launched in 2020, the program enters its seventh season this year.
The introductory course consists of online foundational training and in-person special lectures tailored to different groups. The advanced course will be offered through two tracks. Track 1 is for fundraising, sponsorship and accounting staff at regional foundations. Following online training on the 20th, in-person sessions will be held in four regions: Seoul on the 28th, Wednesday; Chungcheong, in Sejong Special Self-Governing City, on the 30th, Friday; Honam, in Jeonju, on November 4, Wednesday; and Yeongnam, in Daegu, on November 6, Friday.
Track 2 is for arts organizations, artists and planners. It will be held in Seoul over two days, November 16 and 17.
A specialized course for representatives and practitioners of companies engaged in mecénat activities will be held in Seoul on the 23rd. On November 23, a networking day will take place at Artists' House in Jongno-gu, Seoul, bringing together graduates from 2020 through 2025 and participants in the 2026 program.
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter