Autumn, Taking a Break with Art... From Urban Forest Healing Festivals to Local Performances

[Financial News] With the arrival of autumn, opportunities to encounter culture and arts are being prepared in urban forests and performance venues close to daily life. The 'Urban Forest Art Healing Festival,' designed to soothe weary minds through artistic activities, is being held in four regions across the country, while five local art groups will meet Seoul audiences at the Seoul Arts Center through the '2026 Re:bound Festival.'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Education Foundation announced on the 8th that they will hold the 'Urban Forest Art Healing Festival' in four regions across the country, including Yangcheon and Eunpyeong in Seoul, Suncheon in South Jeolla Province, and Geumjeong in Busan, throughout the month of October.
Urban Forest Art Therapy is a program that supports citizens in enhancing emotional stability and resilience by experiencing cultural and artistic activities in urban forests close to their daily lives.
This year, in collaboration with five regional cultural foundations nationwide, we are operating programs that reflect the characteristics of urban forests in residential areas, such as parks and gardens, as well as local resources. A total of 21 programs, including meditation, traditional music, and movement therapy, will be held 240 times.
In particular, based on the achievements and operational experience of projects promoted in urban forests nationwide over the past three years (2023–2025), this year the project has been expanded and transformed into a ‘neighborhood urban forest art therapy’ project that links local cultural foundations with local resources.

The Urban Forest Art Therapy Program continues regionally until November. Following the Samcheok Cultural Foundation's presentation of a regional festival last May, regional festivals will be held in Yangcheon and Eunpyeong in Seoul, Suncheon in South Jeolla Province, and Geumjeong in Busan in October.
The festival begins with 'Cozy Forest, Yangcheon Park' at Yangcheon Park in Seoul on the 10th, followed by 'From Forest to Breath' at Suncheon Bay National Garden on the 17th, 'Green Sound, Colored' at Nokbeonseo Neighborhood Park and Eunpyeong Arts Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul on the 24th and 25th, and continues with 'Gyeol: Urban Forest, Connecting the Texture of the Heart' at SpoOne Park in Geumjeong-gu, Busan on the 24th.
Regional festivals operate cultural arts healing programs that utilize the unique characteristics of each urban forest. These include: the Yangcheon Cultural Foundation’s forest wellness program (utilizing breathing, movement, and meditation); the Suncheon Cultural Foundation’s participatory performance and experience program (utilizing singing bowls, percussion instruments, etc.); the Eunpyeong Cultural Foundation’s immersive art healing program (utilizing barefoot breathing, movement, and meditation); and the Geumjeong Cultural Foundation’s sense-based healing program for reflecting on the body and mind (utilizing the senses of nature and soundscapes).
Director Im Jin-taek stated, "We prepared this festival to provide an opportunity for the public to experience culture and art in urban forests across the country and care for their minds weary from daily life." He added, "We will continue to discover culture and art healing models that connect local urban forests with cultural and artistic resources, and expand the foundation for community-led culture and art healing so that the public can experience rest and recovery close to their daily lives."


Regional performing arts originating from Cheongju, Jinju, Geoje, Pohang, and Jeongeup will meet new audiences at the Seoul Arts Center. Five works will take the stage, exploring diverse themes ranging from traditional folktales to science fiction literature and world masterpieces through theater, tradition, and dance.
The Seoul Arts Center announced on this day that it will participate in the '2026 Re:bound Festival,' hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and co-organized with the Arts Management Support Center. The Re:bound Festival is a project that brings outstanding regional performances to the stages of major venues in Seoul to spread them nationwide. This year, the festival will be held from the 16th to November 14th at nine venues in Seoul.
From October 18 to November 14, the Seoul Arts Center’s Jayu Theater will sequentially present works by five groups selected as Representative Regional Arts Organizations for consecutive years (2025–2026). Arts groups based in Cheongju (North Chungcheong Province), Jinju and Geoje (South Gyeongsang Province), Pohang (North Gyeongsang Province), and Jeongeup (North Jeolla Province) will expand their performance stages by meeting with Seoul audiences.
The Kkokdu Gwangdae Theater Company from Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, opens the festival with 'Tteokbo and the Arirang Five Passes Tiger: In Search of the Missing Grandmother.' It is a family mask play that reinterprets traditional culture, such as Cheongju folktales, folk songs, and mask dance, in a modern way.
Next, the Hyun Jang Theater Company from Jinju, Gyeongnam, presents 'Pinogio'. It is a family play that offers a fresh take on familiar fairy tales by combining them with traditional Korean performing arts, such as puppet shows and lion dances, and folktales.
"The Story of Ms. Seonnyeo" by the Yedo Theater Company in Geoje, Gyeongnam, reflects on the meaning of parents and family through the story of a son returning after 15 years and his family. "If We Cannot Go at the Speed ​​of Light" by the Gil Theater Company in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, is based on the novel of the same name by author Kim Cho-yeop and embodies sci-fi imagination and human values ​​and emotions on stage.
Finally, the festival concludes with the Jeonbuk Ballet Theater in Jeongeup, Jeonbuk, presenting 'The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy's Adventures.' This production reinterprets the classic fairy tale through a stage blending ballet, magic, and street dance.
[email protected] Shin Jin-ah Reporter