Seoul's 25 districts to showcase local culture at Gwanghwamun Square expo
A promotional poster for the 2026 Seoul Cultural Center Expo / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Local cultural centers from all of Seoul’s 25 districts will gather in Gwanghwamun Square on Wednesday to showcase their traditions and community arts, the city government said.
The 2026 Seoul Cultural Center Expo, now in its 10th year, will run from noon to 5:30 p.m. under the theme “Seoul, United Through Culture.” It is organized by the Seoul association of local cultural centers and sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Korea’s local cultural centers are community institutions in each district that research and preserve local history and culture and run arts programs for residents.
The expo will feature a performance stage, exhibition and hands-on booths, and a traditional games zone.
On the main stage, each center will present a signature performance, ranging from gugak, or traditional Korean music, and Korean dance to pungmul, a folk percussion genre, as well as choirs, saxophone and acoustic guitar. Two grand prize winners from this year’s citywide dance and gugak competition will give special performances. The Eunpyeong Cultural Center will perform a gyobang gutgeori dance, a refined dance form rooted in the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty. The Guro Cultural Center will perform utdari nongak, a style of farmers’ music from central Korea.
At booths across the square, the centers will introduce their districts’ history and culture. Visitors can try hanji, or traditional Korean paper, crafts, ink-brush calligraphy and pressed-flower art. They can also make small items decorated with folk painting and dancheong, the colorful patterns painted on traditional wooden buildings.
A folk games zone for families will offer jegichagi, a Korean game similar to hacky sack, and tuho, in which players toss arrows into a pot. Visitors can also try pounding steamed rice into rice cakes with a wooden mallet.
Admission is free. Visit festival.seoul.go.kr for more information.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.