Four family festivals — gender equality, children's contest, sharing market and multicultural playground — unite at Maru Park on Saturday for the district's largest-ever celebration, featuring traditional culture from 15 countries and a pop-opera concert
Gangnam-gu will hold the "2026 Gangnam Family Harmony Festa" at Maru Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., aiming to foster a healthy family culture and strengthen community ties.
This year's event brings together four festivals that had previously been held separately: the Gender Equality Week event, the children's writing and drawing contest, the Family Sharing Market and the Family Multicultural Playground. The combined festival has been organized on the largest scale ever, so that all residents — regardless of gender, generation or cultural background — can enjoy the day together.
In honor of Gender Equality Week (Sept. 1–7 each year), the festival will open with a commendation ceremony recognizing residents who have contributed to promoting gender equality and community development, followed by a healing concert featuring a pop-opera performance.
The 37th Gangnam-gu Children's Writing and Drawing Contest will run alongside the main program. About 1,000 children are expected to take part and showcase their talents, while youth club members will operate hands-on experience booths for children and families.
The Family Sharing Market will see 40 family teams swap and sell secondhand goods. Twelve family activity programs — including bubble play, random prize draws, pet-rock making and sun-cap decorating — will run at experience booths, and a bubble show and storytelling performance will round out the children's program.
A Family Multicultural Playground will also be set up at the venue, where visitors can explore traditional cultures from 15 countries, including Italy, Belarus, Bolivia and Russia. Attendees can try on traditional costumes and play traditional instruments from around the world, and take part in board games and folk games.
Ten partner organizations and companies will join the festival — including UNICEF, Grand Korea Leisure, Kangwon Land, SH Corporation, Suseo Police Station, the Gangnam-gu Korean Medicine Association, Gangnam Ilwon Reading Room, Gangnam Senior Welfare Center, Yeoksam Youth Center and the Seoul Water Regeneration Facilities Corporation — contributing through experience booths, in-kind donations and venue support.
Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said the festival brings together the district's four major family events into one, the largest yet. "I hope many residents will join us to enjoy a festival where diversity of gender, generation and culture comes together beautifully, and create special, joyful memories," he said.
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