Gangseo-gu to hold youth arts festival 'Art Runway' at Magok Culture Street

Seoul's Gangseo-gu will host the Gangseo Youth Culture and Arts Festival, "Art Runway," on Saturday at Magok Culture Street in front of Space K Seoul, running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The event goes beyond simply inviting young artists to participate in a local festival — they take the lead in every stage of planning, from choosing the theme and designing the program to selecting participants. The festival was selected as a 2026 Gangseo-gu resident participatory budget project.

The festival's name, "Art Runway," draws on the image of an airplane taking off from a runway, likening young artists to planes ready to soar — spreading their potential and launching their careers from the local community.

The event weaves together three narratives under the slogan "Youth Art Takes Off from Gangseo": the district's iconic Gimpo Airport, the growth of the Magok area, and the rise of young local artists.

Rather than centering the event around a single stage, organizers have spread exhibition, performance and hands-on activity spaces across the entire street, creating a walkable street festival.

An exhibition zone opening at 10 a.m. will showcase works by 10 young artists. A hands-on activity zone called "Playground" will offer programs including terrarium-making, music listening sessions and face painting.

A highlight is the "1st Gangseo Paper Plane King," an interactive event where visitors write their dreams on paper, fold it into a plane and throw it. Starting at 1 p.m., a performance zone will host a concert featuring 10 teams of young artists performing across genres including K-pop, acoustic, fusion gugak and hip-hop.

The festival will be held alongside the "Local Brand Festival," part of a local commercial district development project called "Magok Art Street" that was selected through a Seoul Metropolitan Government competition this year.

"I hope this 'Art Runway,' planned and carried out by young artists themselves, becomes a launchpad for them to soar toward their dreams, and a moment of rich, everyday rest for residents," Gangseo-gu District Mayor Jin Kyo-hoon said. "We will continue to offer diverse cultural support so that young artists can freely showcase their talents in this community."

Meanwhile, Gangseo-gu will hold the Heo Jun Festival at the lawn grounds of Seoul Botanic Park and the Magok Plaza area Oct. 10-11. The Heo Jun Festival is the district's signature cultural event honoring Heo Jun, the author of the Dongui Bogam, who was born in Gangseo-gu and carried out much of his writing there. On Saturday, the district held a preview event, "Heo Jun Intro Festival," ahead of the main festival.