Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 Seoul Autumn Festa on Friday evening at the waterfront stage of Ttukseom Hangang Park, celebrating the launch of the festival and watching the opening performance.
The opening declaration was made through an AI-generated video featuring Oh.
Now in its second year after launching last year, the Seoul Autumn Festa brings together a range of performing arts productions and festivals under one umbrella each autumn. This year's edition runs 73 days — from Friday through Nov. 29 — across the Han River and venues throughout Seoul, with the festival period extended by about a month. A total of 262 performing arts works spanning original productions, participatory programs and international exchanges, from both public and private organizers, are on offer.
Daehangno, the historic heart of Seoul's performing arts scene, will serve as the central hub, with a concentration of artistically ambitious original productions. The city plans to link the festival to performance venues, local commercial districts and cultural spaces across Seoul as part of its vision to make the city a destination people travel to specifically for the performing arts.
"As the cool autumn breeze blows along the Han River, the 2026 Seoul Autumn Festa finally opens its curtain today, Friday," Oh said. "No fewer than 262 performances are ready at venues along the Han River and on streets throughout the city." He added that Seoul had become "a cultural and arts hub that people from around the world come to enjoy," and pledged to "keep preparing a rich lineup of performances so that everyone can make wonderful, happy memories here in this proud city of Seoul with their families and loved ones."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
