Songpa-gu to hold garden festival at newly reopened Sincheon Neighborhood Park

Songpa-gu in Seoul will host the "2026 Songpa Garden Culture Festa — Songpa, a Garden City We Grow Together" on Thursday and Friday at Sincheon Neighborhood Park, which opens to the public for the first time on Thursday.

On the first day, a gardening workshop will open at 10 a.m. at a pop-up garden designed by Songpa community gardeners and residents. At 2 p.m., the Korean Grass Flute Association will take the stage for a performance titled "Songs Sung with Grass Leaves," followed by a garden-themed quiz show at 3 p.m.

Two concerts by young Songpa artists are also on the program. A classical chamber music set by Ayuni is scheduled for noon, and a brass quintet by Moment M will fill the autumn garden with music at 5:30 p.m.

On Friday, the festival kicks off at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony marking both the garden culture festival and the official reopening of Sincheon Neighborhood Park. A classical string quartet by the Alles String Quartet Ensemble follows at noon, and a busking performance by local office workers rounds out the afternoon at 3 p.m.

Also on the second day, garden designer Hwang Ji-hae will give a talk at 3 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Songpa-gu district office. Hwang has won three gold medals at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in the United Kingdom and will share her experiences showcasing the value and potential of Korean garden design on the world stage.

A range of participatory programs invites visitors to see, create and unwind. A "Garden Gallery" lets visitors stroll through a curated display of photographs capturing Songpa's distinctive gardens, while a "Poetry Garden" pairs garden scenery with verse. An outdoor reading space called the "Garden Library" offers a quiet retreat in the cool autumn breeze.

Family-friendly attractions include a miniature garden train for children, a character photo zone, a garden goods flea market where visitors can browse and buy, and a neighborhood garden booth offering grass-flute experiences and nature-material necklace making.

District Mayor Seo Gang-seok said the festival was prepared with care "to raise the brand value of Songpa as a livable garden city and to build garden culture into the everyday lives of residents." He added that he hoped all visitors — Songpa residents, local workers and tourists from home and abroad — would enjoy the remarkable transformation of Sincheon Neighborhood Park and its distinctive garden culture.

Sincheon Neighborhood Park has a long history as a children's traffic safety education site. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency operated it as a children's traffic park from 1983, with Songpa-gu owning the land while the agency — through the Songpa Police Station — managed day-to-day operations. The facility taught children traffic rules through hands-on experiences such as crossing crosswalks, overpasses, underpasses and railway crossings.

Safety concerns arose as the aging structures began to deteriorate, and the park closed on May 23, 2024, after parts of structures fell. Once the park — which had included a children's playground — shut down, local residents repeatedly petitioned Songpa-gu to reopen it. In response, the district held multiple consultations with local lawmakers and relevant agencies beginning in February last year, eventually taking over operational authority from the Songpa Police Station.

The district completed emergency repairs — including a full facility inspection and the removal of hazardous structures — by late May last year, then partially reopened the park to residents during daytime hours in June, restoring access to the playground and walking paths. The park was subsequently renovated to fully reclaim its role as a neighborhood park. Songpa-gu will open Sincheon Neighborhood Park fully to residents starting Thursday. The revamped park features a garden support center, a moss garden, an outdoor library and a playground, reborn as a multipurpose wellness park.