Seongsu-dong transforms into city-wide festival ground for '2026 Creative×Seongsu'

Seongsu-dong in Seoul's Seongdong-gu has transformed into a sprawling festival ground. Music drifts through every alley, fashion shows unfold on the streets, and cultural venues and brand stores across the neighborhood have become interactive stages for visitors.

The "2026 Creative×Seongsu" global cultural and creative industries festival is running Monday through Sunday across Seongsu-dong for seven days, bringing together the neighborhood's creative industries and cultural content — from music and gaming to fashion, beauty, art and webtoons — in one place.

The event is led by companies and creators based in Seongsu-dong and supported by the public sector, including Seongdong-gu and the Seongdong Cultural Foundation. It is an urban festival that combines the neighborhood's industrial strength with its cultural appeal.

The festival has grown rapidly since its debut in 2023. About 50,000 people took part in nine program categories that first year. The 2024 edition expanded to 11 categories and drew around 160,000 visitors. Last year, 230,000 people participated across 13 program categories, cementing the event as Seongsu-dong's signature cultural festival.

This year's theme is "Creative Metamorphosis," capturing the process by which technology, art and urban space converge to produce new content. Organizers have also strengthened connections between individual programs so visitors can experience not just specific venues but the full breadth of Seongsu-dong's alleys, streets and corporate spaces.

Where technology meets art — exhibitions linking Seongsu-dong's past, present and future

One of this year's highlights is a thematic exhibition that expands on the previous culture-technology convergence content fair known as the CT Fair.

The exhibition opened with a ceremony Thursday evening and features eight installations in total, including "Urban Rhythm," which combines city media art by d'strict with choreography footage by dancers from the Anseong-su Pick Up Group.

"Seongsu Spectacula 2026" also makes its debut, turning Seongsu-dong's outdoor spaces into a single stage through a fusion of dance, installation art, video and sound.

Interactive exhibits round out the offering. "City Palimpsest" lets visitors select a location from an old map of Seongsu-dong and see what that spot looks like today rendered in 3D, allowing them to compare the neighborhood's past and present and trace how it has changed over time.

At "City Seed," visitors leave their own thoughts and choices on themes related to the future city — mobility, technology and space. The exhibit goes beyond passive viewing, inviting residents to collectively imagine and shape what the city might become.

The thematic exhibition runs free of charge Thursday through Sunday on the first and third floors of Building D at S Factory.

Opportunities for creators, new experiences for residents

Programs for cultural industry professionals and creators have also been significantly expanded this year.

Lectures and investment-pitching programs that previously ran separately by category have been consolidated into a single "Summit (Conference & Pitch)" format. Running Thursday through Sunday at S Factory Building D, the Summit comprises conferences in seven fields and pitch sessions in five.

The social impact track will feature expert presentations and discussions on social connection through branding. The art track will address sustainable creative ecosystems amid rapid AI development and offer a showcase where emerging and early-career artists can present their work and explore exhibition opportunities.

In the webtoon track, aspiring artists will present their work directly to representatives from major platforms and agencies, including Kakao Entertainment and KidariStudio. Top participants will be considered for follow-up opportunities such as platform serialization reviews, agency matching and studio employment referrals.

Professionals and creators from gaming, lifestyle, youth, beauty, investment and cultural technology sectors will also take part, sharing insights on industry shifts and new business possibilities.

Alleys as game boards, streets as runways — all of Seongsu-dong becomes a festival venue

There is no shortage of programs for visitors who want to get up and move.

"Play Seongsu," an urban escape-game experience that drew about 11,000 participants last year, returns with a new storyline called "Color Adventure." Using a mobile app and website, participants hunt down landmarks across Seongsu-dong and complete missions, turning familiar alleys and spaces into a game map.

The "Seongsu Art Fair" features an exhibition of works by 75 emerging artists alongside media art pieces created using AI algorithms.

On Saturday, a stretch of Seongsu-iro will be converted into a stage for fashion shows and performances. "Fashion Seongsu" will host a runway show featuring high school designers and models, while "Music Seongsu" will present a variety of outdoor performances at spots throughout the neighborhood.

That same day, "ARCHIVE-K Live in SEONGSU" — featuring Lee Gi-chan, Transfixion and Romantic Punch — will take the outdoor stage on Seongsu-iro in front of Exit 3 of Seongsu Station. Saturday and Sunday, "The Bridge Festival" will run through a cluster of cultural venues stretching from Seoul Forest-gil to Ttukseom Station, with Korean musicians performing across genres including fusion jazz, indie pop, electronic music, psychedelic rock and hip-hop.

The food program "Tasty Seongsu" rounds out the lineup. Popular Seongsu-dong restaurants will offer complimentary items and discount events, and PUBG Seongsu near Seoul Forest will host a retro chimaek — fried chicken and beer — party themed around PUBG: Battlegrounds.

"Beauty Seongsu" will feature pop-up events with beauty companies and influencers. "Webtoon Seongsu" will showcase works by graduating students from Hanyang Women's University's webtoon program, and "Tour Seongsu" will run guided tours through the neighborhood's brand spaces and local residents' stories.

"Seongsu Made" will tie into Seongdong-gu's urban regeneration project with a craft market and hands-on activities, while "Film Seongsu" will screen feature films and short films from around the world at Seongsu Art Hall and Seoul Forest.

Seongsu-dong's future, built together by companies, creators and residents

Super Junior member Lee Teuk serves as this year's festival ambassador — his third consecutive year in the role, following 2024 and 2025 — promoting Seongsu-dong's creative industries and cultural appeal.

Seongsu-dong has evolved from a manufacturing-centered industrial district into a space where fashion, beauty, content, IT and cultural arts converge. The festival gives residents a chance to experience the fruits of that transformation firsthand while connecting companies and creators with one another.

Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said the festival is "a celebration where companies, creators, spaces and residents who have gathered in Seongsu connect with one another and create new possibilities," adding that she hopes it will be "a special experience where visitors can encounter the creative energy and fresh appeal that Seongsu-dong has to offer."

Detailed schedules and program information are available through the official website, Instagram and the festival's integrated information system, Infodio.