Seoul to host Night Festival Week alongside youth hockey championship

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching the ‘Seoul Night Festival Week’ at Jamwon Hangang Park from September 6 to 11. This initiative is designed to integrate international sports with nighttime cultural tourism to boost the local economy.

The festival is timed to coincide with the ‘2026 Seoul World Youth Hockey Championship,’ which features approximately 300 youth athletes from six regions, including South Korea, China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Macau. While hockey matches take place during the day, the evenings will feature a diverse lineup of private cultural events, including DJing, rock music, magic, circus performances, and dance festivals.

By linking sports, performances, and tourism into a single itinerary, the city aims to transform sports spectators into nighttime tourists. This strategy seeks to increase the duration of visitor stays in the Hangang area, thereby stimulating consumption in nearby commercial districts through increased spending on food, shopping, and transportation.