Discover the Exciting Events of Seoul Kids Week 2026: Free Activities and Fun for Families!
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First-ever ‘Seoul Kids Week’ runs May 1–7
About 60 Seoul-style kids’ cafes open free
Design festival at DDP
Busan offers science activities and performances
Daejeon, Gwangju and Daegu stage play-filled events
With May approaching, municipalities and public institutions across the country are rolling out events for kids and families—so many that a lot of places will feel like playgrounds. From big, festival-style programs in Seoul to hands-on events at regional science and cultural centers, the period around Children’s Day has turned into a bona fide weeklong kids festival.
On the 26th, local officials announced that Seoul will stage its first-ever Seoul Kids Week citywide from May 1 to 7. The city has packaged play and childcare offerings across public, private and urban spaces, centering them on Seoul-style kids’ cafes. Expect free admission on Children’s Day, discounts at private kids’ cafes, and the opening of new nature-friendly playgrounds.
On Children’s Day itself, May 5, all Seoul-style kids’ cafes will stay open and roll out special programming—magic shows, classical-instrument workshops and quirky attractions like the “Bumper Car Boogie.” About 60 Seoul-style kids’ cafes will be free that day, and officials will draw 555 paying visitors to receive free passes in a raffle.
Eleven “Here & There Kids Cafes,” which normally open on weekends in parks and plazas, will offer free admission on May 2–3. Four key hubs—including Yeouido Hangang Park and Buk Seoul Dream Forest—will extend hours through May 4–5 so families can enjoy them across the long holiday.
On May 1, the opening day of the 2026 Seoul International Garden Expo, Seoul Forest will debut an outdoor, forest-playground version of a Seoul-style kids’ cafe called Green Green, open without reservations. The Seoul Botanic Park’s Plant Culture Center will open a Lego-garden–themed indoor Seoul-style kids’ cafe on the fourth floor on April 28, operating by timed reservations for kids ages 4–9.
The Seoul Design Foundation will host a Children’s Design Festival outdoors at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) from May 2–5. Branded as \”DDP Land: A Child’s Perfect Day,\” the festival will split the site into Toy Park, Design Park and Family Park. Families can swap or donate toys, take part in a Kid Toy Shop program, play mission-based games, join artist-led drawing sessions, explore an outdoor family library, and enjoy bubble and balloon-magic shows—plus a family game called the Champion Kid Challenge. Seoul’s flagship children’s exhibition and education center, the Seoul Children’s Museum, will also run special Children’s Day programs.
Major cities across the country are staging seasonal kids-and-family lineups in May. In Busan, the National Busan Science Museum will present a science event called the Tuk-tuk Family Challenge across its outdoor plaza and DreamNarae Hill over the Children’s Day holiday. Around the same time, Busan Democracy Park will feature a mix of performances, exhibitions and hands-on activities, turning the urban park into a seasonal kids’ cultural hub.
In Daejeon, the Yuseong Hot Spring Culture Festival runs May 8–10 at Yurim Park in Yuseong-gu. Combining a street parade with performances and experience booths that highlight Yuseong’s hot springs and its science-city character, the festival offers a full-day family outing. Water-gun battles, street performances and character parades will keep the fun going and turn the hot-spring streets into an outdoor playground for kids and teens.
In Daegu, the first week of May brings staggered family events across venues like the National Daegu Science Museum, the Children’s Center and local district offices. The National Daegu Science Museum’s Family Festival will concentrate hands-on robot and drone experiences, science experiments, and bubble and magic shows during the holiday. Districts including Suseong and Buk will follow with performance-and-experience festivals and play events that same week.
In Gwangju, the National Gwangju Science Museum will run concentrated science-experience programs for kids and families around Children’s Day and on additional weekends. The National Asia Culture Center (ACC) plans a monthlong family festival in May that bundles performances, exhibitions and interactive programs for children and families.
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