The participatory AI festival, featuring 63 hands-on programs and more than 10 physical AI robots, comes to Seocho Culture and Arts Park on Saturday.
Seocho-gu in Seoul will host the "2026 Seocho AI Festa" on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Seocho Culture and Arts Park. The event marks the second anniversary of the district's designation as the "Yangjae AI Future Convergence Innovation Special Zone" and is designed to let residents experience and enjoy AI technology firsthand.
Now in its second year, the Seocho AI Festa is a participatory festival where residents can explore a wide range of AI technologies in everyday contexts and get a direct sense of the changes AI will bring. This year's edition is larger in scale and richer in content than last year's, with 52 companies and institutions taking part across 63 experience booths.
The district plans to go beyond simply displaying AI technology, offering a variety of programs that let residents see, touch and try things for themselves — making AI feel more approachable.
The festival is also expected to give Seocho-gu an opportunity to share with the community the progress it has made as an AI innovation hub, and to explore together the future potential of the district as an AI special zone.
The centerpiece of this year's festa is the "Physical AI Robot Zone," where visitors can encounter more than 10 different AI robots in one place. Visitors can observe the robots' movements and responses up close, try them out directly, and watch a variety of robot performances that vividly demonstrate how AI technology is being realized in the real world. Robot experience programs for the whole family — from children to adults — will also be on offer.
Alongside this, six themed "AI Experience Zones" will be set up using the letters of SEOCHO, covering AI in lifestyle, education, advanced technology, culture and arts and creative work, healthcare, and public services. Companies and institutions in the AI sector will participate directly, introducing their latest technologies and letting residents try out AI services they can use in their daily lives.
A range of distinctive programs for all ages will also be available. These include "Flying Catcher," a snack-dispensing experience powered by AI; "AI Gym on the Go," where visitors can check their health and try various exercises; and "Traveling AI Library," a space to browse AI-related books at leisure. A stamp tour — collect stamps by visiting multiple booths to win a gift — will add to the fun.
Alongside this, a special showcase will feature works created by residents themselves using AI. An exhibition of entries from the "AI Character Contest" — in which families used generative AI to design original characters — will be on display, and an awards ceremony will be held.
Winning entries will be produced as video content and released publicly, showing how residents' creative ideas can be transformed into new works through AI technology.
The main stage will host a lineup of programs blending AI technology with culture and the arts: a physical AI robot performance, an "AI Golden Bell" quiz competition testing AI knowledge, "AI Short Cinema" produced in collaboration with AI video production company Gooddeed AI Film Studio, an "AI Talk Concert" on the theme of AI technology and the future, and the AI Character Contest awards ceremony.
Because the festival takes place at Seocho Culture and Arts Park — a green space in the heart of the city — it is themed as an "AI Picnic," combining an autumn outing with AI experiences. Unlike conventional AI events centered on indoor exhibition halls, the open-air setting is designed so that families, friends and couples can linger freely and engage with cutting-edge technology in a relaxed atmosphere.
Particularly notable is the "AI Nomad Zone," set among trees and camping chairs, where visitors can see young people working freely with AI tools. The space is also open to all visitors to rest and reflect on — or talk about — the everyday life and future that AI will shape.
Food stalls and rest areas will be available throughout the grounds so visitors can enjoy the festival at their own pace. Visitors who bring their own tumblers will receive a free beverage from a coffee cart, encouraging eco-friendly habits.
The Seocho AI Festa is free and open to anyone with an interest in AI, though some programs require advance reservations. Full details are available on the official Seocho AI Festa website.
"I hope the Seocho AI Festa will be a time for residents to experience a wide range of AI technologies together with their families and come to understand artificial intelligence naturally," Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Sung-su said. "We will consistently expand opportunities for residents to experience and make use of AI technology in their everyday lives."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
