Poster for the 2026 Daegu Contents Fair, the fifth edition of the annual event. [Provided by Daegu city government]
Poster for the 2026 Daegu Contents Fair, the fifth edition of the annual event. [Provided by Daegu city government]

The 2026 Daegu Contents Fair, a showcase of the city's content industry past and present, will open Friday at Exco in Daegu for a two-day run.

Held under the slogan "Play Contents, Experience Daegu," the fifth edition of the annual fair is organized by the city of Daegu and operated by Exco, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education.

A total of 160 companies from the gaming, webtoon and publishing sectors will take part, filling 433 booths across the venue.

Scheduled programs include an indie game scale-up investor relations pitching session, an export consultation fair, an esports festival, a game developers conference, a talk concert featuring invited webtoon artists, a publishing and printing trends seminar, a creator talk show, a cosplay festa and a Play Media Village.

In the gaming segment, Kakao Games — making its debut at the fair this year — will run a demo booth for its upcoming title "Dokkaebi's World" together with Red Ice Studio, giving visitors a chance to try the game on the spot.

The indie game scale-up IR pitching and export consultation sessions are designed as business programs to help local game companies attract investment and break into overseas markets. They are also expected to serve as an opportunity to explore inter-company partnerships and new distribution channels beyond simple game-content experiences.

The webtoon segment will feature local content studios Studio Nini and Somnium Studio alongside emerging and established artists presenting their work. A talk concert with Gwangjin, the artist behind the popular webtoon "Itaewon Class," is also planned, where he will share insights into the creative process with attendees.

On the publishing side, the third Daegu Indie Book Fair will be held, with independent bookstores and publishers showcasing distinctive titles and merchandise. A seminar on the latest trends in publishing and printing will also take place.

Alongside these, visitors can take part in a talk show featuring creators Malwang and Hollit, as well as a character and cosplay parade. The event spans gaming, webtoons, publishing and character content, and is expected to offer citizens a wide range of cultural content experiences.

The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days and admission is free. Visitors may enter through advance online registration or on-site registration at the venue.

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said he hopes the fair "will be a festival where citizens can enjoy a wide variety of content, and a place where local content companies can create new business opportunities."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com