The festival runs Saturday along Samyang-ro between Gireum Station and Mia Elementary School from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring experience, sales and performance programs bringing together young entrepreneurs and neighborhood shops.
Seongbuk-gu in Seoul will co-host the 2026 Dugeun Dugeun Byeolgil Market with the Seongbuk Cultural Foundation along Samyang-ro in Gireum-dong on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event will stretch from Gireum Station to Mia Elementary School, with an opening ceremony set for 3 p.m. in front of Kookmin University's Gireum residential hall.
Launched in 2019, the Dugeun Dugeun Byeolgil Market is a street festival created by residents, young entrepreneurs, local merchants and cultural artists. It is designed to let visitors stroll along Samyang-ro and discover neighborhood shops and culture through performances, hands-on activities and vendor programs. The festival draws more than 5,000 residents and visitors each year.
This year's edition places greater emphasis on joint programming between young startup owners and established local shops. At the "Byeolttongbyeol Sowon Sanghoe" zone, young entrepreneurs selected through the Gireum Youth Hope Store project and Samyang-ro merchants will jointly present products and hands-on experiences they developed together.
A stamp tour will also take visitors to various spots along the street. Participants who collect stamps by joining multiple programs will be entered into a draw for gift certificates redeemable at Samyang-ro shops, encouraging festival-goers to visit both youth startup stores and established neighborhood businesses.
Seongbuk-gu has worked to improve the street environment along Samyang-ro and support youth entrepreneurship. The number of illegal adult entertainment establishments — locally known as "maekyangjip" — has been reduced from 37 to six. The district has also established the Seongbuk Youth Smart Startup Center, helped open 11 youth-run startup shops and operates a startup incubation space called "Gongeopsa." It is currently recruiting a tenant for the 12th youth startup shop.
"As harmful establishments have decreased and youth startup shops and diverse cultural spaces have taken root, Samyang-ro is transforming into something new," Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro said. "Through the Dugeun Dugeun Byeolgil Market, we want to share this change with residents and continue building a vibrant street where youth entrepreneurship and culture thrive together."
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