Organizer Information
Seoul Street Arts Festival 2026 (formerly known as “Hi Seoul Festival”) is one of South Korea’s leading outdoor performance festivals, rebranded in 2016 to focus specifically on contemporary street and site-responsive arts. Organized in Seoul, the festival has built a strong international reputation for activating public space through large-scale performances, experimental outdoor works, and interdisciplinary artistic encounters.
The festival is curated as a city-wide cultural platform that transforms urban infrastructure—especially plazas, streets, and riverside parks—into temporary stages. It emphasizes accessibility, public engagement, and artistic experimentation across diverse performance forms. Over the years, SSAF has become a key meeting point for international street theatre, circus, dance, installation, and hybrid performance practices.
Title & Description
Seoul Street Arts Festival 2026 – International Program Open Call
Seoul Street Arts Festival 2026 invites international artists and companies to apply for its 2026 International Program, taking place on September 19–20, 2026, in Seoul, South Korea.
The festival seeks innovative outdoor and site-responsive works that can be performed in public urban environments, particularly around the Han River Parks (such as Ttukseom and surrounding areas). The open call focuses on works that engage with the spatial, social, and environmental characteristics of Seoul’s public landscape.
Selected projects will contribute to a curated program exploring themes such as:
- “Seoul-ness” and urban identity
- Climate and environmental awareness
- Community participation and inclusion
- Tech-art convergence and digital performance innovation
The festival prioritizes works that can adapt to non-traditional performance spaces and engage directly with diverse public audiences. Artists are encouraged to propose flexible, mobile, or site-responsive formats that respond creatively to outdoor conditions.
This is a highly international platform for Performance, Installation, Street Arts, and interdisciplinary outdoor practices that merge physical performance with spatial experimentation.
Categories
- Performance
- Street Arts
- Theatre
- Dance
- Circus
- Puppetry
- Installation
- Media Arts
- Multimedia
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Public Art
- Site-specific
Eligibility
The open call is international and open to:
- Individual artists (non-Korean, residing outside Korea)
- International performance companies
- Collectives and ensembles
- Groups led by non-Korean representatives based outside Korea
Eligible applicants must demonstrate professional experience in outdoor or adaptable performance-based practices. The festival excludes amateur, hobby-based, or non-professional busking groups.
Priority is given to works that:
- Can be performed in outdoor public spaces
- Engage with festival themes (urban identity, environment, inclusion, technology)
- Demonstrate technical and artistic readiness for touring or site adaptation
Program Benefits & Awards
Selected artists and companies will receive:
- Performance fee up to 20 million KRW per work (inclusive of travel, freight, and artist fees)
- Accommodation (1 room for 2 people)
- Daily per diem support
- Airport pickup and local transportation assistance
- Technical support (basic sound and lighting infrastructure)
- Official festival promotion (leaflets, website, SNS)
- Visa support for international participants
The festival offers approximately 10 selected works, depending on artistic and technical evaluation.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Completed application form (designated format)
- Technical rider (space, sound, lighting requirements)
- Visual materials (3–5 photos + video links only, no video files)
- Portfolio or promotional materials
All documents must be compiled into PDF format where required and submitted via email.
How to Apply?
Applications must be submitted via email: ssaf.official@gmail.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 May 2026
- Selection Announcement: 12 June 2026
- Festival Dates: September 19–20, 2026
Location
Seoul, South Korea
Additional Details
The selection process evaluates submissions based on:
- Artistic excellence (originality, quality, execution)
- Festival suitability (adaptation to outdoor and site-specific conditions)
- Cultural contribution (public engagement and accessibility)
- Budget feasibility
The festival strongly encourages proposals that respond creatively to urban environments and integrate with the dynamic conditions of public space. Works must be technically adaptable to outdoor settings and capable of engaging diverse audiences in non-traditional performance contexts.
Selected works are subject to negotiation after initial selection. If no suitable proposals are found, the festival reserves the right not to select any works.
Final results will be published on the official festival website and communicated individually to selected applicants.