Seoul to host first pet culture festival at Oil Tank Culture Park

Seoul will hold its first festival celebrating life with companion animals on Saturday at Oil Tank Culture Park, a former oil depot in western Seoul converted into a cultural space, the city government said Monday. The festival, 2026 Seoul Daengnyang Days, is subtitled “A Day with Companions.” It is open to both pet owners and non-pet owners. “Daengnyang” is Korean slang combining words for dogs and cats. The main stage will open with a “dog dance” performance, in which people and dogs move together to music. It will be followed by a fashion show in which owners and their pets, selected through an open call, walk the runway as a team. Short videos from the Seoul Animal Love 60-Second Film Festival, a citizen contest of one-minute clips about life with animals, will be shown on a large screen. Entertainer HaHa and Kim Na-young will join other singer-songwriters for a concert. At 5 p.m., popera group Victoria will present a concert combining music and film. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the 2023 Korean film “My Heart Puppy” will be screened outdoors. Beforehand, organizers will sh