2026 National e-Festival for Students with Disabilities

2026 National e-Festival for Students with Disabilities at Sono Calm Vivaldi Park, September 8–9

The 2026 National e-Festival for Students with Disabilities will take place over one night and two days, from 13:00 on Tuesday, September 8, to 14:30 on Wednesday, September 9, at Sono Calm Vivaldi Park, 262 Hanchigol-gil, Seo-myeon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon State. It is jointly hosted by the National Institute of Special Education, the Korea Creative Content Agency, and the Netmarble Cultural Foundation. This year’s theme is “A World Opened by AI, Infinite Possibilities.” The overall schedule and venue, along with the 18 information-competition events and 11 e-sports events, can be found in the National Institute of Special Education information.

The preliminary rounds in all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces ran from May 27 to July 10, 2026, and the students who advanced through them will meet at the Hongcheon finals. This year, AI information-utilization skills and basic digital literacy were introduced as demonstration events in the information competition. Nintendo Switch Just Dance 2025 was newly added to the e-sports program, while FC Online became an official event. Ambassador DinDin is also scheduled to attend the opening ceremony and cultural programs on September 8 to cheer on the participating students, so the atmosphere of the first day should be especially memorable. The ambassador announcement provides useful context as well.

• The opening ceremony, awards ceremony, and closing ceremony form the schedule over one night and two days.
• The cultural event “Dream e-Stage” is scheduled to feature b-boying, a magic show, on-site recreation, and a K-pop performance.
• Activities include an AI caricature drawing robot, an AI omok robot battle, an AI autonomous-driving wheelchair experience, an AI competency-assessment experience, and AI original-song creation.
• An edutech experience zone, robot soccer, Eco Stage busking, and “Imagination Experience” buses and trucks are also scheduled to be placed indoors and outdoors.
• The event list also includes an AI photo zone, cotton candy, key-ring making, the Mission e-Possible mobile stamp road, and the Win Prediction e-Challenge.

Among the photos below, the first shows the 2026 ambassador appointment ceremony, while the second shows the Hongcheon finals of the same event in 2025. Photos from the previous competition convey that the contests on stage were more than simple games on a screen; they were places filled with both cheering and concentration. The 2025 on-site report is also useful for reference.

AI Omok Robots and Dream e-Stage: A One-Night, Two-Day Visit for International Participants

This is not a free-entry festival aimed at general tourists, but rather an educational and cultural event centered on students with disabilities who advanced through regional preliminaries, supervising teachers, and officials. It is therefore best suited to visitors connected with the event, such as international students participating in exchanges with Korean schools, special-education teachers, and the guardians of participating students. With many hands-on activities involving technology, including autonomous-driving wheelchairs, edutech, and robot soccer, it offers a good opportunity to see Korean special education and digital culture intersect up close.

Public transportation requires especially careful planning. The published event information does not provide the nearest subway station or exit, nor the route of a dedicated shuttle for the September 8–9 event. A reservation shuttle to Vivaldi Park is operated through the Riders Vivaldi Park page, but no departure points or times matching this event’s dates are provided separately. Rather than assuming the venue can be reached directly by subway, it is much more convenient to coordinate first with the participating school’s group transportation plan or arrange a private vehicle or reserved transportation.

English signs, English interpretation, and foreign-language registration desks are not specifically mentioned in the current event information. Traveling with a companion who can assist in Korean and confirming eligibility and entry procedures in advance through the affiliated school can make the visit much easier. Admission fees, booth payment methods, and ticket prices for general visitors are also not listed with amounts in the published operating information, so it is best not to treat accommodation, meals, and resort facilities as the same expense category as event participation fees.

Since both indoor and outdoor activities are planned, comfortable shoes for standing and walking, a portable phone battery, and light rain gear are recommended. If you are looking for somewhere to take a short break or spend time separately within the resort, Viva Flex Mall on the first basement level of SonoBelle Tower B has a 3D simulation mini-rider and a four-person X-rider. These are separate facilities from the event program, so check their operating hours and fees in the Viva Flex Mall information.

The two photos below show the 2025 finals. The sight of teams gathered around tables watching screens, together with the group photos after the awards, suggests that this year’s arena will once again combine tense concentration with moments of waiting for and supporting one another. Compared with the 2026 expansion of the event categories, it is also notable that Just Dance and AI-related events have been added this year.

Practical Preparation for 262 Hanchigol-gil, Where More Than 1,600 Representatives from 17 Regions Will Gather

About 1,600 students, supervising teachers, and officials from all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces are expected to participate in the 2026 event. Since there are 18 information-competition events and 11 e-sports events alone, participant movement may overlap around 13:00 on September 8, when the opening ceremony begins, and around 14:30 on September 9, when the awards and closing ceremonies take place. Groups requiring extra time for registration, mobility assistance, meals, or restroom use should arrive with plenty of time to spare rather than just before the start. The participant scale and overview of this year’s event confirm the expected attendance of about 1,600 people.

Because the competitions are the main focus, visitors who are not participating may be disappointed if they expect to freely tour every competition area. In particular, the finalists were selected through regional preliminaries, and the 2026 preliminaries had already concluded on July 10. Detailed arrangements for the viewing area, parking routes, accessible restroom locations, rest areas, medical support, and interpretation have not yet been provided in the operating information. For specific questions about participation, contact the National Institute of Special Education’s Digital Education Support Division at 041-537-1488.

In 2025, students took the stage and received top awards at the Hongcheon finals, while the Chungbuk delegation also achieved notable results in Clash Royale, Fall Guys, Everybody’s Marble, and Teamfight Tactics. This year, viewing the event with an attitude that respects the time the athletes spent preparing and the moments they experience on stage, rather than focusing only on the results, will make it feel much warmer and more meaningful. The Chungbuk delegation’s 2025 report offers a sense of the competitive atmosphere on site.

11 e-Sports Events and 18 Information Competitions: Travelers Who Will Enjoy This Festival

This event is better suited to international visitors who want to understand Korean special-education settings and game- and AI-based education up close than to travelers who simply want to watch a K-pop performance. If you accompany a competing athlete or supervising teacher, the day’s atmosphere will keep changing, from the cultural performances at Dream e-Stage to robot soccer, AI original-song creation, and the mobile stamp road, leaving little time to get bored.

Conversely, travelers expecting a major tourism festival with extensive English information, same-day ticket purchases, or a venue directly outside a subway station will face a relatively high preparation burden. Even so, the chance to see students from all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces demonstrate their digital skills up close is undeniable. The sight of competition in front of screens, applause on stage, and people physically testing robots and AI in one place will likely remain the event’s clearest appeal.