Special Olympics to hold festival

Special Olympics Korea, an international non-profit organization which provides athletic activities for people with intellectual disabilities, will hold a one-day festival in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Saturday.

At the “Do Dream Festival,” co-sponsored by retailer Homeplus, people of all abilities can come together to enjoy a variety of fun with percussion instruments and watch performances from professional singers and more.

“The ‘Do Dream Festival’ will be a chance for those with disabilities, as well as their family and friends to get together for a day,” said Lee Ji-hee, the director of the culture and art department at Special Olympics Korea.

“We have other events for the intellectually disabled, but not for the whole family. This will be a chance for those families to come and relax through music.”

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, the festival will center around percussion instruments and other forms of music.

At booths set up throughout the festival, visitors can try out some instruments with their very own hands or participate in arts and crafts activities set up by a number of organizations that provide services to the disabled.

A booth organized by Special Olympics Korea will help people learn more about intellectual disabilities and address common misconceptions.

A total of four different performances will be held, beginning with a dance performed by a group of dancers with intellectual disabilities at 10:40 a.m., to kick off the opening ceremony which is scheduled to begin ten minutes later.

Team Funniest, a duo that mixes a magic, miming, dance and music, will put on an entertaining performance at 1:30 p.m. Finally, at 2:30 p.m., a band comprised of people with a wide range of abilities will be performing to show visitors how different people can come together through music.

Starting at 3 p.m., rock band Boohwal will be hosting a talk show on stage.

The members of the band, one of the oldest rock groups in Korea, will be giving their thoughts on how music can work as a means to console the hearts of the families, as well as bridge the gap between those with and without disabilities.

“Through this festival, Special Olympics Korea seeks to help people become more aware of intellectual disabilities and gather more social attention,” said Lee.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]