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Busan Senior Citizens’ Festival of Happiness, “2025 HAHA Festival” to Be Held

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will host the “2025 HAHA Festival,” a celebratory event for senior citizens, tomorrow (26th) at noon (12:00) around the HAHA Campus (Busan Catholic University Seminary Campus), which is being developed in cooperation with local universities as the nation’s first initiative of its kind.

This festival is prepared as the core event of the “1st Busan Senior Citizens’ Happiness Week (September 25–October 1),” newly launched this year by the city. It aims to promote HAHA Campus and provide diverse attractions and entertainment for seniors. Approximately 2,000 participants are expected to attend, including members of senior associations and senior centers, students of HAHA programs, members of senior clubs, and participants in senior employment projects.

The festival will consist of performances at the “Main Stage” and “Special Stage” beginning at 1:00 p.m., as well as the “Leisure Expo and Experience Programs” starting from noon.

At the main stage, located on the athletic field, the festival will open with the lively traditional performance “Evergreen Sharing Love Concert,” followed by a fashion show featuring more than 50 senior models and the musical “HAHA Big Show.”

The opening ceremony, scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., will be attended by Mayor Park Heong-joon, Busan Metropolitan Council Chairman Ahn Seong-min, National Assembly Member Baek Jong-heon, Busan Senior Citizens’ Association Chairman Moon Woo-taek, Busan Catholic University President Hong Kyung-wan, and Geumjeong-gu Mayor Yoon Il-hyun, among others. Awards will be presented to those who have made outstanding contributions to senior employment, followed by a performance and a celebratory concert by renowned singers to heighten the festival atmosphere.

At the special stage, prepared in the John Hall of the Busan Catholic University, events promoting intergenerational harmony will take place. Six senior bands from across the country, including Busan, Incheon, and Daegu, will perform at the “HAHA Bandship Concert,” while HAHA Campus students will present a showcase of choir, line dance, and theater in the “HAHA Edu Program Presentation.” In addition, Busan Catholic University student clubs will deliver special performances to further enrich intergenerational exchange.

A total of 46 diverse experiential booths will also be available. At the “3rd Senior Center Leisure Expo,” excellent programs from 16 districts and counties will be shared and experienced. In a separate pickleball court, visitors can learn pickleball, a new sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis.

Other programs supporting active and vibrant senior life will also be available, including senior employment counseling, reverse mortgage consultations, park golf, and digital device experiences.

The festival is open free of charge to all citizens, but parking will not be available at the venue. As traffic congestion is expected near the venue on the day of the event, visitors are advised to use public transportation or shuttle buses operating opposite Exit 4 of Jangjeon Station.

At the opening ceremony, Mayor Park Heong-joon is expected to remark, “HAHA Campus, the first model of its kind nationwide, is being developed into a senior complex where seniors can live healthy and happy lives every day of the year, close to their own neighborhoods. I ask for the interest and participation of many citizens so that HAHA Campus can firmly establish itself as a joyful space where all generations can gather and learn together.”

He will add, “This festival marks the beginning of ‘Busan Senior Citizens’ Happiness Week,’ newly designated this year by the city. I hope it will serve as an occasion to present a ‘new model of happy aging’ that encompasses learning, culture, employment, and health. Busan Metropolitan City will create a ‘happy city where people wish to live again even if reborn,’ where seniors expand their scope of activity and live long, fulfilling lives.”