2023 Nowon Street Festival 'Dancing Nowon' Held

Revised District Festival 'Nowon Tal Festival' as 'Dancing Nowon' Held October 7-8, 12 PM to 9:30 PM
With Theme 'Youth and Future! Dynamic Nowon,' Zones for All Ages: Parade Zone, Youth Theme Zone, Family Theme Zone... Dancing Parade, Dancing Festa, Dancing Fashion Show Competitions with Total Prize of 66.5 Million KRW... Opening Ceremony Featuring Singers YB (Yoon Do-hyun Band), Bada, Breaking Crew Artistreet, B-boy Crew Fusion MC, EDM Performances

2023 Nowon Dance Festival

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that the 2023 Nowon Street Festival 'Dancing Nowon' will be held on October 7th and 8th.

The district revamped the ‘Nowon Mask Festival,’ which had been held for 10 years since 2013, to encourage youth participation and become a festival that pursues youth and the future. The newly introduced Nowon Street Festival 'Dancing Nowon' emphasizes ‘dancing’ as a form of physical expression of escapism, continuing the tradition of a free street parade-style festival.

Dancing Nowon will take place on October 7th and 8th from 12:00 PM to 9:30 PM along a 555-meter section from Lotte Department Store to in front of Sunbogeum Church near Nowon Station. This year’s theme is ‘Youth and Future! Dynamic Nowon,’ with various programs divided into ▲Parade Zone ▲Youth Theme Zone ▲Family Theme Zone.

In the Parade Zone (main stage in front of Lotte Department Store), street parade competitions featuring all genres accompanied by music such as dance, ballet, martial arts, percussion, hip-hop, and cheerleading will be held. With a total prize of 60 million KRW, 68 teams will showcase dazzling performances over two days.

On the 7th from 2 PM to 5 PM, a competition for children and youth involving 19 neighborhood autonomous groups and 14 teams will take place, and on the 8th from 2 PM to 5 PM, 35 teams will compete in the university/general division. Audiences can enjoy performances by last year’s mask parade winners such as ‘Force Dance Company (Taekwondo),’ ‘Cheering Union Arari (Cheerleading),’ ‘Shuffle (Dance),’ and the Philippine LED performance dance team ‘Bailes de Lucis,’ among other skilled performers.

On the first day, October 7th, the festival will open with an inaugural performance at 7 PM. A choir of 200 local residents will sing ‘We Are One’ and ‘Dancing Queen,’ songs symbolizing the district’s prosperity and harmony. The choir has been practicing since July, recruiting music-loving residents of all ages.

Following this, the Taekwondo creator crew ‘TaekwonKree,’ the dancing supporters, and the first day’s participating teams will appear one after another to perform a dance challenge (flash mob) to the 2023 Dancing Nowon theme song. Simultaneously, the performance group ‘Changjak Joongsim Dandi’ will present an aerial performance inspired by butterflies.

From 7 PM onwards, celebratory performances by famous artists will take place. On the 7th, singer Bada, breaking crew Artistreet, and EDM DJs Engine & Minhyuk will deliver exciting stages. On the 8th, singer YB (Yoon Do-hyun Band), B-boy crew Fusion MC, and EDM DJ Sancho will provide lively performances.

In the Youth Theme Zone (central location), the Dancing Festa will feature competitions showcasing various dance genres. At noon on both days, the popular SNS trend ‘Random Play Dance’ will be held, where teenagers will express their talents to randomly played K-pop music. Visitors can also experience dancing-related games such as DDR, Beat Saber, and Nintendo Switch.

On the 7th from 1 PM, an 8-team 3:3 street dance battle will take place, followed by an all-genre street dance team performance competition with 12 teams from 4 PM. The total prize money of 8 million KRW will fuel intense competition.

On the 8th at 2 PM, rapper Outsider and dance team Red Crew will perform and share their experiences in the ‘Youth Concert.’ From 3 PM to 6 PM, the preliminaries and finals of the nationwide breaking battle competition ‘B-On Top,’ held monthly by the district, will be conducted.

The district will also provide craft beer and light snacks to enjoy alongside the performances. ‘Broyhouse Baneheim,’ a first-generation domestic craft beer brewery that has maintained its legacy in Nowon-gu for over 19 years, and the ‘Nowon Craft Beer Cooperative,’ representing Nowon, will participate, selling a total of 10 types of craft beer.

Additionally, the festival area will expand into surrounding alleys to discover and support the sales of Nowon-gu’s unique brands through a ‘Brand Fair.’ Local universities such as Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Sahmyook University, and Seoul Women’s University will participate in a ‘University Culture Experience’ featuring university promotions, events, and busking performances.

The Family Theme Zone (in front of Sunbogeum Church) will be filled with experiences and performances favored by children and families. From 12 PM to 6 PM over two days, 20 experience booths will operate, offering fire/police uniform experiences, VR, face painting, toy playgrounds, eco-bag making, and more.

Simultaneously, popular character performances loved by children will be held. On the 7th at 1 PM and 4 PM (two 30-minute sessions), ‘Carrie and Friends’ will appear, and on the 8th at 3 PM and 5 PM (two 30-minute sessions), ‘Bread Barber Shop’ will visit. Other performances include balloon shows, magic, bubble shows, and circus acts.

Also, on the 8th at 1 PM, a ‘Dancing Fashion Show’ will take place. Participants will showcase dazzling costumes filling a 10-meter runway, along with 30-second dance performances and final poses. With 30 teams and 100 participants expected, a total prize of 6.5 million KRW will be awarded to celebrate beauty.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We greet you anew with the 2023 Nowon Street Festival ‘Dancing Nowon,’ a street parade-style festival united by ‘dancing’ instead of masks. We have prepared our best to ensure everyone can enjoy it, so please come out and enjoy a break from everyday life.”