K-Pop Originator '2023 Gangnam Festival' Opens Today

October Marks Peak Festival Season in Seoul Districts...

Highlights Include Eunpyeong-gu Pabalje, Jongno-gu Let's Jongno, and Geumcheon-gu Jeongjo Daewang Parade Reenactment Featuring Rich Sights and Tastes

It is the season of festivals in October.

Seoul's autonomous districts are holding a series of large and small festivals to celebrate the festival season. Among them, the Gangnam Festival, organized by Gangnam-gu as the largest festival of the year, is so popular that not only Koreans but also people from China and Japan visit to see K-POP.

Eunpyeong-gu's Pabalje, Jongno-gu's Let's Jongno, and Geumcheon-gu's reenactment of King Jeongjo's royal procession offer a wealth of sights and delicious food.

2022 Gangnam Festival Opening K-Pop Performance

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) will hold the '2023 Gangnam Festival' from the 5th to the 9th at Yeongdong-daero, the COEX area, and Maru Park in Gaepo-dong.

The 'Gangnam Festival' is a global festival that consolidates K-culture, recognized worldwide, as Gangnam's cultural tourism resource. Six programs will be presented: ▲Opening Ceremony ▲Gangnam Fashion Festa ▲Maru Park Green Concert ▲Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert ▲International Peace Marathon ▲K-Culture Stage with a Gourmet Journey.

The festival opens with the opening ceremony held from 7:00 to 8:40 p.m. on the 5th at the COEX K-POP Plaza. The opening ceremony presents the festival slogan 'Paint The Future' in a four-act musical performance. A spectacular performance unfolds, telling the story of a girl from Gangnam's future who travels through time to find her lost dreams. Yoon Se-yeon, along with Na Tae-ju & K-Tigers, Oh My Girl, La Poem, and Gummy (pre-performance), appear as the girl. Using large LED screens around COEX, a vivid and grand stage is created with dazzling media effects.

Eunpyeong-gu (District Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) will hold the '2023 Pabalje, Eunpyeong Nuri Festival' along Bulkwangcheon Stream from the 6th to 7th and the 12th to 14th.

This festival, under the slogan 'Flowing Eunpyeong, Heading to the Future Let's flow,' focuses on the natural flow shown by Bulkwangcheon Stream, the historical flow from the past to the present continuing through Pabalje and Eunpyeong Nuri Festival, and the environmental cycle enjoyed by future generations.

On the 6th, the first day of the festival will be decorated with various linked events and performances. 'Eunpyeong Artists' Yard,' where local singers sing for residents, will be held on a special stage at Bulkwangcheon. On the 7th, the Eunpyeong Residents Walking Contest will take place. From the 12th to 14th, experience and campaign booths involving local residents and major institutions will be prepared, and residents will showcase dances, songs, and performances they have honed.

Jongno-gu (District Mayor Jeong Mun-heon) will hold the 2023 Jongno Festival 'Let's Jongno' from the 6th to the 22nd. Especially, the opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on the 6th at the fountain plaza in front of the Blue House, featuring performances by singer Song Ga-in and Seodo Band.

This year, the newly introduced Gugak Lo Festa will showcase young artists supported by the Surim Cultural Foundation and the Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Foundation, including tightrope walking performances.

The Hanbok Festival held in the third week will feature a hanbok fashion show envisioning the past and future of traditional Korean clothing, and a pet dog show. Following this, the Royal Court and Yangban Traditional Food Festival will offer experiences of healthy foods themed on longevity, reflecting ancestral wisdom, and the Bukchon Workshop Festival will provide craft experiences led by Bukchon artisans.

Geumcheon-gu (District Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) will hold the '2023 King Jeongjo Royal Procession Joint Reenactment Event' on the 8th and 9th along Siheung-daero and the Siheung Haenggung site area. This event reenacts the journey King Jeongjo took with his mother to Suwon Hwaseong to pay respects at the tomb of his father, Crown Prince Sado.

On the 8th, the procession departs from Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, passes through the Siheung Haenggung section in Geumcheon-gu, and on the 9th moves to Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung and Hwaseong Yungnyong (Crown Prince Sado's tomb), covering a total distance of 59 km. The Siheung Haenggung section is about 1.8 km from the Geumcheon-gu Office entrance intersection to the Siheung Haenggung site, with a total of 300 participants and 30 horses involved in a street parade. Notably, the 'Proclamation of King Jeongjo's Decree' renaming Geumcheon-hyeon to Siheung-hyeon and the 'Gyeokjaeng Situation Play,' where citizens beat drums and gongs to directly appeal grievances to the king, will be performed.

Mapo-gu (District Mayor Park Kang-soo) will hold the first '2023 B-boy World, Red Road Dance Festival' on the 7th and 8th around the Hongdae Red Road area.

The district stated that this festival was prepared to commemorate the official inclusion of breaking as an event in the 2024 Paris Olympics and to wish for the success of Korean athletes.

This new tourism festival brand of Mapo will take place along the entire Red Road, featuring street dance battles, congratulatory performances by famous dance crews, a handmade crafts market, and various experience events, aiming to fill the entire festival period without gaps.

The opening ceremony of the 'Red Road Dance Festival' will be held at 6 p.m. on the 7th at Red Road Plaza (R6), hosted by 'MC Dingdong.' The ceremony is expected to create a unique spectacle starting with a flash mob where the dance crew 'Soulburns' and about 1,000 citizens dance in sync.

The highlight of the opening ceremony, the 'Red Road Dance Battle,' will feature eight teams selected through preliminary screening competing in a 1:1 tournament-style dance battle. Renowned dancers Jay Black, Woo Tae, and Koo Jun-yeop will serve as judges, ensuring fair and professional evaluation. Five teams winning awards will receive a total prize money of 11 million KRW.

Yangjae 1-dong in Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will hold the '6th Maljukgeori Festival' on the 12th and 13th.

Now in its sixth year, this festival uses the Maljukgeori brand, which incorporates the word 'mal' (horse), to promote harmony between residents and merchants and revitalize the commercial district. After its first event in 2015, it was not held for four years due to COVID-19 but has now returned. 'Maljukgeori' originates from the place where travelers in the Joseon Dynasty changed horses and were fed porridge before entering the Hanyang city walls. Since the 1970s, restaurants and traditional markets have been established here, and last year the district designated this area as the first alley-type shopping district. Efforts are ongoing to revitalize the commercial district with a newtro sensibility combining modern and retro styles.

2016 Jeongdong Night Festival Opening Ceremony Palace Music Concert

Jung-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Gil-seong) will hold 'Jeongdong Night Walk (Jeongdong Yahaeng)' on the 13th and 14th around Deoksugung Palace and Jeongdong area.

Jeongdong is a unique place in the heart of Seoul where one can deeply feel the atmosphere of modern times and is a historical site vividly reflecting the pain of losing the nation. At its peak, Jeongdong was a 'hot place' where new things first arrived. It is rich in 'firsts,' including the first modern educational institution Paejae Hakdang (1885), the first private women's educational institution Ewha Hakdang (1886), the first Western-style Protestant church Jeongdong First Methodist Church (1887), and the first Western-style building Deoksugung Seokjojeon (1910).

Jeongdong Night Walk is a historical and cultural festival sharing the joys and sorrows of the institutions and facilities scattered throughout Jeongdong with citizens. This year, under the theme 'Meeting at the Center, Rendezvous of Dreams,' it highlights Jeongdong, which embraced dreams and hope without despair amid the whirlwinds of modern history. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 13th and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the 14th, visitors will be welcomed with diverse programs centered on Night Flower (nighttime opening of historical and cultural facilities and cultural performances), including Night Road (historical guided tours), Night History (Deoksugung Stone Wall Road experience program), Night View (nighttime scenery), Night Setup (street performances), Night Food (food), and Night Market (art market and workshops).

The festival opens grandly at 7 p.m. on the 13th with a palace music concert in front of Deoksugung Junghwajeon Hall. Performers include LUN8, Gyeonggi sorikkun Lee Hee-moon, traditional musician Ha Yoon-joo, tenor John No, pianist Cho Young-hoon, and soprano Lee Hae-won, coloring the autumn night.

Various festivals that will adorn the deepening autumn days and nights await.