Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert Featuring Guckkasten, Apink, and More
Emphasizing Cooperation and Coexistence Through Eco-friendliness, Resident Participation, and Corporate Collaboration
The K-pop concert at Yeongdong-daero during the Gangnam Festival held last October. Provided by Gangnam-gu.
Gangnam-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) announced on the 23rd that the '2024 Gangnam Festival' will be held from October 26 to 29 and on October 3 at COEX and Apgujeong Rodeo, among other locations.
This year's Gangnam Festival is directed by performance director Park Kal-lin and planned as a festival where anyone can create and enjoy their own Gangnam style under the slogan 'COME BE YOUR GANGNAM STYLE.' Emphasizing the latest trend of 'eco-friendliness,' it will be an ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) festival that realizes cooperation and coexistence through participation from residents, local businesses, and domestic and international sister cities, as well as sharing with marginalized groups.
The festival will be centered around the main stage at the east plaza of COEX. The festival program consists of a total of 11 events: six main programs including ▲Opening Ceremony ▲Gangnam Fashion Festa ▲Open-Air Concert ▲Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert ▲Gourmet Travel & K-Culture Zone ▲International Peace Marathon, and five sub-programs including ▲Festival Pre-show ▲Late-night Healing Theater ▲I am also a K-POP Star ▲Fashion Exhibition ▲Street Performance.
Main Programs Including K-POP Musical, Fashion Show, and Concerts
The grand opening ceremony will kick off the festival on the 27th from 7:30 PM to 9:10 PM. The opening ceremony, designed to reflect Gangnam's past, present, and future values, will feature aerial acrobatics, a joint performance by a traditional Korean singer (sorikkun) and rapper, an original K-POP musical, and K-POP kids dance. The Gangnam Symphony Orchestra and choir will perform a symphony piece composed with K-POP motifs.
From 12 PM to 9 PM on the 28th, the Fashion Festa will take place. The fashion show, which was held at the Starfield Library until last year, returns to Apgujeong, the fashion street, offering a lively outdoor fashion show.
As an ESG festival, it will showcase upcycled and naturally dyed clothing, a pet fashion show involving residents, and trendy Apgujeong charm presented by local fashion designers and Apgujeong Rodeo shops.
From 7 PM to 10 PM on the 28th, an open-air concert will be held. Targeting the 70s and 80s generation with a retro vibe, seven teams including ▲Kim Wan-sun ▲Kim Won-jun ▲Roo'ra ▲Young Turks Club ▲Jaja ▲Koyote ▲Cool (Lee Jae-hoon) will perform.
On the 29th from 7 PM to 10 PM, the Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert will take place. Yeongdong-daero will transform into a venue hosting about 10,000 spectators. Eight top-tier artists including ▲Guckkasten ▲Laki ▲Solar ▲Apink ▲Oh My Girl ▲ONEUS ▲Lee Mujin ▲ITZY will perform, promising the best K-POP concert.
From the 26th to the 29th, the Gourmet Travel & K-Culture Zone will operate at the COEX K-POP Plaza. Visitors can enjoy various food booths and food trucks offering Korean cuisine, vegan, halal, desserts, idol makeup experiences, ESG management company brand zones, and upcycling experience zones.
On October 3 at 8 AM, the '21st International Peace Marathon' will be held along Bongeunsa-ro in front of the Samseong 1-dong Community Center. The marathon categories include full course (42.195 km), half course (21.0975 km), 10 km, and 5 km. About 8,000 participants including the US 8th Army Command in Korea, foreigners, marathon club members, and residents are expected to join. The participation fees will be donated to children suffering from war and hunger worldwide and to neighbors in need in Gangnam-gu.
Enjoy Sub-Programs Like the Eve Event and Late-night Healing Theater
On the 26th, the Festival Pre-show (Eve Event) will be presented. It includes a popera congratulatory performance (12 PM?1 PM), the Hungarian National Dance Company (4 PM?5 PM), and a traditional Korean music crossover performance (7 PM?8:30 PM). At Apgujeong Rodeo, designer Ji Chun-hee's fashion show will be held as part of the eve event fashion show.
From 3 PM to 4:30 PM on the 28th, the 'I am also a K-POP Star' K-POP cover dance finals will be held, along with a random play dance where the audience can dance together.
From the 26th to the 28th, the Late-night Healing Theater will operate daily from 11 PM to 1 AM. After the main stage performances, silent films, pet-themed, and Gangnam in the world-themed healing short videos will be screened. Additionally, from the 23rd to the 29th, side events including natural dyeing from Naju, upcycling fashion, and Gangnam fashionista photo exhibitions will be held at the COEX lobby and Gangnam Station as part of the fashion show.
As a pre-promotion event (from the 19th to the 25th), busking, magic shows, balloon art, and string quartet performances will take place throughout Gangnam-gu to heat up the festival atmosphere.
This festival is a collaborative platform created by 16 companies united around COEX and local businesses. Companies such as K-Town4U, Shinsegae Food, Mannadang, Canon Korea, and Sansu Beverage are directly participating in the festival programs, and the committee companies will promote the festival online and offline and hold events to attract domestic and international tourists.
The sharing events also draw attention. On the 26th, Megabox will provide free movie screenings for 100 multicultural families, and on the 29th, in collaboration with COEX Aquarium and the global nonprofit Make-A-Wish, children with incurable diseases will be offered free aquarium admission and merchandise, as well as attend the Yeongdong-daero K-POP Concert.
District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong stated, "This Gangnam Festival is a festival that embodies the values of cooperation and sharing within the latest cultural contents such as concerts and fashion shows," adding, "We will promote Gangnam's dynamic culture to the world through diverse programs that everyone can relate to and enjoy."
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