100 Programs on the Theme of 'All About Music'
Performances by Jannabi, Jeong Hoonhee, Paul Kim, Davichi, and More
Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will hold the ‘2024 Seoripul Festival’ on the car-free 10-lane Banpo-daero from the 28th to the 29th. The Seoripul Festival is an urban music festival held every September, attracting about 980,000 visitors from its inception in 2015 through 2023, making it a representative autumn music festival.
The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Seocho is the Music A-Z (Everything about Music).’ It signifies a festival for everyone, created together by top domestic artists, amateur artists, from classical to K-Pop, and from staff to volunteers.
The venue spans the Banpo-daero area between Seocho Station on Subway Line 2 and Seocho 3-dong Intersection. The scale reaches 28,500 square meters, covering a 900-meter section of the 10-lane road. During the two days of the festival, exciting music will fill Banpo-daero, and diverse programs for children and families will be held.
On Banpo-daero, three main stages will host various performances: the ‘Main Stage’ with 3,000 seats, the ‘Welcome Stage’ near Seocho Station about 10 meters in size, and the truck stage ‘Joy Stage’ near Gyodaeipgu Intersection.
‘The Largest Sketchbook on Earth’ Unfolding on Banpo-daero
On the first day, the 28th, starting at 1:30 PM, the opening parade by the Crown Marching Band will mark the beginning of the event, followed by the ‘Largest Sketchbook on Earth’ event where the vast asphalt transforms into a canvas.
Starting at 2 PM, the ‘Largest Sketchbook on Earth’ officially begins and is the most popular program representing the Seoripul Festival. It is a program where participants freely draw with chalk on the world’s largest sketchbook?the 10-lane Banpo-daero street?expressing their creativity. Over 100,000 colorful chalk pieces needed for participation will be provided free of charge on-site.
Seoripul Choir Festival and Performances by Jannabi, Jung Hoon-hee, Paul Kim, Davichi, and More
At 3 PM on the 28th, the ‘Seoripul Choir Festival’ will be held on the Main Stage, uniting music beyond religion, gender, and age. About 320 members from seven choirs including Buddhist, Christian, and Catholic groups will present beautiful harmonies.
The opening concert starting at 7 PM features the ‘Seocho Symphony Orchestra & Seocho Orchestra Academy,’ returning from a New York performance in early September, delivering rich music with classical, Korean traditional, and popular music artists. Vocalists John Park and Jung In will perform, and the eternal diva of popular music, Jung Hoon-hee, will present a collaborative stage with the Seocho Symphony Orchestra.
Additionally, violinist Park Soo-ye, the project group ‘SG FOREST’ led by Korean traditional music composer Kang Sang-gu, will deliver impressive performances. Jazz artist Lorr Zeringer from Paris 15th District, a sister city overseas, is also expected to captivate the audience with a jazz performance.
From 3 PM on the 29th, the ‘Seoripul Junior Concert,’ featuring passionate performances by young music talents supported by Seocho-gu’s orchestra program in local elementary schools providing one instrument per student, will be held for the second consecutive year.
On the final day of the festival, the 29th at 7 PM, the Main Stage will host an emotional closing performance to mark the end of the festival on a cool autumn night. Singer Paul Kim’s sweet voice will resonate, and Davichi will perform popular songs. Following this, the ‘Heritage Mass Choir’ will deliver a spectacular performance, and the band Jannabi’s concert will further heat up the atmosphere with enthusiastic audience sing-alongs. Finally, a beautiful fireworks display will conclude the festival.
Seoripul Silent Disco and Good Morning Yoga from Dawn to Midnight
At 9 PM on the 28th, the ‘Seoripul Silent Disco’ will take place at the Welcome Stage, where 1,000 people can enjoy together. Participants wear wireless headphones prepared on-site and enjoy their own rhythm with a DJ-curated playlist in this unique experience. Applications can be made on the Silent Disco website, and on-site registration is also available.
At 7 AM on the 29th, the ‘Seoripul Good Morning Yoga’ will be held. This special yoga program, held only one day a year, gathers 200 participants in the building forest of Banpo-daero and lasts about 50 minutes starting at 7 AM.
The 2024 Seoripul Festival also adds a variety of programs that families can experience and enjoy together along with music that enhances the atmosphere. With 39 performances, 71 diverse experiential programs that add to the festival mood, 5 popular rides for children, and 6 photo zones for commemorative pictures, a total of about 100 programs will offer colorful enjoyment for children and families.
Environmental Protection, Local Coexistence, and a Safe Festival
This festival operates a ‘Visiting Tumbler Coffee Truck’ for eco-friendly green consumption, providing free drinks to 2,000 residents daily who bring their own cups.
Discount benefits are also offered at restaurants to revitalize the surrounding commercial district. By certifying participation in the festival, visitors can use about 50 restaurants near the venue at discounted prices. Additionally, local gift certificates worth 33.5 billion KRW (Seocho Love Gift Certificates, Seocho Ttaenggyeoyo Gift Certificates) and online discount coupons worth 20 million KRW will be issued to support small business owners during the festival.
The first generation youth volunteer group ‘Seoripul Runners,’ consisting of 167 young volunteers, is expected to play an active role in this festival.
Seocho Police Station and Seocho Fire Station have conducted final inspections on hazards, personnel deployment, and emergency measures within the venue, and reviewed crowd flow to disperse crowds during peak times, ensuring thorough safety management.
Three medical booths will be installed, with 35 medical staff and support personnel and three ambulances deployed to respond quickly to any emergencies.
To minimize visitor inconvenience and ensure safety, traffic control will be implemented. From midnight on the 28th to 4 AM on the 30th, the 900-meter section of Banpo-daero from Seocho Station to Seocho 3-dong Intersection will be controlled in cooperation with Seocho Police Station and Seocho and Bangbae Model Driver Associations.
Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “We will make the ‘2024 Seoripul Festival’ held in the cultural and artistic city of Seocho a high-quality music festival full of emotion and joy that all generations can enjoy together. We hope families enjoy a pleasant escape from daily life on the wide-open Banpo-daero transformed into a festival venue.”
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