Rock Bands Take Center Stage on Yeongjongdo Island... 10,000 Attend Paradise's "APOPFE" Festival

Asian Pop Festival 2025 Concludes Successfully
Held at Paradise City on June 21-22
50 Teams of Musicians from 8 Countries Participated

Paradise announced on June 23 that the Asian Pop Festival (APOPFE), held at Paradise City in Yeongjongdo, Incheon from June 21 to 22, concluded successfully with a cumulative attendance of 10,000 visitors.

Paradise City 'Asian Pop Festival 2025' Main Stage. Photo by Paradise

APOPFE is a music festival organized by Paradise with the aim of introducing Asian pop music to domestic fans and providing a platform for talented Korean musicians to interact with international artists. This year marked its second edition, following last year's inaugural event.

This year's festival featured 50 teams of musicians from eight countries, including the ska band 'Kingston Rudieska,' the hard rock band 'Galaxy Express' known for their 'Hongdae Exhausted Rock and Roll,' and 'Silica Gel.' International acts included 'Lomba Sihir' from Indonesia, 'HAKU.' from Japan, as well as The Volunteers led by Baek Yerin, Baek Hyunjin, Lee Seungyoon, Heo Hoikyung, and Nerd Connection. Over the course of two days, approximately 10,000 attendees moved between four indoor and outdoor stages to enjoy the music and performances.

The highlight of APOPFE was the state-of-the-art sound environment of the permanent performance venues. The club 'Chroma,' where electronic musicians showcased electronic music, is a venue typically inaccessible to the general public and is usually reserved for hotel guests. The powerful woofer sound combined with 'VJing (Visual Jockeying)' offered a new musical experience. Additionally, the 'Rubik' stage, a live music bar with a resident house band, filled every corner of the hall with shimmering sound particles, delivering a vividness not found in typical small theater or club performances.

Paradise organized this event to enable younger audiences to expand their cultural experiences through its corporate philosophy of 'Art-tainment.' A Paradise representative stated, "We are putting significant effort into the cultural aspect as part of our corporate social role," and added, "We hope that a healthy festival culture will further diversify pop music and promote more active international exchanges among artists."