City to get its party on as Seoul Festa 2024 begins Wednesday

Seoul Festa 2024 will kick off on Wednesday, featuring K-pop performances, drone shows and dance battles.

A visitor takes a photo of drones making the Seoul Festa logo at Jamsil Hangang Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Seoul Festa 2024 will kick off on Wednesday, featuring K-pop performances, drone shows and dance battles.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the annual festival, now in its third year, offers events and programs beyond mere K-pop performances, inviting participants to experience Korean culture.

Under the theme of “Enjoy all that Seoul,” the festival will primarily take place in three zones: a party zone, playground zone and picnic zone.

The party zone will be set up at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall in central Seoul from Wednesday through Friday.

The festival's opening event will be held in the party zone at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, featuring performances by seven K-pop groups and artists, including The Boyz, ZeroBaseOne, NMIXX, La Poem, Chungha, Lee Mu-jin and H1-KEY.

On Thursday, the same venue will host a tea party and orchestral performances of soundtracks from Seoul-based TV dramas.

On Friday, visitors can join dance challenges with influencers and watch dance battles. Participants can also attend dance classes and receive makeup, just like K-pop stars.

The playground zone will be set up at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, featuring traditional Korean games and dessert stands.

Visitors crowd a street in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, on April 30, 2023, the first day of last year's Seoul Festa. [NEWS1]

A string of performances and programs, like drawing events, is scheduled to take place along Sejong-daero in downtown Seoul on Saturday afternoon. Performances by community clubs, such as marching bands, will take place along the road. K-pop bands like SF9 and fromis_9 will also perform.

The picnic zone will be set up at Noeul Park in Sangam-dong, located in Mapo District, western Seoul, over the weekend. Visitors will be able to try Korean barbecue and regional specialties. Those who book in advance can also barbecue at the venue. A market will sell specialties from across the nation at discounted prices.

Additionally, 18 events are scheduled to take place across the capital.

A drone show will be visible from Jamsil Hangang Park in southern Seoul on Monday. Circus festivals featuring traditional concerts and related exhibits will be held around Nodeul Island, located in the heart of Seoul, during the weekend.

Specific details on the program and events can be found on the festival’s website www.seoulfesta.com and its Instagram page @seoulfesta_official.

“Seoul Festa is an exceptional opportunity to experience the culture and charm of Seoul, heralding the arrival of spring,” said Kim Young-hwan, the director-general of the city’s tourism and sports bureau, expressing hope that visitors will fully experience the diversified programs this year.

Meanwhile, the city government on Monday also unveiled its plan to host 120 festivals at Hangang Parks from next month through December.

Unique events like sleeping contests and space-out competitions are scheduled in May. A mask parade will occur on Children’s Day, which falls on Sunday this year, where participants wearing self-made masks will march down the Jamsu Bridge. A space-out competition, awarding the person who "zones out" the best, will take place on the Jamsu Bridge on May 12. A sleeping contest to recognize the most peaceful sleeper will be held in Yeouido Hangang Park in western Seoul on May 11.

The metropolitan government aims to attract three million visitors by hosting these programs at 11 Hangang Parks throughout the year, expecting an economic effect of 120 billion won ($87 million).

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]