Studying Abroad in Korea: Music Festivals
BY GRACE ZHENG
It’s no surprise that one of the biggest draws to Korea is K-pop (Korean Pop Music). Ever since BTS’s launch to global stardom, the genre has garnered unprecedented worldwide popularity. Although seeing BTS might not be a possibility anymore (sorry ARMY), studying abroad in Korea is the perfect opportunity for those that already love K-pop or those that want to experience the musical performances of various K-pop artists in-person.
As a foreigner in Korea, experiencing Korean culture is both promoted and made accessible by foreigner-catered Korean activity websites. Websites such as Trazy, Creatrip, and Your Korea Travel often have promotions and packages to K-pop festivals that promote Korean culture and tourism. These sites offer all-inclusive packages that include discounted special reserved seats for foreigners and transportation for your ease of mind. Below are the festival’s I was able to attend as well as a list I recommend you check out should you ever visit!
RAPBEAT
Calling all my K-Hip Hop and K-R&B enthusiasts! This is the quintessential festival and a must-attend for those that listen to either genre. Taking place at the SeoulLand amusement park, this festival felt like a never-ending thrill ride of fun. Although admission to the park’s rides was not included with our ticket, it was still a blast running through the park and watching confused families trying to enjoy their weekend staring at the chaos of fans trying to move from one stage to another. RapBeat is unique wherein it has multiple stages, the main stage was like a carousel rotating in and out top class acts of the K-Hip Hop scene and the Chillax stage was its K-R&B equivalent. There was also a DJ stage that not many people stopped by but seemed like a good time if one wasn’t rushing to see any particular artist at the other two stages. I was lucky enough to see headliners such as BIBI, Zion T., Simon Dominic, and CL.
Tips:
If it's raining make sure to buy a rain poncho as outdoor Korean concerts do not allow umbrellas
Eat before entering the main stage venue, the theme park has great and affordable food but cannot be brought into the venue
If you’re looking forward to a particular act, arrive one set earlier so you can move forward once the previous artist and their fans leave
Go with friends! Or make friends before going! RapBeat is hugely popular among foreigners so it’s a great opportunity to make some friends and bond over the live music experience
Other similar K-Hip Hop/K-R&B festivals to watch out for: HipHopPlaya, Daegu Hip Hop Festival, Joy Olpark Festival, Jive Super-Live Festival
University Festivals
School festivals are my top choice of festival experiences, why? Because they’re (mostly) free! University festival season is a great time to be studying abroad in Korea. Most Korean Universities throw their own festivals to celebrate school spirit and energize the student body, often inviting K-pop artists to headline these festival performances. Yonsei’s AKARAKA is one of the most famous school festivals known for their legendary lineups. This year New Jeans, 10CM, IVE, Zico, Le Sserafim, and Winner performed for those lucky enough to snag tickets. I will have to admit, Yonsei was not the most kind to exchange students this year and we were not allowed to enter the raffle to get tickets, but the music can still be heard live in certain spots around campus and the spirit was nice to witness in person!
Even if you can’t attend your home University’s festival, many other universities around the area open up their festivals to the general public so make some friends and keep your eyes open for these amazing free performances!
Tip: If you’re unable to get tickets/official entrance into the festival there are often spots on campus where you can view the show
Other University Festivals: DANFESTA (Dankook University), Sogang University, Hanyang University, Kyunghee University, DongGuk University