Festival in Urban Regeneration Areas... '2020 Seoulro Itda' to be Held on the 17th

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 16th that it will hold the ‘2020 Seoul-ro Connect Festival’ over four days on the 17th-18th and 30th-31st in the Jungnim, Seogye, and Hoehyeon neighborhoods, urban regeneration areas around Seoul Station, with participation from local residents.

This event has been held since 2015 to revitalize the urban regeneration areas around Seoul Station and to promote integration and harmony within the local community.

This year, unlike previous programs which focused on performances and experiential events, the festival will be conducted in an on-tact (online contact) format due to the impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Programs reflecting the characteristics of each area will be filmed during the festival period at urban regeneration hub facilities and local landmarks around Seoul Station, and the edited videos will be released on Seoul city’s promotional channels and the official YouTube channel of the Seoul Urban Regeneration Social Cooperative (local urban regeneration enterprise). The videos will be released sequentially from mid-month through the end of November.

The Seoul city government explained, “Since face-to-face meetings are important for local festivals, we prepared for a long time to hold the event in person while strictly following quarantine rules. However, as the COVID-19 spread has not subsided and social distancing level 2.5 was implemented in August and September, we considered ways to proceed regardless of the COVID-19 situation and decided on this method.”

At the Seogye-dong festival ‘Romantic Seogye,’ the ‘Argoing Runway Show’ and ‘Argoing Talk Concert,’ featuring local garment industry workers and residents, will be held against the backdrop of the Seogye-dong hub facility, the Ginkgo House. In the Argoing Runway Show, resident models from Seogye, Jungnim, and Hoehyeon will wear Argoing clothing and hold a fashion show using the Ginkgo House as the runway. The Argoing Talk Concert is a talk show where artisans and new designers involved in making Argoing clothing share stories about the production process, episodes, and collaboration impressions.

In the Cheongpa Hill alley of Seogye-dong, the ‘Cheongpa Hill Alley Film Festival’ will welcome residents with a small theater setup. Five short films, selected through recommendations by the caf? operators, which combine artistic value and popular appeal, will be screened at an outdoor theater located in the alley next to the Cheongpa Bookstore, run by Seogye-dong artists.

At the Hoehyeon-dong festival ‘Hoehyeon Byeolgok,’ a hand-drip barista experience will be offered at the Staircase House, a hub facility currently operating as a caf?, where residents can make coffee alongside local baristas. Along with the hand-drip experience, a medley performance of manyo (modern popular songs) with humorous lyrics will be staged on the Staircase House stage.

At the Geombyeokdol House, another Hoehyeon-dong hub facility, a demonstration of brewing ‘Namchonju (liquor)’ will be held along with a lecture by PD Lee Uk-jung, famous as a cooking PD. Following this, a cook talking show will take place where a chef running a restaurant in Hoehyeon-dong will prepare dishes that pair well with Namchonju and share stories with PD Lee.

At the Jungnim-dong festival ‘Jungnim Manri,’ chefs from popular restaurants in Jungnim and Manri-dong will hold a ‘Signature Food Show’ at the Gamnamu House, a Seogye-dong hub facility, where they will cook their signature dishes together with residents. Additionally, at Son Kijung Sports Park, An Jung-eun, a well-known running evangelist, will share running episodes through a running talk show and introduce good running spots around Seoul Station.

For detailed program inquiries and pre-registration related to the festival, please contact the Seoul-ro Connect Operations Office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.