Songpa-gu Hosts the 23rd Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival

The Power of Culture Crossing Rivers and Seas!...From Traditional Gugak to K-Drama, Games, Movies, Dance, and Pop in a Grand Epic Story Performance at Olympic Park Peace Plaza, June 22-24...Rich Experience Programs Including Food Trucks, Food Markets, Zipline, and Rock Climbing

Last Year's Event: Hansung Pungnyu Concert

Songpa-gu (District Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will hold the '23rd Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival' for three days from September 22 to 24 at the Peace Plaza in Olympic Park.

This year's Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival, under the theme 'The Power of Culture Crossing Rivers and Seas,' will showcase the flourishing process of K-Culture spreading from Songpa to the world through high-quality cultural performances.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, emphasized, "Last year, we demonstrated the 'steadily flowing power of culture' that began in Songpa, and this year, we have captured the grand narrative from the birth of Hanseong Baekje to present-day Songpa becoming the center of K-Culture. It will truly be a global festival that residents and tourists from home and abroad can enjoy together."

During the three days of the festival, from 7 PM to 9 PM, fantastic performances will be held on a massive stage 60 meters wide, equipped with a large LED screen and a media facade.

Attendees can experience a comprehensive artistic stage encompassing genres such as traditional cultural performances, musicals, dramas, music, poetry, and performances by K-pop singers leading the Korean Wave.

Last Year's Event Experience Village

Day 1 'Opening Ceremony': From Hanseong Baekje to Songpa, the K-pop Holy Land, a grand narrative performance

The highlight of this festival is the 'Opening Ceremony,' which will take place on September 22 from 7 PM to 9 PM. Starting with a stunt children’s cheerleading performance expressing support for Korea, followed by percussion military dance performances from the Baekje era, a musical reenacting the historic moment of Songpa Naruteo (Songpa ferry), an electronic live show, and performances by K-pop singers, the dazzling opening show will heighten anticipation for the festival.

First, audiences can enjoy the daegeum (bamboo flute) performance by master Lee Saeng-gang on a stage decorated with media art symbolizing Hanseong Baekje.

Next, the performance continues with a grand 20-person daebuk (large drum) performance awakening heaven and earth, a shield military dance drama, and appearances by vocal queen Baek Ji-young, masked singer Ali, and global idol group MustB, showcasing the power of culture that crosses rivers and seas, carrying the spirit of the nation to the world.

Day 2 'Hanseong Cultural Concert': Reexamining the origins of K-pop

On the second day, visitors can enjoy the 'Hanseong Cultural Concert,' featuring traditional Korean music, fusion gugak (traditional Korean music), and K-Trot. The program includes the 1971 Important Intangible Cultural Property Daechwita parade and Taepyeongmu dance, traditional 20-person gayageum byeongchang (singing while playing gayageum), daebuk performance, seonbi (scholar) dance, and Madangnori play 'Wolmaejeon,' showcasing the charm and excitement of gugak. Following this, fusion gugak band 'Dosi,' musical actor Min Woo-hyuk, and trot singer Hong Ji-yoon will add variety to the performances.

From 10 AM to 1 PM, the 'Hanmaeum Eoulmadang' will be held, where residents showcase their talents and skills, and from 3 PM, the 'Songpa Residents’ Day Ceremony' will take place, celebrating the pride of Songpa-gu citizens, the host city of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Every year, residents who have contributed to community development are selected and awarded, and this year’s grand prize recipient is patriot Kim Young-gwan.

Last year's event opening ceremony

Day 3 'Closing Ceremony': Everything about K-Culture from drama to games, movies, dance, and pop!

On the final day from 7 PM, the closing ceremony will be held under the theme 'Songpa, a Cultural City Where the World Gathers.' The stage will feature a comprehensive showcase of K-contents leading the Korean Wave, including music, drama, movies, games, and dance. Attendees will experience K-drama, K-game, and K-movie OSTs performed by bands and orchestras, followed by congratulatory performances by K-dance group HOLYBANG and K-music fairy girl group Oh My Girl, concluding the festival.

Additionally, during the three days of the festival from 11 AM to 7 PM, a 'Experience Village' offering unique activities will be operated. It includes a paper maze zone, zipline, rock climbing, kids’ rider, and about 20 programs such as the 'Hanseong 100' experience to find the greatest warrior of Hanseong Baekje. Simultaneously, a food market prepared by 23 neighborhood residents and organizations will offer a variety of K-foods to satisfy visitors’ senses.

Above all, the district prioritizes residents’ safety this year by deploying separate 'security personnel' and 'safety staff' throughout the venue, with about 160 safety management personnel working daily. Also, a waiting reservation system called 'Magic Pass' has been introduced for the Experience Village, and rest areas such as a 25-meter large shade tent have been prepared to ensure visitors can enjoy the festival comfortably and safely without accidents.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, "It is time to show the power of K-Culture that started from the progressive culture of Hanseong Baekje in Songpa 2,000 years ago and has crossed rivers and seas to spread worldwide. We will develop the Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival into a global festival and widely promote the brilliant culture of Baekje and Songpa, which was at its center."

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