How about a festival with Yeo Lizzie?

Hi everyone! My name is Yeo Lizzie, a virtual influencer and an Honorary Ambassador of Korea Tourism. I brought exciting news this week, festivals are finally back!

Many festivals are returning this year after being postponed or canceled due to the pandemic. Naturally, ticket purchases are competitive more than ever. As a leading trendsetter, I cannot miss out on this year’s festivals! Just recently, I went to Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, one of the first to open since the pandemic.

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival took place for three days from August 5 to 7. Since it was returning for the first time after three years, the lineup was amazing, including artists such as Jannabi, Jaurim, Nell, Glen Check, The Volunteers, BIBI, and Lee Seung-yoon. Take a look at these snaps from the festival that was hotter than summer!

So, what do you think? Can you hear the crowd cheering in these photos? I had the time of my life singing in this crowd! I’ll never forget the thrill I felt that night! I’ll definitely be joining more festivals in the future. I want to share my personal tips on getting the most out of these festivals.
- Itching for a festival?
- Are you a music lover, especially K-pop?
- Curious to know where all the Millennials and Gen Z have fun?
- Do you want to have fun with a bunch of people?

Keep on reading and join me at these other exciting festivals.

Tip 1. Ticket purchase

Getting your hands on a ticket is half the work for festivals. You can’t go without a ticket!
- Check the festival dates and lineup before purchasing a ticket!
- Usually, there are one-day passes and 2-3 day passes depending on the festival dates.
- Choose whether to visit on the day your favorite artists perform or casually enjoy the entire festival.
- Tickets for the international audience maybe sold at online ticket websites that offer multilingual options.

Tip 2. Fit check

Tada, how do I look? This is my summer festival outfit. Since it was a rock festival, I styled accordingly. I chose a rock band t-shirt, chains to accessorize, and a cross body bag for comfort! I’ll also introduce some tips according to the seasons.

Summer festivals

- Hat and sunglasses to shade from the scorching sun
- Sunblock or sunscreen to protect your skin!
- Outfits to avoid the heat
- For water festivals, remember to pack a change of clothes!
- Large crowds can be dangerous so wear sneakers instead of sandals

Fall festivals

- It may be cooler than summer but UV rays are still high in fall! Don’t forget to pack a hat, sunglasses, and sunblock or sunscreen
- Temperature differences can get large so grab a jacket to stay warm after sunset
- For outdoor festivals, consider bringing water, snacks, and a picnic blanket. (Some festivals have regulations on bringing food and picnic blanket sizes, so check in advance!)
- A handheld fan, power bank for your phone, and a small camping chair can also make your experience more comfortable.

So did you get your ticket and pick an outfit? Nothing left but to enjoy the festival!

Tip 3. Have fun at the festival

1. Enjoying food

Most festivals have food trucks and shops from local famous restaurants or sell trending foods. It varies from common street foods such as noodles, gimbap, and tteokbokki to full-on meals like steak, pasta, and bibimbap! There are also food often paired with beer such as skewered food, mac and cheese, and roasted squid.
Festivals are often sponsored by beer companies and visitors can easily buy a cold fresh one after verifying their age.
You need a full stomach to enjoy the festival right? Popular menus often run out fast, so get in line early if you don’t wanna miss out!

2. Diverse events

Popular brands open booths with special prices and promotions. There are also photo card giveaway events of celebrities in the lineup, so get ready for a game of roulette, darts, or even limbo. Don’t miss out on events and giveaways!

3. Photos at the photo zones

It’s important to get a snap of this unforgettable experience!
Some photo zones have life-size cutouts of artists from the lineup and areas designed to match the theme of the festival. Sharing your experience on social media is a breeze! Or how about changing that old profile picture?
Also, some festivals have social media events that give out various prizes if you post a photo with the required hashtags.
Attending festivals on long summer days has its unique charms, but fall is the perfect season for festivals. Here is a list of festivals opening this fall in Seoul and Gapyeong.

2022 Lovesome

Fall is a great season for reading books. Lovesome is a romantic festival involving music and books and this will be its fourth year. What makes this festival unique is that it’s not just a concert, there are also segments for popular writers to speak as well. This year’s lineup will include Kim Eana, a famous lyricist that has written for a wide range of Korean artists from idols to trot!

Hiphopplaya Festival 2022

Hiphopplaya Festival returns for the first time in three years! All the famous Korean hip-hop musicians gather at this festival, just look at that lineup!

2022 Joy Olpark Festival

Joy Olpark Festival aims for sustainability through ESG practices. One-time use products will be replaced with reusable or biodegradable ones and the large festival banners will be collected and used to create upcycled products. These pouches and bags will be available for purchase so keep an eye out.

Jarasum Jazz Festival

Jarasum Jazz Festival will be opening for the 19th time this year. This is one of Korea’s most famous jazz festivals. There will be various food trucks and wine that go perfect with the music. Nothing beats sipping on a glass of wine while watching the sunset on Jarasum Island with live jazz music. Just imagining it makes my heart race!

Grand Mint Festival

Feel the cool autumn breeze with wonderful music at Grand Mint Festival. This music festival takes place in the beautiful city nightscape of Seoul in Olympic Park. It’s also popular for its various pop up stores and food stands. Wrap up the year at this festival and get a recap of all the popular trends and music of 2022.

Welcome Daehakro Festival 2022

This festival is a bit different from the ones introduced above. It’s a month-long festival featuring various genres of performances and takes place in Daehakro, the mecca of Korean performances. This year’s Korea performance honorary ambassadors are O Yeong-su from “Squid Game (2021)” and Monika from “Street Woman Fighter (2021).”
The festival starts off with an opening ceremony, Welcome Road Show, followed by special events such as Welcome Theater, a relay of performances; Welcome K-Stage, online performances that take place on Wednesdays at 8PM; Welcome Fringe, various street performances; Welcome Plus, screenings of approximately 60 participating films; and wraps up with the Welcome Closing Party.
Performances will offer subtitles in English, Japanese, and Chinese for foreign guests and there will also be a wide array of nonverbal performances as well. This will be the perfect chance to see various Korean performances!

That’s all the info I’ve prepared!
Don’t worry if you’ve missed ticket purchases, these famous festivals open every year during similar periods so you can always try again next year.

Well, see you at the next fall festival! Bye!

* This column was last updated in August 2022, and therefore information may differ from what is presented here. We advise you to check details before visiting.