Annual Seoripul Festival to kick off on Saturday

The annual “Seoripul Festival” hosted by Seocho District will kick off on Saturday. Seocho District announced Tuesday that the 5th Seoripul Festival will begin on Saturday for a seven-day run with 23 programs and the participation of some 3,800 artists. Seoripul, which means “auspicious grass,” is an old name of Seocho. Since 2015, the festival has attracted around 590,000 visitors over the past five years, producing an estimated economic effect of over 63.7 billion won. An area of 410,000 square meters near Seoul Arts Center and the musical instrument street in Seocho District has been named as the country’s first music culture zone.

During the festival, Banpo-daero will turn into a stage for a night parade of lights, music, and performances. Some 1,000 performers in costume with light emitting diode (LED) attached will join the one-hour-long parade, which will take place on a one-kilometer section of Banpo-daero (from Seocho Station to Seocho 3-dong Intersection) from 7 p.m. Saturday. A vehicle carrying 18 children and a pianist will take the lead, followed by performers in three sections, namely tradition, passion, and novelty, playing traditional percussion music, tango, and electronic dance music (EDM). About 900 seats are expected to be installed near the streets the parade will pass by. An opening performance named “Seochogol concert” will start at 8 p.m. Saturday on a stage set up in Banpo-daero, featuring South Korean rock band YB, the Seocho Philharmoniker led by conductor Bae Jong-hoon, and a choir operated by Seocho District’s Father Healing Center.

Some of the world’s greatest artists will also partake in the festival. Canadian trumpeter Jens Lindemann will meet with the South Korean audience at jazz concerts on Tuesday (Shimsan Art Hall) and Wednesday (Seocho Cultural Arts Center). Twelve cellists including Peter Sachon, who has played over 400 pieces of musical numbers, and Ko Bong-shin, a professor at California State University, Fullerton, who also serves as the president of the Greenhouse Foundation, will join the cello concert scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Thursday in Seocho Cultural Arts Center.

Various eye-catching performances will be also held across the district during the period. Seocho District chose 120 out of 238 youth busking teams to allow them to perform on streets.


will@donga.com