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By Lee Suh-yoon
Fall is the season when the city and district offices across Seoul hold festive events, taking advantage of the mild weather. Here is a guide to local events happening in the capital for the rest of October.
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| The opening concert at last year's Itaewon Global Village Festival / Courtesy of Yongsan-gu Office |
Itaewon Global Village Festival
The annual Itaewon Global Village Festival in the most international neighborhood in Seoul is back for a two-day run this weekend. As usual, dozens of international restaurants from the neighborhood will set up food stalls along the main street of Itaewon.
A new addition to this year's program is a cooking contest between two well-known chefs from a Japanese and an Italian restaurant in Itaewon, to be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The opening parade will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, featuring martial arts, traditional performances and cultural costumes from all over the world. Rock bands will perform at the opening ceremony following the parade. EDM fans can join the outdoor DJ party in front of Hamilton Hotel from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on both days. Those wishing to steer clear of the crowds can wander off into Gyeongnidan Street to enjoy mime or magic performances by street artists.
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| Last year's parade at the Pre-Historic Culture Festival in Amsa-dong, eastern Seoul / Courtesy of Gangdong-gu Office |
Pre-Historic Culture Festival in Gangdong
Amsa-dong Pre-history Settlement Site in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, will come alive with musical parades and night lanterns from Friday through Sunday with the 24th Pre-Historic Culture Festival. Families looking for a historic excursion to the Neolithic period ― or with children who want to play caveman ― are welcome to visit.?The district office is making efforts to get Amsa-dong registered as a UNESCO heritage site.
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| Residents dressed as Goryeo Kingdom soldiers march at the Gang Gam-chan Festival last year. / Courtesy of Gwanak-gu Office |
Gwanak Gang Gam-chan Festival
Nakseongdae Park in Gwanak district will briefly travel back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Admiral Gang Gam-chan's military victory over Mongolian invaders. Inside the mini replica of a Goryeo city, visitors will be able try their hand at archery or pottery-making.
The festival runs from Oct. 17 to 19. On the last day, around 1,500 residents dressed as Goryeo soldiers and villagers will march from Gwanak-gu Office to Nakseongdae, where the admiral's statue currently stands.
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| Citizens watch a live performance by Deoksu Palace walls in May 2016. / Korea Times file |
Night stroll in Jeongdong
The city will open up key cultural and historic sites in Jeongdong, central Seoul, for nighttime visitors on Oct. 25 and 26, including Deoksu Palace, Appenzeller Noble Memorial Museum, Jeongdong Theater and Seoul Anglican Cathedral. Live music events will be held at some of these sites, as well as outdoors along the Deoksu Palace walls.
SIDance
Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance), which kicked off last week, runs until Oct. 20 at the Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater and Sogang University Mary Hall. This year, many of the performances center on the theme of human violence, ranging from terrorism to sexual violence. Tickets can be bought on the website.
