| People enjoy beer during the Sinchon Craft Beer Festival. / Courtesy of Seodaemun-gu Office |
Music concerts, various events awaiting beer lovers
By Kang Seung-woo
As the nation is still in the tail end of a strong summer heat wave, nationwide beer festivals are set to help people beat the heat.
Visitors will be able to taste innumerable domestic and imported beers that are not widely available and they can also grab some delicious side dishes, as well.
Together with a myriad of fresh tap beers, it will be an extra bonus that beer lovers will be able to enjoy concerts and various other events that could double their excitement.
Songdo Beer Festival
The festival that kicked off on Aug. 24 is coming close to an end on Saturday.
As its venue of Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in Incheon can accommodate 30,000 people, visitors can come and enjoy beer with family and friends. With magnificent fireworks and music available every day, the beer festival has boasted a star-studded lineup of musicians, including rapper Verbal Jint and punk band Crying Nut.
To continue the festive mood down to the wire, rapper BewhY and hip-hop trio DJ DOC are ready to wrap up the nine-day event by taking the stage on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
In addition, following the concert, an EDM party adds fuel to the festivities for the already-thrilled beer lovers.
Sinchon Railway St. Beer Festival
A beer event will take place in front of Sinchon Railway Station on Friday and Saturday as part of the Culture Bridge Project by Seodaemun-gu Office.
The Culture Bridge Project is a cultural festival to help local residents and tourists enjoy together and it is aimed at expanding the vibrant youth culture of Yonsei-ro Street.
The lineup for the beer festival features 10 craft beer companies, including Andong Brewing, that will offer 50 kinds of domestic and imported beers.
Along with the beer festival, there will also be a DJ party, cultural seminars, art classes, a great range of food options and many other programs and activities available throughout the festival period.
Gapyeong Craft Beer Festival
An annual craft beer festival is returning to Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, on Saturday and Sunday.
Marking its fourth edition, the event will be held in the city of Cheongpyeong right next to Cheongpyeong Station, a stop on the ITX train Gyeongchun Line.
Numerous craft breweries are set to participate in this event along with some tasty food vendors.
Sixteen participating brewing companies are divided into two groups. Group A breweries are comprised of Kabrew, The Table Brewing, Hand and Malt, Levee, Liquor and Joy, Wild Wave Brewing, Breitbach and Platinum, while Group B features Kona Brewing, Weizenhaus, Seoul Brewery, Jeju Beer, Craft and Culture, Kramer Lee, Craft Hans and Whasoo Brewery.
All breweries and food vendors will be taking only credit cards.
In addition, Good Times Rok, one of the three hosts, will be providing live bands, performers and DJs for this festival.
It runs noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Busan Craft Beer Festival
Busan, the nation's second-largest city and favorite tourist destination, plans to host its first beer festival Sept. 5 to 9.
It is expected to offer an opportunity to enjoy more than 100 kinds of craft beers from 18 breweries nationwide all in one place.
The brewery lineup includes Goose Island, The Booth and Gorilla Brewing.
The operation time on weekdays starts at 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., while it will run from noon to 10 p.m. during the weekend.
Along with a number of spirits, beer lovers will be able to enjoy busking performances, street food and a special trivia competition.
Sinchon Craft Beer Festival
Another beer event is ready to arrive at Sinchon a week after the previous one.
The Fourth Sinchon Craft Beer Festival will take place in the Sinchon area from Sept. 7 to 9. The event, first held in October 2015, was designed to boost the local economy.
There will be a whopping 300 craft beers from all over the country and the festival will also feature concerts dealing with various genres of music and a flea market as well as food that will well match the beers.
It is scheduled to run from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., but the final day will close at 9 p.m.