My First Korean Festival : Thoughts, Takeaways, and More

During the first week of September, my friends and I had the opportunity to attend two music festivals here in Seoul: Resffect Festival (Day 1) and Rapbeat Festival (Day 2). Needless to say, it was everything and more than what I had originally expected. 

Resffect Festival

Day 1 lineup: Loco, Bibi, Gray, Coogie, Bobby (iKon), Dawn, Gemini, and more. 

This was hands-down the best festival I’ve attended. Ever. 

We got up bright and early as planned and headed towards the Olympic Park via the subway. Already, upon arriving at the venue, I realized the relatively small venue was split into two sections: a standing section surrounding the stage, and a picnic section behind it separated by a barricade. I was quite surprised by the picnic area, as I’ve never seen anything like this before. People around us brought picnic mats, home-packed lunches, and the main staple: umbrellas. At the picnic area, people sat comfortably with a foldable chair – either brought from home or obtained as a prize from the surrounding pop-up stores if you gave them a follow on Instagram (that’s what we did). Then, when an artist came on to perform, people would leave their personal belongings on the picnic mat (including wallets and passports), and head to the standing area. 

Overall, it was a very chill, relaxing experience. Also, given that it was a relatively smaller festival, with mostly locals attending, my friend and I were actually able to get pretty close to the main stage without feeling like we were getting squished. We even got “baptised” (or in regular linguo: “splashed”) by Loco and Bobby twice each. 

A one-day pass was only 110,000 won (approx. $80 USD), and a two-day pass was about 165,000 won (approx. $122). I’d definitely go if I ever have the chance to attend again :) 

Rapbeat Festival

Day 2 lineup: Taeyang (BigBang), Dynamic Duo, Paul Kim, DPR Live, Peakboy, and more. 

This festival was definitely on a larger scale – more similar to America’s Lollapalooza. It seemed like this was the festival that most locals were looking forward to, as there was a lot of buzz about this leading up to the event. 

For those interested in comparing prices: A one-day pass was 119,000 won (approx. $88 USD), and a two-day pass was 159,000 won (approx. $118 USD). The prices were pretty similar to the Resffect festival. 

We got up pretty early again; this time, we headed over to Seoulland, an amusement park here in Seoul. The GPS really wasn’t lying when it said it was going to be a thirty-minute hike to get to the concert venue from the station… So do be prepared for a mini hike if you plan on going :) 

After checking in, I immediately realized the ambiance was quite different as compared to the Resffect Festival. This one really felt like a festival – there were rides, cotton candy, photo booth areas, etc. And given that the festival was hosted inside the amusement park itself, we were also allowed to ride the rides if we wanted to. It definitely offered more than just the music performances themselves. But when we finally got to the main stage, there were already a lot of people at the pit. The range of the audience was also pretty mixed, with many of them being foreigners as well. 

The main problem I faced was that I wasn’t allowed to sit, or even crouch down for a quick break, as there were many security guards walking around. More of a “me problem” – but since the Rapbeat Festival was the second day in a row of festivals for me, I should’ve taken this into consideration. In addition, there was a lot of pushing happening especially when the bigger artists started to come out, such as DPR Live. After Paul Kim performed (about midway through the setlist), my friend and I ultimately decided to leave the main pit area as spaces were becoming tighter. 

Even though my experience wasn’t as good as the Resffect Festival, I still had a good time vibing to Paul Kim, DPR Live, Dynamic Duo, and Taeyang. It was still so surreal to be in the same venue as these talented artists and to hear them sing live with such an energetic crowd. Especially being able to hear Eyes, Nose, Lips by Taeyang live – the ticket was worth it in the end. 

Final thoughts and takeaways? 

100% worth it. Both of them. 

Of course, festivals will be festivals and there’ll be some pushing and crowding along the way. But given the proximity with the artists and the price especially, it was very worth it. It was almost like hitting two birds with one stone, except more like five plus birds with one stone considering how many artists I got to see all at once. 

If you ever have the chance to attend a festival in Korea, I highly recommend it!