Oct 23 to 25 · 10am to 9pmSONGPATOUR · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Festival · Olympic Park, SongpaAbout 2,000 years ago, the kingdom of Baekje kept its capital, Hanseong, in what is now Songpa for 493 years. The Hanseong Baekje Cultural Festival (한성백제문화제) brings that history and culture back; first held in 1994, it runs this 26th year under the theme "Brilliant culture, deep resonance, our unity".
The opening night on October 23 is the big one. From 7pm a welcome drone show with Songpa's mascots Haha and Hoho starts things off, then the Songpa orchestra and choir, tenors, a band, a media-art stage and sets by Loco and Davichi fill a 60-metre main stage with a large LED screen. A 900-drone show closes the evening.
On October 24 there is a musical gala and a community showcase by residents of 27 neighbourhoods. October 25 ends with the Hanseong Culture Concert: gugak (Korean traditional music) reported to include a 30-player geomungo ensemble and fusion gugak, alongside Kep1er and Dynamicduo.
Between shows, wander the experience village, hands-on programmes and promotion booths, eat at the Hanseong Baekje food market, or take children to the festival kids' cafe. Baekje costume experiences have also been reported.