K-Town Festival was exactly what every K-pop fan needed to feel a little closer to Seoul!

From a stunning artist line up to K-pop merch and Korean food stalls, K-town festival was an absolute hub for every Hallyu Wave lover out there!

As someone who has been into K-pop since the past five years, getting the opportunity to not just attend the K-town festival as a spectator but also closely work with them has been the biggest highlight for me this year. As I entered the venue, it instantly made me feel alive. I am not someone who goes to concerts at all but I was all in for this since it was an only K-pop line up. It was as close as I was going to get to any full fledged K-pop concert for a while! But that wasn’t all, I had the insane opportunity to interview none other than SUPER JUNIOR- D&E and you best believe my heart was beating out of my chest right until I went inside the media room. They had a plethora of interviews lined up for them but the fact that I was the only one they spoke to because I knew Korean felt no less than a K-drama moment for me. All the Korean classes, all the exams, and studying till late felt worth it at that moment. 

After having a rather wholesome conversation with the duo and after the adrenaline rush of speaking to them settled down, I decided to step out and look around the festival a bit. I saw people with light sticks, banners, posters, photocards and I just instantly felt like I belonged here. I felt a sense of community and a rather big community at that, who showed up at the first sign of getting together for something that we collectively love so much. There were so many Korean food stalls at the venue. From enjoying a hot bowl of spicy Tteok-bokki to the smell of Ramyeon in the air, I felt like I was on the streets of Myeong-dong for a second. But it wasn’t just the food that reminded me of Korea, it was the photobooths as well. Photobooths are a huge part of Korea’s pop culture scene today, with Photoism booths in every nook and corner, you’re bound to get addicted to clicking pictures. So to see a glimpse of that at the event felt like home away from home too! 

Also Read: #K-poptalks: In conversation with ONEWE about their first performance in India, their growing fanbase and what they look forward to the most here!

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Finally as the sun began to settle, the energy went up and the best part of the evening began. The performances started one by one and as someone who was seeing K-pop idols in front of her for the first time, I was in awe! It all began with Jey who was as cool as one could get, his vocals are one that made heads turn not just for people who were inside the event but ones who were peeping from the outside too! The next one in line was Bang Yedam and I hate to admit this but it was my first time discovering his music but I can happily affirm that he has gained a fan for life! His song Fallin’ has become a track I play on loop in my playlist post the event and the best part about his performance was not just his voice, but just simply how much he enjoyed being on stage. I could listen to him for hours! 

Next up was Onewe, a Korean rock band that left me speechless the minute they played their rock guitar on stage. It was interesting to see how different members of a group make sure they’re in sync with each other whilst bringing an element of their own to the table. Not to forget how their outfits made me feel like I was watching a high school K-drama where the school’s most popular guys form a band and have the girls screaming in the crowd for them! Next up were the final two acts of the evening. The crowd went berserk for Taemin and rightfully so because he defined what a K-pop idol feels like. His choreography, the background dancers, his vocals, his outfits, jewellery everything just felt peak K-pop and the fact that all of us saw him perform Move and still survived is an unforgettable moment in itself! The final act was SUPER JUNIOR- D&E and their performance proved why they have been in the K-pop industry for so long! They completely owned the stage and the cheers for fan favourites like ‘Oppa Oppa’ and ‘Run Away’ went through the roof. For someone who barely steps out of her house, I was having a ball but it was all over before I even knew it.

My biggest takeaway from this experience was two things in particular - the massive amount of love people here have for K-pop and how largely it has grown throughout the country. For just a single day event, people from around India showed up in numbers and that should be proof enough to anyone who doubts whether India has potential for holding K-pop concerts in the future or not. Second would be just how beautifully for the love of music, people from two countries united and worked towards putting an event together. Seeing Koreans and Indians communicate and learn about each other’s culture at a time where there’s so much negativity around us only makes me feel that if you have a heart full of love, anything is possible!

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