Summer kicks off with multitude of music festivals around the country


Nothing says summer in Korea like a music festival, and there is certainly no shortage of music events to attend.

From rock, to indie, to electronic there is something for everyone ― no matter where you are located in the country.

Kicking off this year’s run of festivals is the Rainbow Island Music and Camping festival on Nami Island from June 9-10. Headlining are American singer-songwriters Jason Mraz and Christina Perri.

Other bands performing are Busker Busker, IDIOTAPE, The Koxx, Kingston Rudieska, Yellow Monster, Ego-wrappin’, Oh! Brothers, Tattles, Standing Egg, The Weekend, and many others.

Tickets are 165,000 won for two days, 110,000 won for Saturday and 88,000 won for Sunday. They include round-trip boat fare to the island. Tent packages are also available for rent with a two-person package for 55,000 won and a three to five-person package for 77,000 won. There are also a number of pensions and restaurants nearby for those not up for camping.

To book tickets or for more information, see the website at www.rainbowfestival.co.kr or email info@rainbowfestival.co.kr.

Next on the schedule is a festival for lovers of indie Korean music. The Guro Indie Rock Festival kicks off July 5-7 at the Guro Arts Valley near Daerim Station on Subway Line No. 2 and invites numerous groups, many of whom got their start in Hongdae, the hotspot for Korean indie music.

Cheaper than other events, this is a festival for those on a budget. Weekday tickets are 15,000 won for second floor seats and 30,000 won for first floor seats, with prices going up to 20,000 won and 35,000 won on the weekend.

The shows kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Some of the bands gracing the stage this year are BigBaby Drive, The Moonshiners, Galaxy Express, Micro Kid, Baek Hyun-jin, Kim Mok-in and Lee Young-hoon.

For more information or to reserve tickets in advance, go to the art center’s website at www.guroartsvalley.or.kr.

Come rain or shine, nothing stops the masses from one of the biggest festivals of the season. In its fourth year, Jisan Valley Rock Festival, which runs July 27-29 at Jisan Valley Ski Resort south of Seoul, is already gearing up to make this year’s event bigger and better than before. It has already announced its headliners Radiohead and the Stone Roses. 

Also planning to take to the stage are Beady Eye, Elvis Costello and the Imposters, James Blake, Nell, Apollo18, the Black Skirts and Hollow Jan.

Tickets run at 250,000 won for a 3-day pass and 150,000 won for a one-day pass at the gate. Starting May 30, there will be 1,000 one-day tickets available for 130,000 won. Official internet booking starts on June 5 and three-day tickets are 225,000 won while one-day tickets are 140,000 won.

Camping tickets are only available for those who purchase 3-day tickets with one allotted per 3-day pass purchased. Tent rental is available and festival planners ask that campers only use tents that accommodate four people or less as space is limited. Tickets are for sale online at Interpark, Mnet and Yes24 in both English and Korean.

For those who are not into camping in the July heat and humidity, a list of nearby pensions and other accommodations will be available on the festival website soon.

For more information, visit the website at www.valleyrockfestival.com or call the following numbers: 1330 information line, 1566-2226 or (02) 1577-3363.

For the first time ever, Ultra Music Festival is coming to Korea. The electronic music festival is planning to stage six festivals worldwide this year on four continents, with the show to hit Seoul’s Jamsil Sports Complex Stadium on Aug. 3 and 4. The festival began in Miami, Florida in the U.S. and spread to Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2010 with festivals now popping up in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Warsaw, Poland; and Ibiza, Spain.

Coming to Seoul are Skrillex, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, Carlox&Friends, John Digweed, Yousef, Jon Rundell, Sidney Samson, Elioriso, Shut Da Mouth, Freak Houze, Tokyo Big Boy, Chuckie, the Crystal Method, Ken Ishii, DJ Koo, Sander Kleinenberg and more to be announced.

The first two rounds of advance tickets have already sold out, but Phase 3 tickets are now available. A Friday pass is 93,500 won while tickets for Saturday are priced at 112,200 won. A two-day combo is currently available for 153,000 won. Tickets on the day of the event are 110,000 won for Friday, 132,000 won for Saturday, and 180,000 won for both days.

The entire event is standing only, and there will be a special VIP section. The festival is for those aged 19 and up only. More information on VIP seating will be posted on the website at a later date.

For more information, visit www.umfworldwide.com.

Probably one of the oldest rock festivals in the country, Busan International Rock Festival is set to kick off its 13th edition on Aug. 3 for three days. Set in Samnak Riverside Park in Busan, the event that stages not only the top rock bands in Korea, but acts from all over the world, is free of charge. Last year’s festival brought in about 100,000 people to see 27 bands from seven countries.

While the lineup is yet to be posted, it will be up on the website soon. Performers at last year’s show included YB Band, Steranko from the U.K., Blanks from Japan, Crying Nut, Mrigya Band from India, Heaven Shall Burn from Germany, Guckkasten and Chthonic from Taiwan.

For more information and to watch for this year’s lineup, check out www.rockfestival.co.kr.

Rounding off the summer is Pentaport Rock Festival. The event, which in previous years went head to head with Jisan Valley Rock Festival, is set to take place from Aug. 10-12 at Incheon Dream Park.

Passes for one to three days are available with one-day tickets at 88,000 won, two-day pass at 132,000 won and three-day pass at 165,000 won. Tickets will be for sale at the venue and are available now on the Pentaport website as well as Interpark. Tickets booked online will receive a 20 percent discount.

Camping is available again this year, with tent rental and camping ticket information to be posted on the website at a later date.

This year’s lineup is proving to be a step in the right direction with Snow Patrol coming, along with Crystal Castles and Ash. Korean acts include Lee Seung-yeol, 10cm, Daybreak, Windy City, Urban Zakapa, Rose Motel, Hot Potato and more to be announced.

For more information or to book tickets, visit www.pentaportrock.com.

Festival roundup

-Rainbow Island Music and Camping

Date: June 9-10

Location: Nami Island

Tickets: Auction, Yes24.com, Interpark, lotte.com, 11st, GMarket, 1300k

- Guro Indie Rock Festival

Date: July 5-7

Location: Guro Arts Valley, Seoul

Tickets: www.guroartsvalley.co.kr, Yes24.com

- Jisan Valley Rock Festival

Date: July 27-29

Location: Jisan Valley Ski Resort, Icheon

Tickets: MNet, Yes24.com, Interpark, Auction, Ticketlink, CLIP Service,1300k

- Ultra Music Festival

Date: Aug. 3-4

Location: Jamsil Sports Complex Stadium, Seoul

Tickets: www.umfkorea.com, Auction

- Busan International Rock Festival

Date: Aug. 3-5

Location: Samnak Riverside Park, Busan

Tickets: Free

- Pentaport Rock Festival

Date: Aug. 10-12

Location: Incheon Dream Park, Incheon

Tickets: Interpark

By Emma Kalka (ekalka@heraldcorp.com)