10-Lane Banpo-daero Turns into a Concert Venue... 'Seoripul Music Festival' Held

[Financial News] Seoul's 10-lane Banpo-daero will transform into a large-scale outdoor performance venue on the upcoming 19th and 20th. Prior to the main event, a unique pre-festival combining an orchestra and K-fashion will be held at the Seoul Arts Center, and members of the world-class Los Angeles Philharmonic will also visit Banpo-daero to present a classical performance. Seocho-gu announced on the 14th that it will host the '2026 Seoripul Music Festival' along a 900-meter section of Banpo-daero, stretching from Seocho Station to the Seocho 3-dong Intersection. Organized by Seocho-gu and managed by the Seocho Cultural Foundation, the Seoripul Music Festival is an urban music festival that began in 2015. As of last year, the cumulative number of visitors reached 1.34 million. This year, the festival will showcase performances across various genres, ranging from classical to jazz and K-pop, as well as citizen participation programs.
Prior to the main event, a special pre-event co-hosted by Seocho-gu, the Seoul Arts Center, and ESteem Entertainment will be held on the 18th at the Music Plaza of the Seoul Arts Center. This marks the first time that a live orchestral performance and a fashion show will take place together at the Music Plaza. The plaza will transform into an outdoor runway, featuring a fashion performance by ESteem Entertainment accompanied by the Seocho Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Bae Jong-hoon. The plan is to extend the festive atmosphere, which began at the Seoul Arts Center, all the way to Banpo-daero through a stage that combines classical music with K-fashion.■ LA Philharmonic String Quartet... 'Night of Classics'On the 19th, the first day of the main event, members of the world-class LA Philharmonic Orchestra will take the stage on Banpo-daero. A string quartet composed of LA Philharmonic members will make a special appearance at the 'Night of Classics,' which begins at 6:30 PM. Essentially, musicians from a world-class orchestra are performing classical music in the middle of Banpo-daero, where vehicle traffic has been blocked, rather than in a concert hall.
Top-tier Korean musicians will also grace the stage, including the Seocho Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Bae Jong-hoon, singer Son Tae-jin, soprano Hwang Su-mi, mezzo-soprano Bang Shin-je, tenor Kim Yo-han, baritone Kim Ji-hoon, and the Yang Seung-hee Gayageum Ensemble. Sylvain Leclerc, a trumpet player from the 15th arrondissement of Paris, France, a sister city of Seocho-gu, will also participate.
Prior to this, at 1 p.m., an opening parade signals the start of the festival. Performance groups, brass bands, large balloon art, and cheerleading fill Banpo-daero, which has been cleared of cars.
Starting at 1:30 PM, the flagship program 'The World's Largest Sketchbook' takes place. The entire 10-lane road, spanning approximately 2,610 square meters, is transformed into a giant canvas. It is an event where people of all ages, from children to adults, can freely draw on the asphalt using around 100,000 colorful chalks.
The first day concludes with the 'Seoripul Jazz Night,' featuring violinist Danny Koo, jazz pianist Cho Yoon-sung, and bandoneonist Ko Sang-ji.■ Jaurim, Lee Seung-yoon, and others to conclude with K-popThe festival kicks off on the 20th with 'Seoripul Good Morning Yoga'. You can enjoy outdoor yoga with popular yoga YouTuber 'Yoga Boy' on a 10-lane road usually filled with cars.
At 11 a.m., the 'Seoripul Kids Classic Flying Symphony' for children will take place. Combining 3D animation with performances by the DITTO Orchestra conducted by Lee Byung-wook and the Beriozza Piano Duo, the event will present Saint-Saëns' 'Carnival of Animals' and Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker'. The festival concludes at 7 p.m. with 'K-Pop Night'. Crying Nut, Jaurim, and Lee Seung-yoon will take the stage in succession to heat up Banpo-daero. A fireworks display will follow the performances.
After all 40 performances are finished, the '41st stage' created by residents will take place. This program was inspired by a video that recorded 5.94 million views online, showing environmental workers cleaning up Banpo-daero and returning it to normalcy after the festival ended last year.
This year, a resident participation group recruited through an open call will clean up the festival grounds alongside environmental officers. This signifies that residents do not stop at simply enjoying the festival but actively participate in the final process of restoring a clean daily life.
In addition, programs for family visitors will be prepared throughout Banpo-daero. A giant Wally sculpture created in collaboration with 'Where's Wally?' will be installed, and a mission-based event will be held where participants collect stickers by finding Wallys hidden in various locations around the venue.
At 'Seoripul Music Library Bookflow,' visitors can enjoy artist-recommended books and LP music, while 'Seoripul Art Salon' operates experience programs and an art market for local creators. The 'Seoripul Instrument Street Festival,' featuring instrument shops, musicians, and residents from Seoripul Instrument Street, will also be held in conjunction for two days.
For the convenience of visitors, online advance reservations for 'Classic Night,' 'K-Pop Night,' and 'Seoripul Kids Classic' will be accepted starting on the 15th. Telephone reservations for seniors aged 80 and older will also be available from the 15th to the 18th. Food trucks will feature QR ordering, payment, and pickup notification systems, and three cooling zones utilizing buses and grass rest areas will be provided.
Due to the festival, vehicle traffic will be completely restricted on a 900-meter section of Banpo-daero from Seocho Station to the Seocho 3-dong Intersection for a total of 52 hours, from midnight on the 19th to 4:00 AM on the 21st. Approximately 1,300 safety management personnel will also be deployed daily to prepare for large crowds.
"Seocho District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, 'The Seoripul Music Festival, marking its 11th year this year, is becoming a better festival as time goes by,' adding, 'This year, we have further enhanced the appeal of the music festival by adding new collaborations with world-class performers, global characters, and the Seoul Arts Center.'"

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