The pandemic is over; the time for festivals has arrived. During the two years that COVID-19 took over the world, music lovers longing loudly for large-scale music festivals and live concerts became something of a mainstay. We realized rather late that commonplace activities like eating, drinking, singing, dancing and jumping around together are not to be taken for granted. And while performances that complied with social distancing rules and online concerts gave us our fill somewhat, it was hard to just clap our hands, nodding along to the music while sitting still. 

But that’s all over now. Shouting at the top of our lungs, singing in unison for the benefit of the artists, and plenty of eats, like festival staple cold kimchi-mari noodles, are once again permitted. Even if you waited out under the hot sun for a hard-earned ticket, we can once again relive the familiar experience of putting all other considerations aside for the sake of the music. Tickets sell out the instant they go on sale and crowds throng to every event. Clearly, music lovers are hungry for festivals after two years of lying in wait. Checking the artist lineup and the date tickets go on sale are musts. Make sure to gather up everything you’ll want to take with you, including your endurance, for the long outdoor performances, too.

This article will cover some recommended music festivals held in Korea from July to early October, noting the characteristics and flavor of each, as well as the artists who will perform them. Hopefully this guide will do its part to awaken the festival DNA flowing through your veins. Here’s hoping to see you all there.

Pentaport Rock Festival

Pentaport Rock Festival: the pride of the Korean rock festival circuit. Once social distancing rules were lifted, music lovers immediately turned their collective attention toward any news regarding Pentaport. Following Triport Rock Festival in 1999, the event was reborn in 2006 as Pentaport Rock Festival and has been bringing the rock heat every year since then without exception, with 2022 marking its 17th consecutive year. Pentaport was held online in 2020 and 2021, but announced its grand return for this year after three years without any in-person concerts.

It seems like this was the event everyone was waiting for. Anticipation for the first large in-person rock festival in three years is hotter than was expected: A round of so-called “blind” tickets on May 12 before the lineup was announced, as well as another batch of discounted early-bird tickets on May 20, both sold out within a minute. It represents the first time in Pentaport’s history that presale tickets in excess of 10,000 have been sold in the lead-up to the official sales date.

Incheon is already heating up as bits of the rock festival take place here and there within the city. Several events under the Incheon Pentaport Live Stage banner are being held starting at Cheongna Lake Park in the city’s Seo-gu district on June 4, while artists of all different genres are playing at 12 live clubs throughout the city as part of the Live Club Party event leading up to the festival weekend. Pentaport also holds local cultural festivals, showing the space it occupies as a key music festival that has found a deep place in the hearts of local residents as well as music lovers nationwide.

Pentaport revealed a second portion of its lineup and put another round of early-bird tickets on sale on June 3. Artists gracing the stage on August 5 include Crying Nut, Sunwoojunga, youra, Lee Moojin, JUKJAE, Hyodo and BASE and French band Tahiti 80. Headlining the event on August 6 is four-time Grammy Award winner Vampire Weekend; also playing will be Crying in H Mart bestselling Korean American author Michelle Zauner’s band Japanese Breakfast and the intensely lyrical post-metal band Deafheaven. Jaurim takes top billing for the August 7 finale at Incheon’s Songdo Moonlight Festival Park in a lineup of other Korean bands including Glen Check, Meaningful Stone, The Volunteers, The Bowls, Say Sue Me and ADOY.

Haus of Wonder

Beloved singer-songwriter Tom Misch, with his sensuous guitar playing and soft melodies. Three-piece UK band New Hope Club, who has found many Korean fans with their sophisticated music and frequent performances. R&B singer-songwriter Sabrina Claudio and her delicately captivating vocals. Trendy hip hop/R&B duo Emotional Oranges. John K, known to Koreans for his pop song “parachute.” Zico. Zion.T. ASH ISLAND. P1Harmony. Dvwn. With this kind of lineup, it’s no wonder that fans are hotly anticipating this festival, to be held at KINTEX in Ilsan on August 6 and 7.

Haus of Wonder is put on by artist IP platform Wonderwall, which introduced their Wonderwall Stage on- and offline performance service in March, kicking things off with online performances by Emotional Oranges and Mac Ayres. They’ve also been hosting collaborative performances, AUX TO WONDER, with various hip hop artists since April. The Haus of Wonder festival sold out of early-bird tickets in a minute—proof of its popularity—and Wonderwall is now selling the first round of regular tickets.

With so many people showing interest just from the initial lineup alone, it’s forecasted that demand will grow even higher as more artists are added moving forward. Also of note is that the lineup of musicians features a balance of international pop artists and Korean acts, all of whom are popular in Korea. Most notably, excitement rose even further on July 1 when it was announced that the “Maniac” hit-maker Conan Gray would be making his first appearance on the Korean stage. But there are also some points of concern. Tickets can only be canceled for free within seven days of purchase, after which a portion of the ticket price will be charged as a cancellation fee. As this is the company’s first big festival, it’s crucial that they put on not only an enjoyable concert but also make sure things run smoothly for the sake of the audience. For another thing, the festival overlaps with Pentaport. That means that music lovers will have to check each schedule once both are released and decide whether to spend August 6 and 7 in Ilsan or in Incheon.

SLOW LIFE SLOW LIVE

After a successful turnout for the Seoul Jazz Festival from May 27 through 29, Private Curve has announced the return of the SLOW LIFE SLOW LIVE festival for the fall. The concert lit up the autumn night back in 2019, with foreign artists like Sting, Kodarine, Lukas Graham, Carly Rae Jepson, Gallant, Ady Suleiman, Jacoby and more performing at Olympic Park’s 88 Garden. SLOW LIFE SLOW LIVE will take place from October 8 to 10 and will be a refreshing fall gift for music lovers to look forward to after the summer heat dies down.

The festival organizers first announced three names in the lineup on May 27. First up is British singer-songwriter Anne-Marie, whose megahits in Korea include “2002” and “Friends.” The singer will be stepping foot on Korean soil for the first time since 2019, when she staged a heartwarming free concert. Next is Australian singer-songwriter Tones And I. Her song “Dance Monkey” became a global sensation in 2019, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, fourth on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in over 30 countries, rocketing the singer to superstardom. She hasn’t slowed down since, putting out her debut studio album, Welcome to the Madhouse, last July 16.

Last up is Peder Elias, a newer pop star from Norway whose songs have been streamed more than 250 million times worldwide. The singer-songwriter released his first studio album, Love & Loneliness, on April 29, and made inroads into the Korean market with an appearance on the MBC Radio show Bae Chulsoo’s Music Camp last year, where he covered famous Korean songs.

The advantage of SLOW LIFE SLOW LIVE is that it’s set up to showcase five artists per day on a single stage, meaning audience members can sit back and enjoy the show without having to stress themselves deciding who to see and how to get there. June 28 saw additions to the lineup, including LANY, LAUV, Jonas Blue, Jeremy Zucker, Benson Boone and Sam Ryder, raising fan expectations that much higher.

RAPBEAT 2022

RAPBEAT is the biggest hip hop festival in Korea. First introduced as RAPBEAT SHOW in 2014, it grew into its current festival incarnation in 2018 and has captivated hip hop fans every year since. The festival is hosted by CULTURE THINK and is home to the biggest lineup and longest concerts in the country.

RAPBEAT 2022 will be held at SeoulLand on September 3 and 4 and represents the first year the festival will take place in person since 2019. Tickets can be purchased for one or both days with additional optional perks available. Hip hop and R&B fans can rest assured that they’ve made a good choice with RAPBEAT as every year positive stories flood out from the festival about the high level of audience participation and the amazing performances by every artist.

RAPBEAT’s impressive lineup makes good on both quantity and quality. The headliner for June 3 is Lucky Daye, a contemporary R&B singer who competed on season four of American Idol back in 2005. In 2022, the singer-songwriter was honored with the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album and has received five other Grammy nominations. His collaborations with big names like Babyface and Earth, Wind & Fire have garnered him even more attention. His popularity jumped further when BTS member Jimin included the R&B star’s song “Late Night” on a Spotify playlist.

The next day’s headliner is Portland rapper Aminé. Aminé, who hasn’t been to Korea since 2019, has been steadily gaining recognition since dropping his hit single “Caroline” in 2017, expanding his creative horizons and winning over fans with his top-tier storytelling skills. He released his latest project, TWOPOINTFIVE, in November.

Joining Lucky Daye and Aminé to light up the RAPBEAT 2022 stage are local artists like Zion.T, pH-1, lIlBOI, Loco, BLOO, SUPERBEE, ASH ISLAND, B.I and more. Although a hip hop festival, RAPBEAT will also feature rock bands like NELL and SE SO NEON, showing the organizer’s distinct aim to create a fun atmosphere regardless of genre.

Jarasum Jazz Festival

2022 marks the 19th anniversary of the Jarasum Jazz Festival, Korea’s premiere jazz event. JJF is one of Korea’s most popular fall music festivals and has attracted 2.9 million audience members and 839 artists from 58 different countries over the years. Each year, more than 200,000 people attend to see the sand-covered island transformed into an island of music that plays host to this monumental concert. With its enviable lineup of talented Korean musicians and other jazz players from across the globe, JJF is considered a prime case of how to market to audiences from across the country while remaining friendly to locals.

The Jarasum Jazz Festival took place in 2021 despite the ongoing pandemic. The concert was also streamed online, proving the festival’s longevity and ability to endure against all odds, and featured performances from Sunwoojunga, Youn Sun Nah, Juwon Park, Yoonseung Cho and LEENALCHI, as well as Jeon Jeduk and his band’s Morning Dew 50th Anniversary: Tribute to Kim Min-Gi and musicians from the jazz scenes in Poland and Singapores. Now that most COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, including bans on cheering and eating, jazz fans should be able to freely move about the jazz-drenched island of Jarasum, enjoying every last bit of the festival to the fullest.

The 19th Jarasum Jazz Festival will be held over a three-day period from October 3 to 5 this year. Earlier, on April 8 and 9, the organizers also held JARASUM BEYOND concerts under the JJF brand and featuring Chae On and Otium. On April 27, they released a poster designed by Spanish illustrator Sonia Pulido showing people enjoying a concert in a beautiful, natural environment. The colorful poster has since built up excitement around the festival. On the heels of the poster reveal, they also posted events related to the festival and other news about sponsorship, and details about ticket dates and the lineup are expected to follow.