Seoripool Music Festival draws 280,000 to Seoul's Banpo-daero

The 10-lane Banpo-daero was transformed into an open-air concert venue over the weekend.

Seocho-gu said Monday that about 280,000 people visited the 2026 Seoripool Music Festival, held Saturday and Sunday along a 900-meter stretch of Banpo-daero between Seocho Station and the Seocho 3-dong intersection.

Now in its 11th year, the festival carried the theme "Seocho is the Music" and featured performances spanning classical, jazz and K-pop.

Saturday's "Classical Night" featured the Seocho Symphony Orchestra, soprano Hwang Su-mi and singer Son Tae-jin — who trained in classical music before branching into trot music, musicals and pop — along with a special string quartet performance by members of the LA Philharmonic. Sunday's "K-pop Night" kept the energy going with bands Crying Nut and Jaurim and singer Lee Seung-yoon.

Interactive programs added to the festive atmosphere. A highlight was the "World's Largest Sketchbook," where children and families filled the road surface with colorful chalk drawings.

Participatory programs gave attendees a hands-on role in the festival. In the "World's Largest Sketchbook" event, the 10-lane Banpo-daero became a giant canvas as children and families drew pictures on the road with colored chalk. Community singing and children's classical programs also ran throughout the two days.

A collaboration with the globally recognized character Wally also drew crowds. A 10-meter-tall Wally sculpture was installed at the festival grounds, and visitors took part in a mission event to find hidden Wally figures scattered across the venue.

After the festival closed, residents pitched in to help clean up the grounds. Inspired by last year's scene of sanitation workers tidying up after the performances — dubbed the "41st Stage" — a community volunteer group joined the effort this year, helping restore the venue once the music ended.

Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said the festival offered richer ways to enjoy music and art this year, citing the LA Philharmonic string quartet and the Wally collaboration. "We will continue to build a festival that leaves a lasting impression on residents, drawing on Seocho's unique musical assets," he said.