The Seoul Drum Festival, which first launched in 1999 and marks its 28th edition this year, will take place on May 16 and 17 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Expanding beyond a traditional stage event, the festival has evolved into a participatory cultural experience where audiences directly engage with instruments, performances and festival programming.
Seoul Drum Festival. Photo by Seoul Drum Festival.
Since its inaugural edition, the Seoul Drum Festival has introduced new themes each year, including “Harmony of the New Millennium” and “Arirang,” while broadening public interest in percussion music. Beginning in 2025, the festival further expanded its civic focus through “Seoul March,” a public percussion parade, and “Drum Fan,” a citizen planning group that allows visitors to help shape festival content. This year’s event carries the slogan “Drum, Dream, People,” emphasizing rhythm as a shared civic experience.
At the Drum Zone inside the DDP Art Hall corridor, visitors can freely participate in jam sessions using Yamaha electronic drums, finger drum pads and keyboards. Music classes for families and stamp mission events will also be available throughout the festival. Meanwhile, the Conference Hall will host a range of specialized workshops, including sound healing sessions by the Korean Singing Bowl School, handpan sound therapy programs, synthesizer specialist Park Hong-gi’s introductory finger drumming class and Body Music Korea’s rhythm-based performance workshops.
Seoul Drum Festival. Photo by Seoul Drum Festival.
The People Zone at Eoullim Plaza will feature audience-centered interactive programs designed around the joy of rhythm and play. Visitors can take part in activities such as a speed-based drumstick matching challenge, ensemble performance booths where teams perform the festival’s theme music, and arcade-style rhythm game competitions inspired by titles like Pump It Up and Taiko no Tatsujin. Additional spaces including a custom sticker decoration booth and “Hankan Record,” which introduces albums selected by the citizen planning group, will further energize the festival atmosphere.
The main stage lineup is equally diverse. World-renowned drummer Donald Barrett, who was nominated for a Grammy Award this year, will headline the festival alongside classical percussionist Gong Seong-yeon. Collaborative performances by Cadejo and Choi Gyu-cheol, as well as appearances by Kim Banjang, Kim Dae-ho, Samsan and Madam Family, are also scheduled.
Among the most anticipated programs are the collaborative stage between Donald Barrett and Gong Seong-yeon and a special drum clinic led by the artists, adding further momentum to a festival expected to fill downtown Seoul with the energy of percussion throughout May.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.
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