Zandari Festa is a three-day

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

and showcase held in various live music venues and other locations in the area around Hongik University in Seoul. Every year, it offers around 100 music acts from Korea and around the world, as well as music industry delegates representing festivals and labels. In cooperation with foreign embassies, each year it offers national showcases. There are also conference events, secret shows, and various other networking events throughout the festival. There are many networking opportunities and a lot of deals get made at or because of Zandari. The 2019 edition features a

Focus Wales Focus Wales (stylised as FOCUS Wales) is an international multi-venue showcase music and arts festival held annually in Wrexham, Wales. It is Wales' biggest music industry event and was first held in 2010. The event showcases emerging Welsh mus ...

showcase and a Music BC showcase from British Columbia, Canada. The 2015 event saw 261 acts playing in two dozen venues. The 2016 event had over 160 bands, 56 of which represented 18 foreign countries, with 163 individual concerts at 12 venues. In 2018 the number of music acts was capped at 100 and the music venues were reduced in order to improve the experience, including for the over 60 delegates. The festival coincides with Mu:Con, another Korean music showcase more closely run by the government, and foreign delegates are able to attend both. The Korean organizers in 2018 also started DMZ Peace Train Music Festival.

Name

Zandari is a historic name for the area. Zandari means "small bridge," and its presence is still marked in local neighborhoods

Seogyo-dong Seogyo-dong is a '' dong'', or neighbourhood, of the Mapo-gu district in Seoul, South Korea. Education Seogyo Elementary School is located in Seogyo-dong. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up of 17 first ...

and

Donggyo-dong Donggyo-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of the Mapo-gu district in Seoul, South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sha ...

, signifying the west and east sides of a stream that used to run through the area. Many streets and other place names take their name from Zandari, including West Bridge Live Hall which is a literal English translation of Zandari. The use of the name was intended to evoke a bridge that closes the gap between Korea and the outside world. "Festa" is a word commonly used in Korea for festival.

Location

The list of venues changes every year due to a high turnover rate of businesses in the area. The Hongdae area had been known as ground zero for Korea's indie music scene, but gentrification has weakened its prominence.

Notable events

Former

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

bassist

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only alb ...

performed at Zandari 2018. In 2017,

Elis Paprika Elis Paprika (real name Erika Elizabeth Nogues; May 8, 1980) is an independent musician, singer, songwriter, and activist from Guadalajara, Mexico, active in Mexico's Rock scene since 2004. She has performed in important music venues such as Audit ...

became the first Mexican artist to perform at Zandari Festa, with a show at SangSang Madang. She went back to Zandari Festa in 2018, and performed at The Convent. Many Korean acts have made useful industry connections at the festival, being invited to play overseas festivals or signing record deals, including Busan's Say Sue Me and Daegu's Drinking Boys and Girls Choir. In 2013, K-pop group

Crayon Pop Crayon Pop (Hangul: 크레용팝) is a South Korean girl group formed under Chrome Entertainment in 2012. The group consisted of four members: Geummi, Ellin, Choa, and Way. Their fifth member, Soyul, left the group in 2017. Crayon Pop officiall ...

made a surprise appearance, performing with metal band L.O.D.

References

External links

Official website

Facebook page
{{coord missing, South Korea Music festivals established in 2012 Music festivals in South Korea Rock festivals in South Korea Annual events in South Korea