Seocho-gu to host K-Dessert Festival at Banpo Han River Park

The two-day event combines Korean food, culture and play into an immersive tourism experience, with four themed zones: a dessert zone, K-playground, K-culture zone and sweet zone.

Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su. [Seocho-gu]

Seoul's Seocho-gu will host the K-Dessert Festival at Moonlight Plaza in Banpo Han River Park on Saturday and Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

The festival grounds will be divided into four zones: a dessert zone, a K-playground, a K-culture zone and a sweet zone.

The dessert zone will be set up across Moonlight Plaza against the backdrop of the Han River at dusk and the nighttime Moonlight Rainbow Fountain. Fifteen professional dessert vendors selected through an open application process will offer a range of K-desserts — from traditional snacks such as yakgwa (a honey cookie) and ppeongtwigi (puffed rice crackers) to trendy treats including dujjonku and butter tteok. A hands-on "Bungeo-ppang Cooking Class," where visitors can make their own fish-shaped pastries, will also be held.

In the K-playground, participants can take part in "Challenge! K-Play King," a relay competition featuring an OX quiz on Seocho-gu, a round of rock-paper-scissors and a jegi-chagi (Korean hacky sack) contest. The four finalists who complete all three rounds will receive prizes sponsored by Golden Blue Marina and Han River Tubestar. First place wins a two-person boarding pass for the Golden Blue Marina Rainbow Bridge yacht tour; second through fourth place receive a 30-minute Han River Tubestar experience voucher. The program runs twice daily, for a total of four sessions over the two days.

The K-culture zone will offer a hanbok experience area where visitors can dress in traditional Korean attire and take photos with Banpo Han River Park as the backdrop, along with a calligraphy and penmanship station where professional instructors write personalized phrases, and a workshop for making a gat-shaped keyring. Visitors who wish to participate can do so by posting a photo taken at the venue on social media with the required hashtags (#고터세빛관광특구 #K디저트페스티벌 #반포한강공원).

The sweet zone will feature "Yeohaenghaneun Seojae," an outdoor library at the Han River park, alongside "Visiting Youth Artist Concert," a performance series by young artists. A rest area with beanbag chairs and parasols will be set up in front of the stage so visitors can enjoy desserts, performances and a place to relax. A "visit review event" will also be held, offering movie tickets for "Moana" by lottery to participants who post about the festival on their personal social media accounts.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain show will light up the Han River skyline, adding a special nighttime attraction. The combination of the fountain show and K-desserts is expected to give both domestic and international tourists a memorable experience unique to the Han River.

"We have prepared a wide range of content — K-desserts, K-play, K-culture and live performances — so that visitors from home and abroad can stay longer and enjoy more," District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said. "We will continue to develop differentiated tourism content unique to Seocho to strengthen our competitiveness as a global tourism destination."

Meanwhile, the outdoor classical music festival "Seocho Classic Theme Park," held by Seocho-gu at Dwitbeol Children's Park in Bangbae-dong from June 12 to 14, drew about 10,000 visitors. Themed "Classical Music as a Friendly Part of Everyday Life," the event was run as a theme park-style cultural festival combining performances, play and hands-on programs.

cook@heraldcorp.com