'Hwi-gyeong Night Rhythm and Terrace' held Friday; second annual Jangan Masil night festival follows Saturday
Dongdaemun-gu held a pair of alley commerce revitalization events across Hwi-gyeong-dong and the Jangan Masil alley shopping district on Friday and Saturday, drawing residents and visitors to local shops over two consecutive evenings.
The first event, "Hwinari" — short for Hwi-gyeong Night Rhythm and Terrace — took place Friday in the Hwi-gyeong-dong alley shopping district. Selected under the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 alley commerce support project, it marked the first commerce revitalization event ever held in the district, designed to draw foot traffic into the neighborhood's side streets and encourage spending at local shops.
Customers who spent 10,000 won ($7) or more received a free draft beer or a chance to enter a prize draw, while busking performances, stage shows and a roulette event kept the atmosphere lively and drew strong responses from visitors.
The following day, Saturday, the Jangan Masil alley shopping district hosted the second annual Jangan Masil Bam Masil Festival. Funded entirely by the Seoul Metropolitan Government at a total cost of 50 million won, the event was organized by the Jangan Masil Alley Shopping District Merchants' Association and produced by Nolm Com.
The festival opened with a neighborhood singing contest in which local residents took the stage, followed by a saxophone performance and a street parade before an opening ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Invited singer performances and audience participation activities continued well into the night. A night market food zone highlighting the district's character, an Onuri gift voucher cashback event, and four hands-on programs — cotton candy making, plaster air freshener crafting, keyring making and face painting — drew large numbers of families to the venue.
Dongdaemun-gu District Mayor Choi Dong-min said the back-to-back success of the first-ever alley commerce event in Hwi-gyeong-dong and the second Jangan Masil Bam Masil Festival gave residents and visitors a fresh chance to discover the variety of shops and charms tucked away in the neighborhood's alleyways. "Going forward, we will continue working alongside merchants to strengthen the competitiveness of our alley commerce districts and bring more vitality to the local economy," he said.
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