3rd Seoul World DJ Fest Review

Review of the 3rd Seoul World DJ Fest

Grade: C+

I give the festival a low score because there were so many problems that could have easily been avoided. First of all, Hangang Park at Nanji and all across Seoul are getting huge face lifts and much of the grass and trees are being dug up exposing dirt. That dirt made for such a dusty mess yesterday that many people were wearing masks inside the festival gates. My clothes, face and hair were caked in dust as well. That might have been unavoidable, but there were many other things that should have been considered.

First of all, there were not enough trash cans. After awhile, the filth started to pile up. Moreover, since most of the festival took place after dark, this wasn't just an aesthetic issue, it was a hazard. There were no signs, markers or directions anywhere either. The lines were a huge problem as well. The beer line appeared to be the worst. From what I could tell, there were only 4 people serving thousands of people tens of thousands of beers and since the venue was not big or setup well, that line cut right into the center of the crowd making movement extremely difficult. And to add to that, there was only one tent where beer was being sold. The entire flow of the crowd was being pushed in that direction. If you did not want beer, then you could go to the Jager tent. However, the shots were overpriced for their size and half-way through the night, the prices mysteriously increased from 3,000 to 4,000 won. Food lines were also a problem since there were only four tents serving food. The pizza and hot dog lines were almost as bad as the beer line and again, they all cut into the dancing crowd. If they want to restrict outside food and drink that's fine, but they must provide enough for everyone to be able to have easy access to it if they want it. Waiting in line for an hour just to get a hot dog is unacceptable.

The bathrooms remained pretty clean throughout the night, but there were certainly not enough facilities. I only saw four bathrooms there and the lines were pretty much out of hand by 8pm. Like so many other impatient men, I opted for using a not-so-out-of-sight tree. Overall, there just wasn't enough enough of anything for the crowd there.

The quality of the music was fine. It wasn't all my flavor, but for the most part I think the crowd really enjoyed the music. There were three stages: one main one, a smaller side one and then a very small one right outside the venue. From what I saw, the non-Korean crowd preferred the side stage more. I thought both of them were fine though.

I'll go again next year, but plan on writing the organizers a letter with a few suggestions.