K-Fest in Belgium!

Hi! Sorry I’m so late with a new post, I’m currently in the process of applying to 10 different universities and I’m working for school.

I’m back with a post about an event I went to October 1^st 2016 in KAVKA, a youth house!

This was the first Hallyu Wave Festival in Belgium. It was organized by the 'K-pop Society Belgium', a fairly new non-profit organization that wants to introduce South Korea to Belgians and offer some insight on Korean culture.

People started coming in and the first workshops started.

The Noraebang/karaoke was one of my favorite activities there, mainly because everyone truly enjoyed being there or singing. The atmosphere was very soothing in a way and lively!

Then, the K-pop dance workshop was very cool. EXO’s 'Monster' and Blackpink’s 'Whistle' were being taught to everyone who wanted to. Everyone danced very well and it seemed like everyone was pretty hyped to learn the choreography.

Another activity that I really liked was the K-pop quiz. It was like some kind of survival game the way some people acted and it was extremely amusing to see from my perspective.

Also the Ddakji game was so cool to see. Everyone was so tense, it was hilarious!

They offered very good food. There was a Korean food truck outside, Table d’Ho, and bubble tea booth. You could also buy drinks inside at the bar where the karaoke was. And of course, there was K-pop merch! You could find some older but golden albums, posters, photocards, etc.
I got myself a signed 'Toppdogg' album and a glorious 'Monsta X' poster!

The taekwondo demonstration was super impressive as well! They did amazing air kicks and I hissed every time a wooden panel broke. I thought it might have hurt but the demonstrators' faces were just blank as if it was nothing!

I didn’t film or take pictures because I was really focused on how it was done but the calligraphy was so cool!

As extra, there was a photobooth! There were cute signs and cutouts you could use!

And of course, the Kpop Party. It was right after the performance competition and I swear to god, that was the best moment of the day for me. Everyone could blend in the crowd so you didn’t have to worry about people watching you. It was just an amazing moment. Good party songs, dance circles, everyone danced with everyone. It was lit. I was shook at some people’s dancing, no joke.

Some points I'd like to discuss:

If I’m being completely honest, I expected another kind of venue. I thought it was going to be like ‘FACTS’ or ‘Made in Asia’ or some other geek convention, except that this one was going to be Kpop/Korean Culture based.

My expectation plummeted and I didn’t expect much after I saw the “behind the scenes”.

I wasn’t the only one who thought so because when people came inside, I heard the same remarks.But I’m sure they took those words back because I think it's a good thing that it wasn't your traditional convention/festival venue. It felt more like a house party. You could feel much closer to the people, like there wasn't a barrier (except maybe language sometimes).

I want to point out that I’m a very shy person when you first get to know me. I’m slightly *extremely* scared of talking to new people because I feel like they’re judging me. Since my dutch is pretty shit, I thought people were going to laugh at me. Because of that, I didn’t approach anyone for the first few hours.

When I arrived, there were a lot of volunteers setting up the place. After awhile, some volunteers began talking to me and were really friendly which made me calm down. Basically around 2PM the mood got a lot more comfortable for me. It was still awkward because I was that girl who walked around with a tripod, but nevertheless it wasn't weird.

In the end, I feel like this festival was very fun. The atmosphere at the end was kind of familial and close. I saw how some became friends with people they’ve never met or won’t see in awhile.

The karaoke and the party really made me realize that at the end of the day, having fun is the most important.

I couldn’t interview people but I talked to a few people (and listened conversation haha) and I can tell you for sure that this festival for a lot of people was one of the most pleasant experiences in awhile.

KPOP isn’t a ‘niche’ fandom anymore, it has become something big, something great and it’s fantastic that there was an event to gather a lot (more than 500!!) kpop fans and Korean culture fanatics.

I went home with a big smile and heart full great memories. If I could redo it, I would probably stop worrying about talking to others and just start talking. Also, I’d just enjoy it as a fan instead of filming so much.

I hope this isn’t the last Kfest because I really enjoyed being there!

Thank you for reading (if you read it all ^^)!

(Here's my video!: https://youtu.be/FBd7mKPWM3k)

Interesting Links:

Nu'EFF : https://www.facebook.com/groups/nueff/

Table d'Ho: http://www.tabledho.be/

Korean Cultural Center: http://brussels.korean-culture.org/en/welcome

KOFICE: http://english.kofice.or.kr/

Somaek Ent.: http://somaek.nl/