Free Seoul Africa Festival at Banpo Hangang Park, Sat. Oct. 24: 18 Countries, 40 Booths, a Dance Battle
Why NOW picked itEasy to add to a Saturday by the Han River: free entry, a 2 p.m. dance battle and a 5:20 p.m. Afro K-pop showcase. The next day is the last car-free Jamsugyo in the same park.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., the 9th Seoul Africa Festival takes over Dalbit Square in Banpo Hangang Park. Admission is free, and a cultural exchange night kicks things off the evening before.
It starts Friday night by the river
The Korea–Africa Cultural Exchange Night runs 6–9 p.m. on Oct. 23. The main performances, 6 to 7:30 p.m., need no reservation.
The 8 p.m. Silent Afro Party is a dance workshop where music and instructions come through wireless headphones, and it needs separate registration. The first 100 places were gone by Oct. 17 and 100 more are planned, so check the festival's Instagram.
40-plus booths, with Tunisian food
Expect 16 embassy pavilions, 20 general booths and 7 'K-Halal Bridge' booths set up with the Korea International Trade Association. Activities include traditional costume and fabric experiences and a culture quiz, and the Embassy of Tunisia serves local food.
Booths run 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pick up a stamp sheet at the Information Centre and finish the tour for a festival wristband and giveaways.
The main stage opens before lunch
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies folk-dance group TWIMBO opens at 11:10 a.m., followed by a dance workshop at 11:20 where the audience joins in. Later come Ghana's Akwaaba Ensemble and Rwandan traditional dance.
From 2 to 5 p.m. you can watch the one-on-one all-styles dance battle AKO BATTLE VOL.2 for free. At 5:20 p.m. Nigerian runner-up ATELA and Korea's LEANDRECORDS give the first public showing of their Afro K-pop collaboration.
Closing ceremony at dusk, a Cabo Verde singer last
The 6 p.m. closing ceremony hands out the AGA × SAF Awards to African residents of Korea who have contributed to their home countries, hosted by Ghanaian broadcaster Sam Okyere and Moroccan creator KIMMISO.
The final stage is Cabo Verde singer Sonia Meïra's Afro-pop set from 7:07 p.m. The ceremony has Korean Sign Language interpretation and a barrier-free viewing area.
Sunday: the last car-free Jamsugyo, same park
The venue is Banpo Hangang Park, south of Jamsugyo. The organisers recommend public transport and have not published a station exit or walking time.
Sunday, Oct. 25 is the final day of this year's Car-Free Jamsugyo festival, with vehicles restricted from noon, so you can walk the riverfront two days in a row.
Sources & context
2026-10-21T06:31:21.784Z
Organiser release as carried by Haps Korea ↗Africa News (Korea) ↗Nocut News (English) ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Wikimedia Commons ↗Photo credit
Cookinu (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0A purple water arc curves along the bridge with N Seoul Tower far in the distance (26 Aug 2022). Cookinu / CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo credit
Jaeseop An (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 3.0People walking on Jamsugyo under Banpo Bridge (2014). Jaeseop An / CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photo credit
Bryan Dorrough (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0People lining the riverbank to watch the bridge fountain (29 Jul 2010). Bryan Dorrough / CC BY 2.0.