Fringe means a cultural festival, which future-oriented young artists come together to present their works of art such as paintings, music and street performances. The fringe festival originally began in Edinburgh, Scotland, and since then it has spread widely across the world. Currently, there are 70 Fringe festivals being held worldwide including Korea.

Since 1998, Seoul Fringe Festival which originated from the Asian Fringe Festival has been held in about 20 artistic places such as small theaters, live theaters, and galleries around Hongik University in Seoul. At present, about three hundred teams from seven countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Macao, Japan, India, and Korea participate in the festival, and more than two hundred thousand spectators enjoy this large-scale art and culture festival.

Festival Guide: Seoul Fringe Festival consists of a Music Festival, a Visual Arts Festival, an Asian Independent Film Festival, a Performing Arts Festival, and a Street Festival. In the Music Festival, Goseongbangga, which are various genres of music including rock music, traditional Korean classical music, dancing music, etc. will be presented by about one hundred bands at fourteen clubs in front of Hongik University.

The Visual Arts Festival, Naebugongsa, presents various art exhibitions and architectural planning exhibitions of domestic and foreign artists, which is free of charge. Starting in 2005, a special performance of making an ecological map using flowers and leaves which spectators collected around Hongik University.
The Performing Arts Festival, Igudongseong, presents various genres of performing arts including dance, performance, mime, jazz dance, etc. at small theaters located near Hongik University, and there is no screening tests or selection procedures for entry only volunteers. The Street Festival, Junggunanbang, in which various exhibitions and performances can be enjoyed on the street, is called ‘The Flower of the Fringe festival' and presented freely on the street.

Festival Highlight: Make sure to check out Hongik University's Club Day, which is on the last Friday of August. For only 15,000 won, music and dance can be enjoyed thoroughly by freely entering various clubs in the areas around Hongik University.

The best time to enjoy the club day is from 10 o'clock at night till 5 o'clock in the morning. The spirit of Korean underground music culture can be seen at Club Day, which will double the pleasure of Seoul Fringe Festival.

Admission/Participation Fees
* Indoor Performances: 5,000 won - 15,000 won
* Outdoor Performances: Free