Seoul is one of the biggest cities in the world, yet it’s not a regular on the touring circuit for international acts. Some of the big bands do make it here, sometimes off the back of Fuji Rock in Japan. Up-and-coming acts pass through too, but they don’t seem to be well-publicized.
Promoters must find it hard to gauge how popular foreign acts will be because more than once I’ve known people who were trying to distribute tickets free, I guess, to save face.
How can we know what performances and events are happening in Seoul? I’ve assembled some online destinations.
Music
Gig Guide Korea doesn’t really keep up their webpage, but you can learn about concerts from their Insta.
A good way to hear international and local musicians is at a festival like Pentaport or Jarasum Jazz Festival.
90 Day Korean has a handy list of festivals for music and much more.
Ticket Sellers
If you’re a fan of K-pop, at least more modern stuff than I’m into, you might find what you’re looking for at one of the big Korean ticket sellers. They have a degree of English to help facilitate the international fan’s love of Korean pop music. Note that if you use the foreign language pages for buying tickets, you might be expected to use a foreign credit card. To use a Korean card, I had to navigate the Korean version.
Interpark in English ...and Korean
Ticketlink in English ...and Korean
Yes24 in English ...and Korean
Melon Ticket in English ...and Korean
Those sites also sell tickets to sports and more.
Clubs
If you’d rather move to the music, there are good clubs in Seoul. They can be picky about who they let in (racial discrimination is not unheard of, and ageism is common). There is no one-stop page for all the nightclubs in Seoul that I know of. If you search, you can find lists that people have made, but you’ll find some of the mentioned clubs have not survived the pandemic. Look at social media to get the latest.
Here are some social links for clubs with recent postings:
Hongdae
Itaewon
Other Options
Elsewhere in social media, a couple of Facebook groups where show and event information appears regularly: Korea Events and Festivals and Events in Korea
Expat Guide Korea has a broad selection of activities. More of a list than a guide if you ask me.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Monthly Event Calendar tends to have festivals and exhibitions and appears to be up to date.
If you know any other good gig guides, please shoot me an email at ron@korea-living.com.