Mark Stefanos
The Los Angeles Korean Festival returned to Koreatown Oct. 1–4 for its 53rd year. Organizers estimated that roughly 300,000 people attended, even as temperatures pushed past 100 degrees during parts of the festival. Admission was free.
This year’s theme was “LA Arirang.” The festival opened Thursday evening with a ceremony hosted by ABC7 anchor David Ono and Cindy Shin, with Mayor Karen Bass among the officials who spoke to the crowd. Children’s choirs and traditional dance groups, including the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea, performed throughout the opening-night program. Later in the weekend, the main stage shifted toward hip-hop, with performances by Jinusean, Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae and Big Ocean.
Saturday brought the annual parade down Olympic Boulevard, where pageant royalty, community organizations and local and state officials joined the procession.
One of the festival’s busiest areas was the agricultural expo along Irolo Street. Growers and producers from eight South Korean provinces set up tents selling regional foods, fermented sauces, ginseng and handmade sweets. Several vendors reported strong sales, with some selling out of their inventory.
The festival was founded in 1974 by early Korean immigrants to Los Angeles. Today, it is billed as the largest Korean festival in the United States.