After almost three years of online events, the university festival returned offline with this year’s spring festival “SNU Festival: Homecoming.” The title intended to emphasize the festival’s offline comeback. From May 10 to May 12, the Poongsan amphitheater was transformed into an arena for music and mirth. With awe-inspiring performances lined up throughout the three days, students were invited to take a break from their studies and decompress with the entertainment in store.
Students played mini-games in SNU Festival
From Mini-Games to Camping
The festival hosted a variety of booths for students to enjoy. The booths were operated by both student organizations and university departments that organized services such as photography or sold hand-made food from korean spicy noodles to flavored shaved ice. There was also a range of activities prepared by the festival which aimed at maximizing students’ excitement on-site. There were mini-game booths that arranged competitions such as Bubble Football or obstacle courses with blindfolds. An escape room was planned from scratch for more adventurous students while students wishing for a serene experience could borrow mats and relax on the grass of the Poongsan amphitheater with their friends, enjoying the food offered by the diverse booths on site.
The thrill of the festival escalated in the evening when the signature summer camping began. On the first two days of the festival, pre-registered students camped on the grass of the amphitheater, enjoying a cozy evening with their friends underneath softly glowing fairy lights that were installed for this very occasion. “It felt like being on vacation and for a moment my peers and I could breathe during the busy semester. I would describe it as a romantic experience.” said Minho Kim, a student who participated in the camping.
Stunning Performances Uplifting the Atmosphere
Of course, a festival is not a festival without performances. Throughout the three days, a spectacle of exciting performances were lined up, guaranteed to inspire cheers from the audience. The range of performances was diverse, from dances to a band composed of both Korean and classical instrumentalists. With the performances starting under the cool breeze of the spring afternoon, the timing was perfect for students to drop by after finishing their classes.
The first two days of the festival were highlighted by student performances from various student organizations. On the evening of the last day, however, the students were joined by Giriboy, who performed a variety of his most popular songs. The atmosphere during the final day’s closing ceremony was exhilarating as more than 2,000 students came together on the grounds to savor the festival’s last moments.
Students gathered to join the last night of the festival together
A Memorable University Experience for All
Alongside the booths and performances, there were other stands such as photobooths and themed goods to provide students with a souvenir of this year’s festival. All in all, the festival was an immense success that provided students an unforgettable experience of the long awaited offline festival. “I was delighted that I could enjoy my first university festival offline rather than online. Honestly, I was worried that campus events would be completely conducted online.” said Hyuna Song, a freshman at SNU.
Similarly, SNU Festival: Homecoming was able to fulfill the campus dreams of the so-called “COVID class”, students who have had limited access to large-scale offline university events. Yeajin Park is one such student. Yeajin expressed her delight at this year’s spring festival, remarking how she finally achieved one of her fantasies of university life. “I hope future festivals are just as uplifting and dreamy. I really look forward to them.”
Written by Yeryoung Lee, SNU English Editor, yeryounglee@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr