South Korea’s outdoor craft beer festival will be held at the historic Sungnyemun city gate

South Korea’s outdoor craft beer festival, the 2024 Namdaemun Market Day with Big Mac Craft Beer Festival, will be held in Seoul from 29-31 May, according to the Namdaemun Market Merchants Association.

The festival will feature 20 selected craft beer breweries from across South Korea and various performances that will take place in front of Sungnyemun, one of the eight historic gates in the fortress wall of Seoul, a stone structure with an arched entrance on the corner of Namdaemun Market.

The beer festival’s lineup includes Reindeutsch from Tongyong, South Gyeongsang Province; Artmonster Brewery from Seoul’s Gangnam District; Dongducheon Brewery from Gyeonggi Province; and Mont Beer from Sokcho, Gangwon Province.

The event will also see the introduction of Namdaemun Beer, a new craft beer inspired by the iconic Seoul landmark.

The event is organised to celebrate the opening of a new arcade and the modernisation of the surrounding area, which local merchants believe will attract more international tourists.

A ceremony to honour Namdaemun Market merchants is scheduled for 11 a.m. on 30 May. Following the ceremony, Jeon Young-rok, a celebrated Korean pop singer-songwriter, will perform live.

The festival will also include a singing contest for merchants and local residents; a DJ party; live music performances, and various recreational activities.

The association said the upcoming event is open to everyone regardless of whether they drink beer, and should contribute to improving the regional economy. There is no entry fee.

“We plan to offer fresh and high-quality beer made by some of the best craft beer breweries in the country with some great live music in Namdaemun, at a historic landmark that stands between the past and present,” said Moon Nam-yup, the president of the merchants’ association.