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Photo courtesy of Istanbul Festivali |
Istanbul Festivali welcomed a different kind of lineup for their fifth year, and in a first – and to the delight of fans – K-pop finally got its time to shine. This year would welcome K-pop giants ATEEZ and soloist Eunbi. The event was brought together as part of a special programme to mark the Republic of Korea’s liberation day. In celebration of this day, the festival collaborated with the Korean cultural centre to mark the day.
South Korea's ambassador to Ankara, Boo Sukjong, used the occasion to underline the longstanding relationship between South Korea and Türkiye, describing the two countries as being connected not only by friendship but also by a bond built through shared history.
Referring to Türkiye's role in the Korean War, Boo said in a press statement that the courage and sacrifices of Turkish soldiers had provided important support for the Republic of Korea and remained deeply remembered by the Korean people.
"Korean people deeply remember and remain grateful for this support. On the occasion of Korea's Liberation Day, I was deeply moved to see Turkish young people singing along to Korean lyrics and cheering with such enthusiasm during the Istanbul Festival Korean Days," Boo said.
That enthusiasm echoed in waves, as after the doors opened at 4pm, fans arrived, filling the arena, ready to enjoy the evening ahead. People had plenty of cultural activities to indulge in, as the Korean Culture Center provided stands for the visitors. Popular trends such as K-beauty, which has had a tremendous rise globally, featured along with Korean cultural stands that fans seemed to enjoy. Even football player Oh Hyeon-gyu from Beşiktaş was a special guest there for a fan signing event.
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On the main stage a K-pop dance contest finale was held with the choreographers Berke Taşdelen and Gülşah Alan of Turkey’s highly popular girl group Manifest as the jury. The dance group CHOS7N won 1st place. Alongside that, ATINY were treated to ATEEZ-themed activities, including quizzes; over on the Youth Stage hosted DJ sets and live performances from choreographers.
Speaking of stages, which were incredibly impressive and left quite the mark, breaking away from festival stages that can be quite basic. This festival instead added to the artist's performance, bringing its own level of aesthetics. Designed by architect Mimar Sinan, whose approach to structural systems and arch geometry stretches about 70 metres wide and 28 metres high. The production includes a large LED screen surface, hundreds of moving lighting fixtures and a line-array sound system.
But the time came to finally see the artist fans had been waiting for to take the stage. Kwon Eunbi started the evening with 2021’s "Door". Although known as the leader of the project girl group IZ*ONE, she's gone on to become a success story in her own right. Performing fan favourite “Underwater” perhaps is a subtle nod to her viral performance at Waterbomb Festival in 2023 that led to the song's recharting. Interacting with the audience, and with strong vocals, she rounded off her set with a special performance of Dua Lipa’s "Levitating". For those who were new to the singer, she most definitely won them over and certainly gained new fans with her kind personality and bubbly songs.
Sahnede ışıl ışıl parlayan bir Kwon Eun-bi ve coşkusu hiç bitmeyen İstanbul seyircisi...
