Korean EDM fans cool off at Songkran Music Festival

Songkran Music Festival landed in Korea for the first time over the weekend, with heart-thumping music and about 1 million liters of water.

S2O Korea took place at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, about 20 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday. Some 40,000 festivalgoers attended the two-day event to enjoy performances by top electronic dance artists while being sprayed with water.

The daytime highs reached over 35 degrees Celsius over the weekend, but the festivalgoers came equipped -- with goggles, rash guards and bikinis, as well as fully charged water guns. At the venue’s main stage, water cannons drenched the audience.

Saturday’s performances kicked off with DJ Sura. Other performers included Third Party, Sick Individuals, Jeffrey Sutorius and Knife Party, the headliner, who wrapped up the night.

The Sunday lineup included Juncoco, Raiden, Sam Fedlt and the headliner Yellow Claw. Salbatore Ganacci, who was previously slated to perform as a sub-headliner on the day, could not take part as he tested positive for COVID-19.

S2O Korea is one of the first EDM festivals to take place in Korea since the virus crisis began.

Songkran Music Festival has its roots in Songkran, a 10-day water festival that coincides with the Thai New Year. Around 300,000 people attended the annual festival when it was held in Thailand and Japan in 2019 and in Taiwan in 2020, respectively.

The event was originally planned for 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. BEPCTangent Creative, which organizes a number of festivals in Korea, including World DJ Festival and Heineken Presents Stadium, holds the right to host the Songkran Music Festival in Korea.

By Jie Ye-eun (yeeun@heraldcorp.com)