Hongdae

Hongdae is one of Seoul's trendy and youthful neighborhoods. The name “Hongdae” comes from Hong-Ik University (founded in 1946, known as one of the best art and architecture schools in Korea) in the area. With the university best known for its arts program, it's only natural that Hongdae has become a playground for young and dynamic people to appreciate urban art, underground culture and indie music.

Hongdae is always full of life at any time of the day (except in the early morning hours, usually before 10am). During the day, Hongdae University (short for Hong-Ik) is bustling with life and students flock to the streets to have lunch or meet friends. Trendy Korean fashion boutiques and popular bubble tea shops can now be found all over the street around the university. Along Hongdae Street, visitors can find all the latest and trending trends in youth fashion, ranging from cute clothes and accessories to famous beauty products from Hongdae. Korea.

Hongdae at night comes to life in a completely different way from the busy atmosphere of the day. Flashing lights and crowds fill the street corners. Hongdae has been the playground of underground bands and indie music for decades. Along with Daehak-ro, this area is always frequented by street performers. While shopping along Hongdae Night Market, visitors can indulge in outdoor amateur dances and performances and support these young K-Pop artists. These amateur artists perform in the area from early evening until late into the night, with performances often more varied on weekends.

Hongdae has two famous cafes, Thanks Nature Café (Address: 10 Hongik-ro, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul) - where visitors can enjoy coffee and get acquainted with the sheep here. . The second one is Hello Kitty Café (Address: 28 Myeongdong 4-gil, Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul) – with pink walls, pink carpet, pink chairs, everything here is pink, is a great place Ideal for enjoying delicious cakes, coffee and taking lovely pictures.

The three main tourist attractions in front of Hongdae University include:

- Hongdae Pedestrian Street: where there is an outdoor stage for indie bands and dynamic youth culture.

- Hongdae mural street (Mural Street) : also known as "Picasso's Street", the mural street extends from Kanemaya restaurant next to the back gate of Hongdae University to Four Seasons House (Wausan-go 22-gil) and has many ways to arrange pictures from graffiti to design art. It is also famous as a dating spot.

- Hongdae Free Market: The market is held every Saturday from March to November at Hongik Children's Park in front of the main entrance of the University. Everyone can sign up to sell their handmade products, and other exhibitions created by artists are also on display.

Unique cafes, cozy galleries, accessory shops, fashion boutiques, live clubs and cafes, art markets and gourmet eateries make it a popular hangout spot of the local youth and is a fascinating place to wander around. These unique locations plus the cultural events, street performances and festivals held here make Hongdae an area that is always crowded and bustling.