The 8th Jarasum International Jazz Festival was held from 1st – 3rd October at Gapyeong province. Jaraseom literally means Jara Island, an island formed on Bukhangang River as a result of the construction of the Cheongpyeong Dam. I found out this event through the Visit Korea website and CNNGo Link.
When I check the online ticket purchasing site, it was all in Korean and they only accept Korean Bank transaction. Fortunately, I managed to get my Korean colleague to help purchase a 1-day ticket for me. From Seoul, I took a subway to Sangbong Station. Then changed to Gyeongchun line (Grey Line) towards Gapyeong. As there are so many people boarding the train to the Jazz Festival, I have to sit on the floor of the train for almost 45 minutes!
This is the first time I attended a Jazz Festival and I find it rather special. Instead of one performance stage, there are actually 9 different stages located around the island and one just outside of the subway station! The performances were held at the same time on different stages. Therefore, you need to choose which one you want to go. Ironically, I found out that the ticket I purchased is for the performance at Jazz Island and Part Stage (a bigger performance stage located on a separate smaller island at Jaraseom). Other than that, the rest of the performances are open to public for free. Video post added!
