Exploring all the fun in a lively city
By: Michelle Lee
Nightlife in Hongdae
Photo by slumbermydarlin on So Cool Korea
Hongdae is a popular area in Seoul, South Korea where many tourists and even Korean residents frequently visit. It’s a place that’s full of energy and is known for having some of the best nightlife in South Korea.
There are so many things to talk about when it comes to Hongdae. It’s a place where everyone can have a good time because it has something fun for everyone. When given the definition “a fun place to visit,” Hongae is the word that it defines.
Here are some things to know if you want to have fun in Hongdae.
The Art Culture
Art is a well-known aspect of Korean culture. Ever since K-pop has become globally popular, more people started to gain interest in the work of different Korean artists. Soon after, South Korea welcomed more international tourists, mostly in Seoul.
To briefly explain the meaning of Hongdae, it’s an abbreviated term for Hongik University in Korean. Hongik University is known for being an outstanding art school where students learn about the beauty of the arts.
Picasso's Street showing students' artwork
Photo from Trip.com
The fine arts students have a specific place that they like to express themselves in their own unique way, and that place is called Picasso’s Street. This is where they use graffiti to paint thought provoking murals. Walking down this street can truly give you an idea of how creative these students are.
Hongdae is usually never quiet. Its students aspire to become artists in the future, so they often use this area as their very own stage to showcase their talents and skills. That’s why you can see multiple crowds of people watching free performances.
Hongdae’s students tend to use that platform to promote themselves in front of hundreds of visitors. Because the performances are free and casual, they take that opportunity to interact with the audience members.
Hongdae students showcasing their talent in front of a live audience
Photos from Korea Herald
It’s nice to know about the art culture before walking into Hongdae, especially at night, because you’ll hear music blasting everywhere you go. Whether it’s a song playing in a store or a live performance happening outside of a store, you’ll always hear something.
Things to Do
Besides watching performances by talented students, there are plenty of fun things you can do during your time in Hongdae.
1. Shopping
Shopping is one of the most common things that visitors do in Hongdae. As you casually take a stroll, you can see multiple buildings and floors of stores.
Stores standing on both the left and right of the street
Photo by Julie on Why Not Ju
If you’re into fashion, then you’ll automatically be drawn to the plethora of clothing stores, which have some of the trendiest outfits.
Since the area is usually filled with students, the store owners try to offer affordable prices for their products. That’s why most of the products that you’ll see won’t be too expensive.
2. Gaming
For the fellow gamers out there, Hongdae can easily become your second home. From arcade games to VR experiences, everything you think of when you hear the word “game” is here.
If your body’s itching to do something active, then stop by an arcade room and play with your heart and soul. Try to beat some of the high scores left by the previous players.
If you’re a parent and decide to bring your kids to Hongdae, then this is one of the stops you’ll probably want to make. But game rooms aren’t open to just kids. Parents are welcome to join their kids in a little friendly competition.
With the world growing in digital technology, the VR experience has become even more realistic. South Korea has improved in this field, and you can see for yourself if you decide to visit one of the VR parks in Hongdae.
3. Norae Bang (Karaoke)
Karaoke culture is so massive that there are thousands of karaoke rooms all around Seoul. Even if you don’t perform in front of a huge audience on the streets of Hongdae, you can still perform for yourself or for a smaller audience.
Seeing all the performances in Hongdae will probably make some of you ask yourself, “Should I do some singing myself?” If your answer is yes, then lucky for you because you can do exactly that in one of Hongdae’s karaoke rooms. It’s also a pretty good way to relieve any stress you may have.
4. Cake decorating
Compared to the previous activities, decorating a cake doesn’t require much movement. It also lets you to bring out your personality in a creative way.
Hongdae tourists decorating a cake together
Photo by Autumn on It's Autumn's Life
Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday or to have some fun and relax, cake decorating is an activity that gives you the chance to work with your hands.
In a way, this relates to the artistic part about Hongdae as well. Just like the murals from the rising artists, the cake you decorate can be your own masterpiece.
5. Petting animals at a themed café
The idea of animal themed cafés is unique to Hongdae because some of theirs is a bit unusual. Some of you may be familiar with dog and cat cafés, but have you ever heard of a sheep café? What about a meerkat café?
You can see both if you’re an animal lover visiting Hongdae. All you have to do to pet and interact with them is buy something from the café’s menu. Your order will be your admission fee.
From left to right: Sheep café (Photo by Spencer R. Morrison on Vice), dog café (Photo by suciati88 on My Korea Trip), meerkat café (Photo by Spencer R. Morrison on Vice)
One thing to remember about the meerkat café is that children under the age of 15 aren’t allowed inside for safety reasons, so parents should refrain from bringing younger kids.
What to Eat
Eating at a foreign country may be a concern for some tourists, but Korean cuisine is definitely something that you should try while you’re there. The following list has some of the best Korean foods that you can get in Hongdae, and it’ll be hard to resist.
1. Street food
Like a lot of other countries around the world, street food is a major part of Korean culture. Some common street foods in Hongdae are tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), fishcakes on a stick, and kimbap (rice, meat, and vegetables rolled up in seaweed).
If you’d like to take a challenge and try some more exotic street foods, then there’s sundae (blood sausages) and beondegi (pupa), which sounds intimidating but is actually quite delicious to some people.
For more Hongdae specific street food, you can try the steak and fries in a cup and the tiramisu ice cream in a wine glass.
From left to right: local Korean street vendor (Photo by Aura on Daily Travel Pill), sundae/blood sausages (Photo from Korean Street Food), Hongdae's Road Steak (Photo from Food In Love)
The small portions give you the opportunity to try a variety of street foods and fill your stomach. You don’t have to stick to one if you want to visit different vendors.
2. Korean BBQ
If you consider street food to just be a snack or an appetizer, then Korean BBQ is what you should have as a proper meal. It’s a guaranteed stomach filler.
When you walk into a Korean BBQ restaurant, expect to smell the meat and hear the sizzling on the grills. Pork belly is commonly ordered, but you can also order beef and other side menu items as you eat.
Just because it’s a barbeque doesn’t mean you’re limited to just meat. You’ll realize that everything goes well together even if they might not seem like they will.
3. Bingsoo
Of course, you can’t skip dessert. Bingsoo is the go-to dessert in South Korea, and Sulbing is considered one of the best bingsoo cafés in Hongdae.
For those who are unfamiliar with what bingsoo is, it’s a bowl of shaved ice served with ice cream and toppings based on the menu description.
A glimpse of Sulbing's bingsoo menu
Photo from TripAdvisor
Many of the toppings include fruit and mochi, but there are cookies and chocolate if you have a sweet tooth. Don’t forget to pour the condensed milk on top!
This is a delicious refreshment that can give you enough energy to continue your day.
Conclusion
There is so much in Hongdae that it’s hard to get to everything. That’s why it’s a great place to visit more than once. You get the interesting culture, fun activities, and delicious food all in one place. If there’s one thing you get out of this article, let it be this: Hongdae is definitely a fun place to visit.