Korea Week 2018 to Bring K-pop, K-Food, K-Cinema and More to Ottawa!

Do you love K-pop music? Or perhaps you just can’t get enough of delicious Korean BBQ. Well, you’re in luck because Korea Week 2018 kicks off this weekend! Organized and hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre, the festival, which actually runs for two weeks, will feature a variety of cultural events highlighting Korean film, food, music and more. Best of all, all of these events are completely FREE to attend. Here are our top picks for events you don’t want to miss!

Korean Culture Fair (Saturday, June 23rd, 10AM – 5 PM – Korean Cultural Centre)

The festival kicks off with a full day of culture and fun at the Korean Cultural Centre, located in the heart of Ottawa on the main floor of the beautiful 150 Elgin building. Programming will include family friendly games and crafts, Korean food tastings, and even a World Cup watch party of South Korea vs. Mexico! Most excitingly of all, the day will include the “Great Korean Cook Off: Canada Edition” featuring three of Ottawa’s top chefs going head to head, showing off their Korean cooking skills, to win a trip to Korea. You don’t want to miss it!

Korean Folk Painting Lecture (Friday, June 29th, 6 PM – Korean Cultural Centre)

If you’re studying art history, or are just a fan of art in general, you won’t want to miss this insightful lecture on Minhwa, an ancient form of Korean folk painting. The lecture, done by art historian and Carleton University Ph. D candidate EuiJung McGillis, will cover the themes, iconography and messages in Korean folk paintings and their importance and historical context. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to understand this stunning art form in a whole new way.

Dongrak (Traditional Performing Art Group) (Tuesday, July 3rd, 7 PM – Canadian Museum of History)

If you’re up for a classy evening of music, you do not want to miss the very special Dongrak performance at the Canadian Museum of History on July 3rd. Dongrak is a traditional music group from South Korea who perform in the style of Samulnori – an old performance style that incorporates traditional Korean drumming and singing. Their performance is sure to enchant you and make you feel like you’ve been transported right to Korea.

2018 K-Pop World Festival Ottawa Preliminary (Saturday, July 7th, 6 PM – Canadian Museum of History)

Are you a fan of K-pop groups like BTS? GOT7? Or maybe you prefer girl groups like Black Pink or TWICE. Well, it’s that time of year again! For the fourth year in a row, the K-Pop World Festival will be hitting Ottawa! This international competition, hosted by South Korean national broadcaster KBS, invites local dance troupes and singers to cover their favourite K-pop songs for a chance to compete in the finals in Changwon, South Korea! The Ottawa preliminary round will feature some of the hottest K-pop cover groups and vocalists from Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. The winning dance and vocal performers from this event will then move on to the online semi-finals where they will battle with semi-finalists from all over the world for a chance to perform at the huge finals in South Korea. A night not to be missed!

Though all events are free, RSVP’ing is mandatory to secure your spot. Further details and RSVP links are available on the Korean Cultural Centre Canada website.