April is a quiet month in Haebangcheon. It’s around this time that the little neighbourhood, around the corner from Itaewon and resting on the slope of Namsan gradually comes back to life after the winter.

Restaurants open their terraces, bars open their windows to let in warm air, and people enjoy coffee under the shade of newly green trees. It almost seems that Haebangchon waits all winter for this moment.

For the past five years, this little neighbourhood, dominated by steep hills leading off its narrow main street, has been the host of the most celebrated expat music festival in Korea.

Following the peaceful bohemian atmosphere of April, May turns Haebangchon head-over-heels when over 80 live acts cram together to play in 10 venues in the space of one day. The relatively placid streets and bars pack with revellers who venture past the kimchi pots for Seoul’s best sampling of local indie music.

For those of you who have never heard of this festival before: It is the HBC Fest.

Much of what results at the festival in mid-May is the product of efforts behind the scenes in April. Already, there are over 30 acts signed up to perform and there is still plenty of room for more.

This year sees some changes of venues with the addition of new bars, namely The Local -- which had its opening party at the last festival in October -- and Makoli Bar. Also worth noting is the reopening and refurbishment of Haebangchon’s staple diet, Phillies. Phillies recently changed ownership, but you can still expect this venue and its co-conspirator, The VFW Canteen, to feature as the fulcrum of the festival.

For regular updates, photographs of previous festivals, or to sign up to perform, visit www.hbcfest.com.

 By Conor O’Reilly

Share this page