Seoul's melting pot better known as Itaewon will be alive and kicking in the middle of October with the global village's annual festival which promises to have a fusion of all cultures.

Starting on Tuesday Oct. 12 2004 through Sunday October 17, the streets of Itaewon will entertain visitors with a wide range of numerous multi-national and multi-cultural events.

Itaewon is well known as one of the special tourism districts in Seoul as well as being a shopping hub frequently visited by more than 2.4 million foreigners every year. At the same time it is a "fusion culture" region where many nationalities, races and cultures meet on one street.

The opening ceremony following the pre-opening night event will be held at Itaewon Arirang Public Parking Lot on Oct. 13 with a variety of events including a pre-opening performance, an appointment ceremony of the Itaewon Global Village chief, hip-hop and traditional Korean concerts, and the National Day festivities honoring the United States.

The opening day parade on Itaewon's main street will show the U.S. guards of honor, a marching band parade, cheerleaders, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle parade and other world cultures showing their country's heritage.

Everyday for five days, the event will honor one country and its people and culture. Each country will have a ceremony appointing the chief for that day and show off their traditional clothing. Other segments in this event will be a performance by each respective country and a speech promoting their country. The schedule will be:

Wednesday October 13: United States
Thursday October 14: Peru
Friday October 15: Sri Lanka
Saturday October 16: Egypt
Sunday October 17: Taiwan

A performance in Itaewon Festival

During the festival, visitors can enjoy lots of interesting programs such as Live Festival, a changing of the Royal Guard ceremony, NANTA, jazz concerts and much more.

The Live Festival will have 10 popular live bands including No Brain, Sister's Barbershop, and Wiretaps in My Ear. Plus there will be a royal court dance and traditional martial arts displays.

One of the highlights of the event will be the Foreigners Talent Show on Saturday Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. where expatriates and foreign visitors can show their talents and win prizes. Organizers have already had plenty of interest in the event and believe "it will be a hit."

On the final day of the festival there will be a seven-kilometer marathon in and around Itaewon. The race will start at Arirang Parking Lot; go down Itaewon main street towards Bukhanam then on Seobingo Road and ends back where it started at the parking lot.

For visitors interested in traditional Korean music, there will be live shows from various bands on Thursday night starting at 7 p.m, on the main stage.