Chuseok Festival 2009 in Flushing NYC

Posted by Lara Visconti On October - 9 - 2009

Chuseok has come again this year! New York has once again celebrated this Korean Harvest Festival (also called the Korean Thanksgiving) with a big festival! [hidepost] Although the day seemed gloomy at first, the Chuseok Festival prevailed as the sun shone out later in the day. Taking place at the Citi Field Stadium parking lot, there were a variety of booths selling many things such as a TON of food, clothes, blankets, movies, and more. There was even a booth that was based off of the hit Korean drama "1st Shop of Coffee Prince" including the hot guys. Too bad there wasn't an Eun Chan to make it complete! Amongst all of the eating and selling, there were even supporters of former 2PM leader Jay Park. We were given stickers that read, "I Love and Support Jay Park." It's amazing to see such dedicated fans. Thanks for the stickers! We wore them with pride!

While enjoying the good food, we also enjoyed the performances! Afraid of the weather, some of the performers were limited but were still entertaining nonetheless. There were a large variety of performers such as martial artists who demonstrated their talents of Tae Kwon Do, rappers, singers, and dancers who performed traditional Korean dances. The performances seemed endless as talents such as Johnny Phlo, Yang Hye Sung, Leessang, Wax, Im Ju Ri, Jo Seong Ja, and the ever popular Brown Eyed Girls. With each performer came a different style. We have singers who sung dance songs and trot songs. Of course the crowd loved each one! Although chairs were provided for the performances, the audience chose to stand as close as possible to see the fantastic show. Of course before any good show, speeches must be made. This festival was hosted by the Korean Produce Association once again. This time we have very important guests such as New York City Councilman John Liu. The crowd gave a large applause has he gave his speech. But politics aside, the performances took the show. Korean singer, Wax, stole the show over all of the trot singers as she sang her hit song "Oppa," which is also a cover of Cindy Lauper's song "She Bop." After Wax, rap duo Leessang came on and the audience went wild. Of course, the crowd was waiting for the main performance of the day... the Brown Eyed Girls! Although it was a pleasure to see them live, they did little to no interaction with the audience. Still, they are wonderful performers. They started with their current hit "Abracadabra" and then continued to sing "You Raise Me Up" in English. I know, I wasn't expecting it either. At least they ended the show with a song we all knew, "How Come? (어쩌다)." Either way, the audience still loved every moment. It was a successful Chuseok and still leaves me reminiscent of last year's Chuseok with JYP and the Wonder Girls. Of course, both festivals were fantastic. We all can't wait until next year! Happy Chuseok everyone!