Konkuk University held its 2019 festival for 3 days, from May 15 to 17. Various events were held all around the school, and students could enhance the meaning of these by hosting and participating in them. CHEONG SHIM, the General Student Association(GSA) named the festival “KU:ristmas”, which is a compound word of Konkuk and Christmas. It connotes the intention that students may have a merry time during the period of the festival. Thanks to this, they experienced things that are usually difficult for most to do and spread their wings showing their talent. Like the time really was Christmas on a midsummer night, students enjoyed the culture of the university in their own ways and made delightful memories with each other.

Before attending the festival, there was much to prepare in advance. We were given two paper bracelets for each day; If we showed our KU student ID cards with the bracelets at “Santa KU:laus” beside Cheongsimdae. We could be admitted into the outdoor stage for celebrities and participate in GSA’s booths. On top of this, we could get a variety KU goods, such as an official mascot character for free at “MerryKU:ristmasKU:t”. This mascot was more worthwhile, because a KU student designed this character firsthand. Also, students could have a picture taken of them after dressing up with Christmas accessories at “Four KU:t of Life”, and sing two songs at the “KU Karaoke Alone”. Cultural activities from outside universities also came onto the campus and enriched the atmosphere of the festival. In addition, some people felt the thrill of bumper cars for 10 minutes at "KU:RTRIDER” in front of the University Museum. These were soft and; filled with air, so they could share their joy together safely in spite of the narrow space and short time. On the lawn in front of the Administration Building, we could have drink after choosing among ice Americano, ice tea, grapefruit Ade, and so on at “KU:FE”. Here, many people cooled down from the heat of the midday sun. In the vicinity, CHEONG SHIM provided a venue to rest where people could lie on mats and they also provided a photo zone with magnolia blossoms, the flower of KU.

On the first day, the performances of the KU student union for culture and arts were opened in the amphitheater and it consisted of the band clubs of each college. Regardless of their majors, the bands showed outstanding abilities in singing and performing musical instruments. Strangely, the Sanghuh College of Life Sciences held a milk drinking contest on the stairs in front of the Student Union Building. It was comprised of three sectors, drinking ‘fast’, ‘a lot’, and ‘as a couple’. For example, in the case of ‘drinking as a couple’, one who explained the taste of milk best won the victory. In the evening, several performances were held in the outdoor theater. Applicants for the contest came upon the stage in front of a lot of people and matched their musical skills at “K:Night”. The audience voted for singers they preferred and the most popular team won. The highlight of this day was the concert of Cheng-ha. Saying “Would you play with me?”, she showed a classy stage manner. Finally, at the “KU Music Festival (KUMF)”, ASTER played diverse Electronic Dance Music(EDM) with an incantation for happiness, “Gucci! Gucci! Prada! Prada!”. Also, he asked us to be fond of EDM and it reminded us of the value of this event.

The day after, student arts clubs gave performances in the amphitheater. As central
clubs, they showed relatively stable abilities. At the KU stadium, ‘Dobermann’, an entertainers’ soccer club, and ‘All Star’, one of KU’s soccer clubs, played a match at “Mileage Soccer”. For example, in an extra game, “Baskin Robbinshoot 31”, each team kicked a ball toward a goalpost where the numbers for points are written and Dobermann who had 31 points earlier lost. However, in a 7vs7 futsal match, Dobermann won both of the first and second halves. On this night, Crush and Red Velvet held a concert in the outdoor theater. Because of their popularity, the school was packed with people.

Nocturnally, some delicate displays lit the dark sky for “LED Light Festival”. The food trucks came onto the campus with a variety of menus, such as steak and Gelato. Following the motto “EAT THE KONKUK”, if you had a KU student ID card, you could get a discount. In addition to this, each colleges set up their own spaces and enjoyed the freedom of that moment. Overall, it was an opportunity to break out of the boring daily campus life and get enough rest for the remaining days.

By Park Jin-hong