Busan is good

The 14th Busan International Comedy Festival (BICF) Opens August 21!

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, will host the 14th Busan International Comedy Festival (BICF) from August 21 to August 30 at venues throughout Busan, centered around BEXCO Auditorium.

The BICF opening ceremony will take place at 7:00 p.m. on August 21 at BEXCO Auditorium, hosted by comedian Jee Seok-jin, with Korean and international artists set to add excitement to the event.

The festivities will begin with a celebratory performance by the talented four-member female band QWER, followed by “Malja Show,” an interactive talk entertainment program featuring “Grandma Malja”; a performance by the international troupe Mime de Lyon from France; and a special opening performance by cast members of “Gag Concert,” one of Korea’s most iconic comedy programs.

This year’s BICF will offer audiences a wide range of performances and programs across Busan, including at BEXCO Auditorium and Haeundae Gunam-ro.

The lineup includes “Mandam Assemble @ BICF,” a laugh-filled parade of comic dialogue duos; “Seoul Comedy All-Stars,” bringing together top comedians known for their candid and powerful wit; “Woo Seok-hoon’s Comedy Shorts,” performed by mime artist Woo Seok-hoon; and “Galgali Gag Concert: Return of the Legends,” a 30th-anniversary comedy show featuring Park Jun-hyung of Galgali and other legendary comedians.

A new program this year, “Kim Hak-rae and Lee Yong-sik’s Wild Talk Show,” will be held at Millac the Market in Suyeong-gu. The talk show commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late comedian Gu Bong-seo and will reinterpret comedy with a contemporary sensibility while highlighting the value of laughter that connects generations.

A variety of free side events will also be available, including “Comedy Street” and “Comedy Open Concert.”

“Comedy Street” will feature outdoor comedy performances in the Haeundae Gunam-ro area from August 23 to August 26, giving audiences an opportunity to enjoy humorous street performances by independent performance teams.

“Comedy Open Concert” is a traveling performance that brings comedy directly to audiences. It will visit the Busan Port Cruise Terminal on August 25, Yurari Square in Jung-gu on August 27, and the Central Plaza of Dadaepo Beach Park on August 28, offering residents opportunities to enjoy comedy together.

As a pre-festival event, BICF visited Samsung Girls’ High School, which had been selected for the “Comedy School Attack” program, on July 10 and presented a “Guerrilla Comedy Concert” for students.

The BICF closing ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. on August 30 at Haneulyeon Theater of the Busan Cinema Center, bringing the festival to a grand finale with “I Am a Comedian-Singer,” a celebratory performance by accomplished comedians.

The hybrid performance by comedian-singers, combining comedy and vocal talent, will offer audiences a memorable experience. The festival will conclude with awards presented to productions that participated during the festival period, followed by an official declaration of the event’s closing.

“Comedian-singer” refers to a performer who combines the roles of comedian and singer.

Tickets for BICF are available through the Interpark Ticket website at https://ticket.interpark.com. For further information, visit the official website at https://bicf.kr or contact the Busan International Comedy Festival Office at 051-916-8828.

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, “Now in its 14th year, the Busan International Comedy Festival has established itself as a leading global comedy festival in Asia. As we have arranged performance programs across Busan in our efforts to create a cultural festival that is closely connected with residents, we hope that residents and visitors alike will show strong interest and take part in the festival.”