Beautiful Mint Life packs out 3-day festival
Celebrating its 16th anniversary this year, Korea's leading spring music festival Beautiful Mint Life 2025 (BML) came to a close Sunday following three days of indie music at its very best.
Held Friday to Sunday across the Olympic Park area in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Beautiful Mint Life featured performances on three main stages: the outdoor Mint Breeze Stage set up at the 88 Lawn Field, the indoor Cafe Blossom House at Kspo Dome and the lakeside Loving Forest Garden. A total of 45,000 festivalgoers filled the venue over three days.
Despite the hot weather on the final day of the festival, all three stages were packed with fans, leaving no room to spare.
While last year's festival featured 36 teams over two days, this year's schedule expanded to three days, featuring 54 artists. Each artist was given 50 to 60 minutes, creating a full-scale concert vibe.
The first artist to take the Mint Breeze Stage on Sunday was Jung Woo-seok, a former member of the boy band Pentagon, who debuted his new band Kik, whose lineup includes Jung Min-hyuk, guitarist of Lacuna, and Oh Myung-seok, drummer of Surl. Kik announced the upcoming release of its first EP on June 30, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
The acts that followed included Hanroro, who opened for Coldplay at their concert in Korea in April; YdBB, known for refreshing melodies; and Roy Kim, who delighted the audience with his warm sentiments and hit songs. As the sun began to set, Kim Sung-kyu, leader of Infinite, returned to the Mint Breeze Stage for the second consecutive year and performed "Closer," an unreleased track.
This year's headliner was singer-songwriter Younha, celebrating her 20th debut anniversary. Themed around the concept of "voyage," she took the stage in sailor-inspired attire and thrilled the audience with powerful renditions of songs like 'Point Nemo' and 'Event Horizon.'
Lee Seok-hoon, a member of vocal group SG Wannabe and a solo artist, made his BML debut this year, performing on the Cafe Blossom House stage. He touched hearts with the self-penned song 'It Was You,' dedicated to his son. Next up was 10CM, whose sole official member, Kwon Jung-yeol, sang this year's BML theme song, 'To Reach You.' His cool vocals and witty stage presence energized the indoor crowd seeking shelter from the heat.
The final act on the indoor stage was Davichi, who connected with fans in a spectacular sing-along of hit tracks.
Throughout the festival, a variety of events took place in one corner of the lawn, including a beer-chugging contest with artists, calligraphy workshops, DIY classes, a poetry contest and a drawing competition. Winners of these events received tickets to Waterbomb 2025 and the Grand Mint Festival 2025, leading to enthusiastic participation and fierce competition. The flea market offering LPs and music-related merchandise was also a big hit.
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