"Korea Weeks," organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York and the Korean Cultural Center New York from Sept. 21 to Oct. 19, reaches its peak in October. It starts with the Manhattan Korean Parade on Oct. 3, followed by a Korean food forum and Korean Food Night (Oct. 5), a MONSTA X performance (Oct. 6), the Korea Pavilion at New York Comic Con (Oct. 7–11), KOOM Week (Oct. 12–18), and the K-Fresh Festival and a taekwondo competition (Oct. 17). It closes with a Korea-U.S. Friendship Night on Oct. 19.
September flew by in a blur of the Chuseok Daejanchi festival and a nor'easter. October is different. There are more than 10 Korean events scheduled in New York.
The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York is holding "Korea Weeks" from Sept. 21 to Oct. 19 together with the Korean Cultural Center, Korean public institutions and Korean American organizations. The slogan is "Together, Toward Tomorrow." The events are spread across the 32nd Street area of Manhattan, the Korean Cultural Center, Madison Square Garden, Queens College, the Javits Center and the West Village.
October Schedule
The largest and most accessible is the Korean Parade on Saturday, Oct. 3. It marches along Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, and after the march, food and performances continue around 32nd Street in Koreatown. It is a good outing for families and is reachable by subway. That evening, the next-generation group of the Korean American Association of New York will hold a Chuseok event that doubles as a parade afterparty.
New this month is the Korea Pavilion at New York Comic Con, held at the Javits Center from Oct. 7 to 11. It is a chance for Korea's webtoon, game and character industries to meet American fans directly. Comic Con tickets tend to sell out early, so anyone planning to go should check the schedule.
On the food side, there are the Korean Food Forum and Korean Food Night on Oct. 5 and the K-Fresh Festival on the 17th. K-Fresh lets visitors taste and buy Korean agricultural and food products, and a taekwondo competition and a cultural festival are held the same day.
Some programs have already gotten underway or wrapped up in September. The Kim Cha-seop special exhibition has been running since Sept. 16, while the Chuseok festival and gala concert ended in late September. The K-beauty experience, K-brand pop-up, K-startup forum and Korean film screening series run from late September into early October.
Locations and admission methods differ by event, so it is safest to check the announcements from the Consulate General or the Korean Cultural Center before going. Free events and ticketed performances are mixed together, and outdoor events may change schedules depending on the weather, as the Chuseok Daejanchi did in September.