May is the month of family and well-being — but the month means more festivities for university students. University festivals, or daedongje, take place every May in Korea, holding booths, events and artist performances. As much as the students are excited to experience the fun and energy of the annual event, universities are struggling to make money due to the high costs of the school festival.  

The worst result from the lack of funding would be that some universities end up canceling their festivals. So, why are schools willing to invest so much in university festivals, and what makes them cost so much?  

Also, don’t miss out on Jandi’s briefing on the general festival culture seen throughout daedongje!  

What is daedongje? ✨

Daedongje means a festival that brings others together, giving them a chance to mingle. The name directly refers to the spirit behind the spring festivals: open to all visitors and free of charge. It means that even those who are not students of the school can also participate. There are numerous theories explaining where the name first came from. The term started to become widely used throughout schools around the 1980s as the students used to gather at their campuses to hold demonstrations against the government.

While all universities in Korea universally refer to the spring festivals as daedongje, they sometimes create some variations to make them more special. For example, Yonsei University's spring festival is called Muak Daedongje, and Korea University's is Seoktap Daedongje. However, they expanded their festivals into different ones named Akaraka and Ipselenti, respectively. The two major university festivals are known for hosting popular K-pop stars.

As daedongje are open for everyone to join, these university festivals attract massive crowds, sometimes collecting up to tens of thousands of people. The festival venue is filled with students from different schools and also fans of the artists that are performing at the event.  

How do university students enjoy daedongje?

Here are some scenes you can see at a university festival.

Outdoor drinking booths

Drinking and eating at an outdoor booth, jujeom in Korean, is deeply rooted in university festival culture. School clubs can sign up for a spot on the campus to serve food and drinks. Visitors can pay to enjoy the festival mood with food and drink, and sometimes play games with those in nearby seats. Not all schools allow drinking booths for safety reasons.  

Student performances and booths

The school’s dance clubs, bands and performance-based clubs take the stage before the celebrity performances take place. While the clubs perform, promotional booths entertain the people with activities, games, events and a lot of free goodies. The booths are not limited to only university members, and allow local stores and companies to participate for promotion. Food trucks, snack stalls and flea markets are open for students, too.

Who is in charge of the spring festivals?

The student council of each school is the main organizer behind each university festival. They organize booths, set artist schedules and manage the budget and corporate sponsorships. People can follow festival news updates on the spring festival through official social media channels and the university's website. As the festival dates approach, anticipation begins to build around which K-pop artists will perform, with many people awaiting the announcement on social media.

How much do they cost?

Major universities in Seoul typically allocate around 200 million won ($145,000) for festivals, according to university students. 

Out of this, around 60 to 70 percent of the total budget is invested in setting the artist lineup. The leftover money is used for other events, like booth management and support. Although schools fund the spring festivals, paying large amounts for each singer or band can be a burden for universities to handle. The pressure becomes heavier for rural universities with smaller budgets and slimmer chances of getting a popular artist. The discrepancy between universities in Seoul and regional schools arises here.  

According to an official at a private regional university, her university spent 120 million won on hiring six artists, including a rapper and a ballad singer, last year.  

Universities struggle every spring to scrape enough money together to handle the high costs of inviting artists.  

Why are universities paying so much for celebrity performances?

The success of a festival strongly depends on how many popular artists the school manages to invite. The reputation of the school’s festival tends to hang on the lineup, putting pressure on the student council to go the extra mile of getting singers and dancers who are in high demand.  

“Festivals are the largest and most high-profile events organized by the student council, and students often compare them with previous events or those at neighboring universities. So, the success of festivals is crucial in the overall evaluation of the student council,” said Kim Kyung-jin, the president of Seoul National University's student council.  

Every late April to May, it is a common sight to see comments flooding the pages of school community platforms. Students often write whether they are happy or unsatisfied with the artist lineup that year.  

How do festivals make money?

The school budget funds the student council as they organize the event, with donations from alumni and corporations also contributing to the event budget. However, these primary sources usually fail to cover the budget entirely, so student organizers turn to companies and stores near campuses, asking them to help support the festival.  

Corporations pay from 1 million to 5 million won a day to install and run their promotional booths during the festival period. Sponsorship products from companies are also utilized as event prizes. Securing sponsorships is crucial to the funding, but sometimes companies are reluctant to give out free products. For example, liquor companies cannot give out free alcohol at the events.

What are the consequences?

A lack of funding has led some universities to cancel their festivals.  

Last month, the Kookmin University student council's emergency response committee announced on social media that the festival was called off due to decreased budgets and a lack of labor.  

Universities in rural areas are suffering even more, as they face the dilemma of choosing between boosting the school’s reputation through the festival and splurging on A-list celebrities. Even when they are willing to go beyond their budgets to hire A-list celebrities, closing the deal remains tricky as agencies don’t want their singers to travel long distances unless they are paid double or triple their appearance fees.  

As hosting celebrities is a challenge for schools every year, there are rising voices of concern claiming that festivals should focus on creating space and events of better quality and safety, rather than overspending on inviting popular artists to their campuses.  

What do you Kampers think? Do you think university festivals are thriving thanks to K-pop idols and famous artists, or do you think they should tone down the high spending?  

If you are interested in this piece, check out more related news from these articles:  

- University festivals struggle amid rising artist costs

- Rural universities fail to attract Korea's biggest stars for festivals