RPD+ K-Pop Play Day 2: Seoul Comes to Bellevue

Seoul is coming to Bellevue - and your gift keeps it free for everyone.

Visit

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 10AM to 5PM, Bellevue City Hall & Plaza becomes a one-day Korean cultural festival: main-stage K-pop performances, random play dance, Chuseok traditional games, a Seoul-style market of local makers, and food - free and open to all ages.

WHY WE DO THIS

Big Hug is a Washington-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. After COVID-19, we supported Korean American small businesses with relief grants - but grants alone could not last. What small businesses needed most was visibility and connection with their community. So we asked: can culture connect people, and can those connections create opportunity? That question became RPD+ K-Pop Play Day.

WHAT YOUR GIFT MAKES POSSIBLE

- Free admission for 1,500+ expected visitors, all ages

- Four color-coded festival "subway lines": Community, Seoul Subway Market, K-Games Chuseok, and the RPD+ K-Pop Stage

- A spotlight for 30+ local makers and small businesses

- Youth Impact Lab peer educators honored on the Bellevue City Council stage

- On-site wellness and opioid prevention (naloxone) education

SEASON 1 BY THE NUMBERS (Sept 20, 2025)

- 65% of visitors were ages 10-29, and 51% came as families

- Visitors from Bellevue, Seattle, Sammamish, and across the Pacific Northwest

- Covered by 9 Korean-language media outlets and promoted through 50+ community channels

WHO IS ALREADY WITH US

Supported by the City of Bellevue (DEI Initiative, Human Services Fund, Community Programming Fund), the Overseas Koreans Agency, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, and co-hosted with bada. Seoul's official character HECHI joins the Season 2 key visual with the City of Seoul's approval.

Every dollar helps keep the festival free, safe, and welcoming - from stage and sound to family programming and youth leadership. Donations are tax-deductible (501(c)(3), EIN 47-2586477).

Learn more: karc.bighug.org