From November 9 to November 11, KAIST event preparation committee Imagination Effect held the 2021 Student Cultural Festival. Until last semester, regulations due to the spike in COVID-19 cases both nationwide and on campus restricted the scope of activities that could be organized for the annual festivals; for instance, small-group performances were canceled for the 2021 Seoklim Taeul spring festival. However, this time, the “Living with COVID-19” initiative launched by the Korean government this month allowed for in-person events to be included in the festival along with non-face-to-face events.

First In-Person Festival Held Since COVID-19

Multiple offline events were prepared by Imagination Effect. On November 10 and November 11, busking performances were held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the open space in front of the Chang Young Shin Student Activity Center (N13-1). 28 teams of up to eight performers performed throughout the two days. The movies The Greatest Showman and About Time were also screened from 8:30 p.m. on the respective days. Imagination Effect received applications for audiences, and seats in front of the stage were given to a randomly selected number of applicants for each session, following COVID-19 regulations. However, those who were not selected were also free to stand behind the designated seats to watch the performances. The “Squid Game booth” was set up on the second floor of the Sports Complex (N3), where students were able to complete various missions based around the theme of the Netflix series Squid Game and receive prizes. Sparkler fireworks and a board to write end-of-year wishes were prepared at the photo zone at the roof of N13-1. 

Imagination Effect recognized that not all students would be able to participate in in-person activities, writing, “Due to the COVID-19 situation, we prepared this festival both face-to-face and non-face-to-face so that not only the students at school, but also those who did not come to school can enjoy it together, too.” The busking event was streamed online, and students voted for the teams they supported through the Student Cultural Festival website until November 15. Videos of the performances were also uploaded on Imagination Effect’s YouTube channel after the end of the festival. Events such as the “KAIST MBTI Test” and “Crime Scene” were also carried out completely online.

This fall festival marks the beginning of a transition back to “normalcy”. A student who performed in the busking event remarked, “It was great for many students to actually be able to gather together, perform, and interact with each other for the first time in a long while.” With in-person events resuming, anticipation is escalating for what the upcoming spring semester would look like.