On September 16 and 17, KAIST held the KAIST Art & Music Festival (KAMF) under the name, “KAMF: Again”. First started in 2012, the theme of KAMF revolves around enjoying the performances of rock bands and indie artists. This year’s KAMF was the first to be held since 2019 due to the prevalence of COVID-19. In line with the theme of the festival, various artists and open stage performances were held, along with diverse booths run by the student body and food trucks that presented a variety of food options. 

The Special Committee for KAMF Planning under the Undergraduate Association, which organized the festival, recruited a total of 18 types of booths to run during the two consecutive days. Food and art stalls, along with a flea market were set up on the lawn in front of the Main Library (E9). Many students from clubs and departments participated in running these booths. Normal booths ran from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., during which time a total of 21 teams of KAIST students also participated in the open stage performances. The night market consisting of food stalls and cocktail stalls operated from  5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Numerous food trucks offering crepes, sushis, and takoyaki, among others, were also located outside the Main Library (E9), surrounding the lawn. A pamphlet event was held, where students could receive a sticker for participating in each of the booths and exchange the accumulated stickers with KAMF souvenirs such as reusable cups or a raffle ticket for an iPad, which encouraged enthusiastic participation of the students.

The highlight of KAMF was the artists invited to perform in the evening. This year, the KAIST hosted a total of six groups of artists. On the first day, Nerd Connection, SE SO NEON, and Car the Garden performed from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., to which students showed great enthusiasm and excitement. In particular, during Car the Garden’s performance, a fan handed him a bottle of makgeolli, and her interview induced a lot of laughter from the audience. An even bigger crowd gathered on the second day to watch the stages of Adios Audio, Choi Yu Ree, and Bolbbalgan4. 

Along with KAIST students, many Daejeon residents also visited the campus to enjoy the festival, often in family or friend groups. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 people enjoyed KAMF during these two days. For many, this year’s KAMF was significant in that it  was the first official face-to-face school festival since the advent of COVID-19, and this first experience can be said to have been successful.

A total of 26 students cooperated to arrange this event as part of the Special Committee for KAMF Planning. Byeong Chan Park, the leader of the committee, stated, “While there were many difficulties in preparing for the festival, especially because not many of the committee members had previously experienced the festival themselves, we were able to finish the festival successfully with everyone’s best effort. I would like to thank everyone for enjoying the festival, as well as all the committee members who have worked hard together for the event.”