Live music and performing arts are set to take over venues across central Seoul's multicultural Haebangchon and Gyeongnidan neighborhoods once again, as Block Party returns for its fifth edition from Sept. 11–13. At the helm once more is Jamie Finn, who exudes equal parts confidence and flop sweat each time he organizes the festival.

The neighborhoods where the festival takes root have long been known for their distinctive character. Haebangchon, which sits near the former site of the U.S. military base in Yongsan, developed over decades into a hub for migrants, artists and independent businesses, while the adjacent Gyeongnidan area has seen waves of new restaurants and bars open in recent years alongside older establishments.

This year's festival will take place across over eight local venues, including Uplift, Boogie Woogie, Casa Amigo, Pet Sounds, Sub Riot, Togul, Dialogue and Dankyard. The lineup of venues changes every year as new spots open and others close down — a sign, Finn notes, of the area's shifting character.

"It's a bit weird, isn't it?" Finn said of the current state of Haebangchon. "Like it's still Haebangchon, but it feels a bit uncanny. There's loads of fun new fancy-pants restaurants, but where's the dank? Block Party is a pro-dank festival, and we would like to see the dank return to Haebangchon."

The 2026 lineup combines festival favorites from past years, including Leenalchi, Cadejo and Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, with many new acts such as Lang Lee, Chacha and the Cousins, Snake Chicken Soup and Skasucks.

"Lang Lee is a genius folk artist, a wonderful live performer, a staunch activist and quite possibly the coolest human being on the planet," Finn said.

A handful of acts have earned the title of "Block Party house bands" for having played every single edition: Pop Ents, 18Fevers, Pylat, Geoffrey Lewis and Yangbans. Finn pointed out that some individual musicians also belong on this exclusive list, even when they appear in different bands from year to year.

"Jihyang has played Block Party like 10 times through various projects such as Hyangni, Goonam and DJ Jihyang. She'll be back this year with MiMi Sisters," he said. "I also think Kimin has played every year, either with Gorymurgy or PCR."

This year's festival also features a strong contingent of overseas acts, including legendary Australian punk band The Hard-Ons, Italian duo Little Boys, Taiwanese all-girl punk band BB Bomb, Portuguese garage band 800 Gondomar and DJ Lukey No-Wave from the U.K. — an international scope unusual for a festival built entirely around small neighborhood venues run by volunteers.

Beyond music, the program includes a variety of nonmusic performances — drag, magic, pro wrestling and comedy — plus art on display courtesy of Hechyeomoyeo.

Finn attributed the eclectic selection to turnover within his team of volunteer organizers.

"We have a totally new team this year, and with that comes a bunch of new perspectives. They're bringing their weird tastes to the festival, so I think the lineup this year is more diverse than any other year," he said.

"Every year the team behind Block Party changes — once is enough for most people. This year, we have four people planning the event — myself, Ethan Kim, Jia Seok and Glassgirl, who will also be performing at this year's event. If anyone would like to help me plan Block Party 2027, please let me know. The pay is shit but on the plus side, the work is hard."

This year's Block Party crew will also team up with Haebang Week, which has other events planned. In addition, the Itaewon Film Festival, now in its second year, will officially link up with the festivities — deepening the festival's ties to other grassroots events in the surrounding Yongsan-area community.

Asked about the secrets behind Block Party's success and sustainability over five years, Finn demurred.

"To be honest, we're still working on the 'successful' and 'sustainable' thing. Every year is an absolute crapshoot, but we're getting closer," he said.

"But in terms of being an event that people know about and want to go to year after year, then I guess you could say it is 'successful' and it's a really great feeling. I think the reason people resonate with Block Party so much is that it is quite different to other festivals in Korea. We have more variety of performances, everything is a little messier and a little crazier, and we have a bigger focus on atmosphere and experience. Also, we go much later at night. We build our lineups around having a good time."

Each year, the question of whether Block Party will continue has been posed to Finn, and each time he has said it would be the last — until last year, when he signaled his willingness to stage this edition. So will there be a sixth Block Party in 2027?

"No," said Finn. "This is the last one."

One-day tickets cost 65,000 won each, two-day tickets are 90,000 won and three-day tickets are 105,000 won. Information and tickets are available at debasermagazine.com or by following @blockpartykorea on Instagram.