More than 20,000 visitors gathered in Lillestrøm, Norway, on Saturday, August 23, 2025, for the second annual NORAK Asian Festival. The event filled the city with music, dance, food and cultural showcases from across Asia. The festival was first held in 2024 with over 12,000 visitors and this year's turnout shows its growing popularity. NORAK, short for Norsk Asiatisk Kulturforening (Norwegian Asian Culture Association), brought together performers and vendors from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The planning committee from each country standing on stage during the opening ceremony.
Founded with the mission to foster cultural exchange between Norway and Asian countries, the NORAK Asian Festival has grown into a highly anticipated multicultural event. For many visitors, the festival offered a firsthand experience of the diversity and vibrancy of Asian cultures.
The festival opened with a parade featuring traditional attire, flags and music from the participating countries. The parade concluded in the heart of Lillestrøm where the opening ceremony took place. Daniel Tran Huynh (founder of NORAK), Mayor Kjartan Berland, H. E. Ambassador Seo, Min-jeong of the Republic of Korea to Norway and other distinguished guests gave their opening remarks in honor of the festival’s events.
(Left) H. E. Ambassador Seo, Min-jeong of the Republic of Korea to Norway and (Right) Daniel Tran Huynh, founder of NORAK, giving their opening remarks at the opening ceremony.
Left image credit: The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Norway, used with permission.
Korea shared a mix of tradition and pop culture that created some of the day’s most memorable moments. Visitors could explore Korean booths offering experiences from skincare, cuisine, K-pop dance and traditional games as seen on the Netflix popular series, Squid Game. The K-beauty section introduced visitors to Korea’s products such as sheet masks, moisturizers, serums, eye creams and more. Representatives explained the benefits of each product and invited attendees to test them. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Norway were there to give information about Korea. Board members of The Norwegian-Korean Friendship Association shared information about the events they organize each year.
(Top left) K-pop dance workshop led by The Hadeland Folk High School. (Top right) K-beauty products. (Bottom left) ggonggi, Korean Jacks. (Bottom right) Japchae noodles, stir fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables.
Top left image credit: The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Norway, used with permission.
Pop culture fans had plenty to enjoy as they were able to play traditional Korean games such as, ddakji chigi (flipping game) and ggonggi (Korean Jacks), as seen on Squid Game. A K-pop dance workshop led by The Hadeland Folk High School (a boarding school that offers Asian culture programs to their students) had the crowd moving while learning choreography to K-pop group, Momoland’s song, Boom Boom, creating a lively atmosphere for everyone.
Korean food booths offered spicy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), crispy corn dogs, japchae (stir fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables) and pancakes. The visitors sampled Korean pancakes with kimchi and other traditional snacks. This gave visitors a taste of Korea leaving them with a lasting impression of the bold flavors and textures of Korean food.
Participants in their hanboks (Korea’s traditional clothing) at the Fashion Show.
Image credit: Ole Michael Hagen, used with permission.
The Fashion Show featured local Koreans and friends wearing several types of hanboks, Korea’s traditional clothing, with vibrant colors in flowing fabrics and intricate designs. As one of the participants, I was proud to show the audience the beauty of Korea’s rich history and cultural heritage by wearing my hanbok.
The festival also celebrated local talent with a talent show. Urban Nordic Crew (UNC), which as been captivating audiences with their dance moves since 2017, won the festival’s talent competition for the second consecutive year. Their performance was inspired by K-pop artists BEBE, featured in Street Woman Fighter 2 (Korean reality dance competition series) and ATEEZ with Guerrilla.
Urban Nordic Crew (UNC) during their performance at the talent show. Image credit: Urban Nordic Crew (UNC), used with permission.
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