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Sun's out, fun's out at Olive Young Festa, with giveaways galore

Published: 21 May. 2025, 18:24 Updated: 22 May. 2025, 10:28

The 2025 Olive Young Festa kicked off on Nodeul Island in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on May 21. [OLIVE YOUNG]

If the phrase "beauty festival" evokes images of a row of skincare bottles and lipstick lined up next to a lucky-draw roulette wheel, think again.

Because Olive Young, Korea's leading health and beauty retailer, has taken things up a notch with the sixth edition of its Olive Young Festa — with wrinkle tarot readings and a virtual skincare doctor that matches you with your perfect sunscreen.

And forget a sterile exhibition hall — this festival is held outdoors, on Nodeul Island, which sits in the middle of Seoul’s Han River.

Though it was still early in the morning, the island already felt like a music festival — think Waterbomb, but with hydrating mists and moisturizers instead of water guns. Most of the crowd were women in their 20s and 30s, dressed in summer-ready outfits and flawless makeup. But just as noticeable were groups of men, international beauty lovers and moms tagging along with their adult daughters — all carrying Olive Young backpacks, ready to collect every sample.

“I came for the first time this year because it looked fun,” said Uria, an international attendee in her 20s, dressed in a breezy white festival shirt and braided pigtails. “I’m not looking for any particular brand, but I’m really into creams,” she said before darting off to queue up for another skincare sample.

A person plays a game to score samples at the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21. [WOO JI-WON]

This wasn’t your usual beauty expo. Booths across the venue featured everything from balloon popping to button mashing games, ping-pong toss and VR shooting games — with winners receiving full-sized toners, lip tints and sunscreens as prizes.

And that was just the beginning. One booth offered wrinkle tarot readings with mystical skincare advice, along with a wrinkle patch to match. Another featured a virtual skincare doctor that analyzed visitors’ skin concerns before a pharmacist on-site prescribed the ideal sunscreen. There was even a mini racecourse where attendees competed against brand staff for more prizes.

A Josun dynasty-themed booth the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21 [WOO JI-WON]

Some booths went full fantasy. One was styled like a luxury airline lounge, while another recreated the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), complete with staff wearing gat, or traditional hats, and speaking in royal court-style Korean.

All around, attendees were playing games, playing around with staff and laughing despite sweating through their outfits under the sun. It was like a beauty-themed Chuck E. Cheese for adults.

An Olive Young bag belonging to an attendee is filled with samples she received at the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21. [WOO JI-WON]

Backpacks handed out by Olive Young were filling up fast. One attendee surnamed Lee had already filled hers halfway within an hour. “The games are fun, and the prizes are easy to win,” she said.

“I came again this year because I got so many samples last time,” added Yang Ji-hyeon, another attendee in her 20s who also went to the 2023 Festa at Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

It wasn’t hard to fill up a bag. Simply liking a brand on the Olive Young app earned you a freebie. Follow them on Instagram? Another. Play a booth’s game? You just might walk away with a full-sized cleanser. Even this reporter, just wandering around, had already collected a half-full tote by midmorning

Beauty enthusiasts line up in front of booths to get samples at the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21. [OLIVE YOUNG]

It’s no wonder the tickets — available exclusively to Olive Young members on April 24 — sold out instantly.

Naturally, the makeup zone was the most crowded. Queues wrapped around booths for makeup brands like Dasique, Hera, Fwee and Clio as well as skin care brands Torriden and Bringgreen. Even lesser-known names like Coringco and Olive Aesthetic were swamped — mostly because they were handing out full-sized products instead of small samples. But as the day wore on and crowds thickened, many attendees stopped chasing their favorite brands and simply lined up wherever the wait was shortest.

"I’m looking for booths giving out full-sized products, not just tiny packets,” said Emineh, a student from overseas living in Korea, who admitted to refreshing Olive Young’s website nonstop just to score a ticket.

Also noticeable were beauty influencers blending seamlessly into the crowd — lining up, playing games and collecting samples just like everyone else.

Japanese model and influencer Niina poses at the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21. [WOO JI-WON]

“There are so many brands in one place. I’m really enjoying it,” said Niina, a Japanese model and beauty influencer. “I want to check out the Hera and Dasique booths.”

Naturally, I had to ask her what trend is dominating the beauty scene this year. “Dewy, glowing skin is still going strong — just like last year,” she said. “And lately, I’ve noticed a lot of people using Cologram.”

Twin YouTubers Anri and Anna were also spotted playing games. “There are similar festivals in Japan,” said Anri, “but nothing on this scale.” Their go-to brands? Dalba and Hera.

Attendees play a game to score samples at the 2025 Olive Young Festa on May 21. [WOO JI-WON]

By midday, the sun was blazing but the crowd had only grown. Inside the event’s sole indoor space, attendees sprawled across every available surface — fanning themselves, dabbing on refrigerated toner and pressing cooling patches to their cheeks in search of relief.

The event is organized into five themed zones — Skincare, Makeup, Personal Care, Healthy Life and Luxe Edit — featuring 84 booths that showcase 108 brands. Participating brands include rom&nd, Too Cool For School, Dasique, Beauty of Joseon, belif, Biodance, LABO-H and OBgE.

The 2025 Olive Young Festa runs through Sunday. Tickets are available by online reservation only.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]