Booming drums occupied the soundscape of the Tivoli Quad at the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, as hundreds watch, crowding around the roaming band.

The band, part of the Hansori Cultural Organization of Fort Collins, was one of many artists to perform at the first annual Colorado Korean Culture Festival on Saturday — a dream drummed up by Christine Alling in honor of her mother.

Alling’s mother was born in Japanese-occupied Korea in 1931. She became an orphan during the Korean War, but maintained both her positivity and elegance, Ailing said. 

“She had a life that most of us couldn’t even imagine. If she got a bowl of rice, that was a good day,” Alling said. “I wanted to honor her culture. All the best parts of who I am come from her.”

The overall idea for the festival came about when Alling moved to Denver 15 years ago. She visited the Greek Festival and thought of how wonderful an event celebrating her culture could be.

Alling, who has a history of volunteering at festivals and events, decided to tackle the dream herself two years ago. She created the Colorado Korean Festival nonprofit and began raising funds. 

The motive is to connect fans of Korean culture with the area’s “underrepresented” Korean population.

“I believe it needed to happen. It works to connect people who have an interest and love of Korean culture with the local Korean community. I want them to find new customers and for the customers to find that they can purchase these Korean items right in the area,” she said.

The nonprofit also looks to help Korean businesses begin advertising in English, something Alling said isn’t common in the region.

More than 20 vendors attended the event with traditional Korean cuisine, art and other goods.

“Denver doesn’t have a huge Korean community, so it feels good to be here. To be in it,” Stacey Cuzzacrea, owner of Coo Coo Studio, said about being a Korean artist in the city.

Justin Park, a Korean-American singer based out of Los Angeles, headlined the event.

Regarding whether Alling will continue the festival in 2024 following a successful solo debut — “Absolutely,” she said.