Food and drink festivals in Korea

Korea's food festivals are regional showcases. The best known are rice in Icheon, bibimbap in Jeonju, ginseng in Geumsan and Punggi, green tea in Boseong, coffee in Gangneung and chicken-and-beer in Daegu. Summer adds tomatoes in Hwacheon and grapes in Yeongdong. October brings seafood at Busan's Jagalchi Market, pine mushrooms and salmon in Yangyang, dumplings in Wonju, jjamppong in Gunsan, Gwangju's World Kimchi Festival, Gimcheon's gimbap festival and Jeonju's makgeolli nights, and around the turn of November come barbecue in Hongseong, mackerel on Busan's Songdo Beach and the southern dishes of Haenam's Minam festival. November is for kimchi-making in Goesan, ramyeon in Gumi, yuzu in Goheung, tteokbokki in Sunchang, Jangdan beans in Paju, yellowtail at Moseulpo, gwamegi at Guryongpo and kimchi with bossam in Jinan. Most have free entry, with food priced per stall.

On now, coming up and expected

Deep-fried king prawns at the 2015 Namdang Port King Prawn Festival in Hongseong

Happening now

Sep – Nov2026

4 –8

Fri–Sun

FoodHongseongFreeUntil 8 Nov

Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival

The Hongseong Namdang Port King Prawn Festival (홍성남당항 대하축제) is a two-month seafood festival at Namdang Port on Cheonsu Bay in Seobu-myeon, Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, where the port's restaurants and stalls sell in-season daeha prawns, usually salt-grilled, with weekend shows and bare-hand prawn catching. The 31st edition runs 4 September–8 November 2026, 09:00–24:00, with free entry; prawns are sold at one festival price of ₩45,000 per kg to take away or ₩60,000 per kg in restaurants.

Paldalmun Gate of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress at night, next to the market

Happening now

Sep – Oct2026

5 –31

Sat–Sat

FoodSuwonFreeEnds todayAbout 1 h 10 min from Seoul

Bulchwimugwi Night Market

The Bulchwimugwi Night Market (왕의 야시장 불취무귀) is a free Saturday-evening night market in Suwon's Nammun Market district, beside Paldalmun, the south gate of Hwaseong Fortress, with food from market merchants and food trucks, a flea market, busking and a themed programme each night. First held in 2026, its second season runs 17:00–22:00 on four Saturdays, 10, 17, 24 and 31 October 2026; after 19 October the nights left are 24 October (Sundae Day) and 31 October (Joseon Ghost Day).

Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park seen from above in November, where the apple festival is held

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

17 –1

Sat–Sun

FoodMungyeongFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 2 h 30 min from Seoul

Mungyeong Apple Festival

The Mungyeong Apple Festival (문경사과축제) is a free harvest festival at Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, built around the Gamhong apple, a local variety that is in season only in October and averages 16.5 Brix. The 21st edition is running now, 17 October–1 November 2026, 09:00–18:00 daily, with growers' sales and tastings, orchard picking, an apple exhibition hall and family games.

A gate of Hongjueupseong, the old walled town in Hongseong where the festival is held

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

29 –1

Thu–Sun

FoodHongseongFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 2 h 10 min from Seoul

Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival

The Hongseong Global Barbecue Festival (홍성글로벌바비큐페스티벌) is a four-day barbecue and meat festival held in and around Hongju-eupseong, the walled old town in the centre of Hongseong, Chungcheongnam-do, with grill zones, visiting barbecue teams, discounted local beef and pork, and evening concerts. Hongseong County has confirmed the fourth edition for Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November 2026.

Crowds on Songdo Beach watching fireworks over the water at the 2025 Busan Mackerel Festival

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

30 –1

Fri–Sun

FoodBusanFreeEnds tomorrowAbout 2 h 47 min from Seoul

Busan Mackerel Festival

The Busan Mackerel Festival (부산고등어축제) is a free three-day seafood festival on Songdo Beach in Seo-gu, Busan, held since 2008 in honour of mackerel, the city's fish. The 17th edition runs 30 October–1 November 2026, 10:00–21:00, with bare-handed mackerel catching, a kayak mackerel hunt, surprise mackerel auctions, a seafood market and evening concerts.

The Duryunsan cable car in Haenam, close to the provincial park lawn where the festival is held

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

30 –1

Fri–Sun

FoodHaenamEnds tomorrowAbout 4 h 46 min from Seoul

Haenam Minam Festival

The Haenam Minam Festival (해남미남축제; 'minam', 味南, means 'taste of the south') is a three-day food festival of Haenam's farm and sea produce, held in Duryunsan Provincial Park on the road to Daeheungsa Temple in Haenam, Jeollanam-do. Haenam County has announced the 2026 edition for Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November, with Haenam rice as its theme and, this year, no opening ceremony, township parade or VIP seating.

Sunrise over Yedang Reservoir, where the festival is held, seen from Bongsusan in October 2014

Happening now

Oct2026

30 –31

Fri–Sat

FoodYesanFreeEnds todayAbout 1 h 55 min from Seoul

Yesan Apple Festival

The Yesan Apple Festival (예산사과축제) is a free two-day harvest festival for the apples of Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, held in 2026 around the Yedangho suspension bridge, a 402 m footbridge over Yedang Reservoir. The 23rd edition runs Friday 30 October (10:00–20:00) and Saturday 31 October 2026 (10:00–18:00), with a discounted growers' apple sale, apple games, music and fireworks over the lake.

The riverwalk along the Miryang River, the festival's riverside setting

Happening now

Oct – Nov2026

31 –1

Sat–Sun

FoodMiryangFreeStarts todayAbout 2 h 30 min from Seoul

Miryang Spicy Food Festival

The Miryang Spicy Food Festival (밀양 매운맛 축제) is a free two-day festival of spicy food and heat challenges on the Miryang River riverside in Samun-dong, Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do, the city where Samyang Foods runs its Buldak noodle export plants. The first edition is on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026, 11:00–21:00, with spicy food zones, a chef's table, a One Chip Challenge and a brand zone that includes Samyang.

Ripe red Cheongsong apples hanging on a tree in an orchard

Upcoming

Nov2026

4 –8

Wed–Sun

FoodCheongsongFreeStarts in 4 daysAbout 3 h 58 min from Seoul

Cheongsong Apple Festival

The Cheongsong Apple Festival (청송사과축제) is a five-day harvest festival on the Yongjeoncheon stream beside Hyeonbiam cliff in Cheongsong-eup, Gyeongsangbuk-do, a mountain county known for its apples. The 20th edition runs 4–8 November 2026 (Wednesday–Sunday), 09:00–20:00 per KTO, with growers' apple sales, an apple parade, hands-on games and evening concerts.

Hands rubbing red pepper seasoning into salted cabbage during kimjang, Korea's winter kimchi-making (photo taken in Seoul)

Upcoming

Nov2026

5 –8

Thu–Sun

FoodGoesanFreeStarts in 5 daysAbout 1 h 54 min from Seoul

Goesan Kimjang Festival

The Goesan Kimjang Festival (괴산김장축제) is a four-day kimchi-making festival on the Organic Expo Square in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, the county where Korea's pre-salted cabbage trade began in 1996. The 2026 edition runs 5–8 November, 10:00–20:00.

Ramyeon booths and crowds filling a downtown Gumi street at the 2025 Gumi Ramyeon Festival

Upcoming

Nov2026

6 –8

Fri–Sun

FoodGumiFreeStarts in 6 daysAbout 3 h from Seoul

Gumi Ramyeon Festival

The Gumi Ramyeon Festival (구미라면축제) is a free three-day street-food festival around Gumi Station in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the city where Nongshim fries most of Korea's Shin Ramyun. Local chefs serve creative ramyeon dishes along a 475 m 'ramyeon street' opposite the station, and Nongshim sells packs fried that morning.

The Haean Basin, known as the Punchbowl, seen from the Eulji Observatory in Yanggu

Upcoming

Nov2026

6 –8

Fri–Sun

FoodYangguFreeStarts in 6 daysAbout 1 h 44 min from Seoul

Yanggu Punchbowl Siraegi Apple Festival

The Yanggu Punchbowl Siraegi Apple Festival (청춘양구 펀치볼 시래기사과축제) is a free three-day harvest fair for the dried radish greens (siraegi) and highland apples of the Haean basin, the 'Punchbowl', a farming valley on the edge of the DMZ in Yanggu, Gangwon State. The 2026 edition runs Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November, 10:00–17:00, in front of the Punchbowl Healing House in Haean-myeon.

Visitors walking a path between yuzu trees heavy with ripe fruit at the 2025 Goheung Yuzu Festival

Upcoming

Nov2026

12 –15

Thu–Sun

FoodGoheungFreeAbout 4 h 24 min from Seoul

Goheung Yuzu Festival

The Goheung Yuzu Festival (고흥유자축제) is a four-day harvest festival in the yuzu orchards of Handong-ri, Pungyang-myeon, in Goheung, Jeollanam-do, the county that grows most of Korea's yuzu. The 6th edition runs 12–15 November 2026, 10:00–22:00, with yuzu picking, a yuzu foot spa, lit-up orchards and nightly concerts.

The twin peaks of Maisan, Jinan's best-known landmark (not the festival venue)

Upcoming

Nov2026

14 –15

Sat–Sun

FoodJinanAbout 2 h 26 min from Seoul

Jinan Highland Kimchi Bossam Festival

The Jinan Highland Kimchi Bossam Festival (진안고원 김치보쌈축제) is a two-day weekend kimjang festival in Jinan-eup, Jinan County, Jeonbuk State, where families make winter kimchi together and eat it fresh with boiled pork (bossam). The 2026 edition, its eighth, is on Saturday–Sunday 14–15 November, confirmed on the organizer's site; the official poster places it around the Jinan Local Food store in Jinan-eup.

Fishing boats moored at Moseulpo Port on Jeju's southwest coast, the festival's venue

Upcoming

Nov2026

19 –22

Thu–Sun

FoodSeogwipoBy air from Seoul

Moseulpo Southernmost Yellowtail Festival

The Moseulpo Southernmost Yellowtail Festival (최남단방어축제) is a four-day harbour festival at Moseulpo Port in Daejeong-eup, on the southwest tip of Jeju, built around bangeo (Japanese amberjack, sold in English as yellowtail), which fattens in these waters from November. The 26th edition runs 19–22 November 2026 (Thursday to Sunday): the dates are confirmed on the organizer's site (bangeofestival.com), which announced the festival on 3 September 2026.

Bowls of gochujang and other fermented pastes in Sunchang, the county known for its red pepper paste

Upcoming

Nov2026

21 –22

Sat–Sun

FoodSunchangFreeAbout 3 h 19 min from Seoul

Sunchang Korea Tteokbokki Festa

The Sunchang Korea Tteokbokki Festa (순창 코리아 떡볶이 페스타) is a free two-day street-food festival of tteokbokki made with Sunchang gochujang, held at the Sunchang Fermentation Theme Park and the Traditional Gochujang Folk Village in Sunchang, Jeonbuk State. The third edition runs 21–22 November 2026, from 10:00 on Saturday (with overnight camping) and 10:00–17:00 on Sunday.

Rows of gwamegi (half-dried Pacific saury) hanging on drying racks in Pohang

Expected

Expected2026

Nov / Dec

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FoodPohangFree

Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival

The Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival (포항 구룡포 과메기 축제) is a free two-day weekend food festival on Ara Plaza, on the Gwamegi Culture Street of Guryongpo in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Guryongpo is Korea's largest producer of gwamegi, saury dried in the winter sea wind.

Pinwheels on the hill at Imjingak Peace Nuri Park in Paju, beside the festival grounds

Expected

Expected2026

Nov

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FoodPajuFreeAbout 2 h from Seoul

Paju Jangdan Bean Festival

The Paju Jangdan Bean Festival (파주장단콩축제) is a three-day farmers' festival at the Imjingak Tourist Area in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, beside the Imjin River near the inter-Korean border, where growers sell the new crop of Jangdan soybeans alongside fresh tofu, meju-making and bean threshing. The 29th edition ran 21–23 November 2025, 09:00–17:00.

Rows of green tea bushes on a hillside in Boseong

Expected

Expected2027

May

usual window

FoodBoseongAbout 3 h 30 min from Seoul

Boseong Green Tea Festival

The Boseong Green Tea Festival (보성다향대축제) is a five-day tea festival at the Korean Tea Culture Park in Boseong, Jeollanam-do, Korea's best-known tea-growing county. The 49th edition ran 1–5 May 2026; the 50th is expected in early May 2027.

Crowds at tables in front of the main stage at night during the 2018 Daegu Chimac Festival in Duryu Park

Expected

Expected2027

Jul

usual window

FoodDaeguFreeAbout 2 h from Seoul

Daegu Chimac Festival

The Daegu Chimac Festival is a five-day chicken-and-beer street festival around Duryu Park in Daegu, held 1–5 July 2026 (next expected early July 2027). Entry is free; you pay for food and drink at brand booths, and a small block of main-stage seats is sold in advance.

Expected

Expected2027

Jul / Aug

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FoodHwacheonAbout 2 h 6 min from Seoul

Hwacheon Tomato Festival

The Hwacheon Tomato Festival (화천토마토축제) is a summer farm festival in Sanae-myeon, Hwacheon County, Gangwon, best known for 'Find the Golden Ring', in which visitors wade into a pool of culled tomatoes to hunt for gold rings. The 22nd edition ran 31 July–9 August 2026 at Sanae Sports Park, about 2 hours by direct bus from Dong Seoul; the 2027 edition is expected in late July or early August but has not been announced.

A balloon display of grape bunches spelling out the festival name at the 2009 Yeongdong Grape Festival, with booth tents behind

Expected

Expected2027

Aug / Sep

usual window

FoodYeongdongAbout 2 h 20 min from Seoul

Yeongdong Grape Festival

The Yeongdong Grape Festival (영동포도축제) is a four-day harvest festival at the Rainbow Healing Tourist Site in Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do, one of Korea's main grape and wine counties. The 21st edition ran 27–30 August 2026; the 2027 edition is expected in late August but has not been announced.

Visitors filling the festival streets of the 2009 Geumsan Ginseng Festival, seen from above

Expected

Expected2027

Sep / Oct

usual window

FoodGeumsanAbout 1 h 50 min from Seoul

Geumsan World K-Insam Festival

Geumsan World K-Insam Festival (금산세계인삼축제) is a free ten-day ginseng festival held each autumn at the World K-Insam Expo Square in Geumsan, Chungcheongnam-do, about 50 minutes by bus from Daejeon. The 2026 edition ran 2–11 October (10:00–21:00) and drew 1.17 million visitors; 2027 is expected in early October.

A general view of the 2015 Busan Jagalchi Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodBusanFreeAbout 2 h 32 min from Seoul

Busan Jagalchi Festival

The Busan Jagalchi Festival (부산자갈치축제) is a free four-day seafood festival held in October since 1992 around Jagalchi Market, Busan's famous fish market in Nampo-dong, Jung-gu. The 33rd edition ran 15–18 October 2026, 11:30–22:00, with sea fireworks over the South Port on the opening night, a rite to the dragon king of the sea, a street parade, eel relay races, free seafood tastings and a giant raw-fish bibimbap.

Iced drinks and cake on a café table overlooking Anmok Beach on Gangneung's coffee street

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodGangneungAbout 2 h 5 min from Seoul

Gangneung Coffee Festival

The Gangneung Coffee Festival is a five-day coffee festival on Gangneung Coffee Street at Anmok Beach on Korea's east coast, about two hours from Seoul by KTX. The 18th edition runs 21–25 October 2026, 10:00–20:00 daily.

Gimbap of several kinds in festival trays, with cups of ramyeon, at the 2025 Gimcheon Gimbap Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodGimcheonAbout 2 h from Seoul

Gimcheon Gimbap Festival

The Gimcheon Gimbap Festival (김천김밥축제) is a free food festival devoted to gimbap, held in the parks at the entrance to Jikjisa temple in Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The third edition runs Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, 09:00–18:00 (from 10:00 on Friday), with more than 60 kinds of gimbap and about 80 food, dessert and flea-market vendors; entry is free and you pay for what you eat.

The former Bank of Joseon building in Gunsan's Jangmi-dong, now the Gunsan Modern Architecture Museum, near the festival site

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodGunsanFreeAbout 2 h 54 min from Seoul

Gunsan Jjamppong Festival

The Gunsan Jjamppong Festival (군산짬뽕페스티벌) is a free street-food festival in the old port district of Gunsan, Jeonbuk State, where about 20 booths from local Korean-Chinese restaurants and TV chefs sell the city's spicy jjamppong noodle soup, in half portions so you can try several. The 2026 edition ran 9–11 October around Baengnyeon Plaza in Jangmi-dong, 12:00–22:00, and drew about 80,000 people.

Kimchi on display at the 2009 Gwangju Kimchi Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodGwangjuAbout 2 h 30 min from Seoul

Gwangju World Kimchi Festival

The Gwangju World Kimchi Festival (광주김치축제) is a three-day kimchi festival on the plaza and lawns of Gwangju City Hall, now the Gwangju office of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, held since 1994. The 33rd edition runs 23–25 October 2026, 10:00–20:00 daily, with kimchi-making classes taught by award-winning kimchi masters, a kimchi market and a food zone of kimchi dishes.

An Icheon rice set meal with many side dishes, the local speciality the festival celebrates

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodIcheonAbout 50 min from Seoul

Icheon Rice Cultural Festival

The Icheon Rice Cultural Festival is a five-day harvest festival in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do, south-east of Seoul, built around the town's rice, once a royal tribute. The 25th edition ran 14–18 October 2026 at a new riverside site, Bokhacheon Waterside Park, with shuttles from Icheon Station.

Jeonju bibimbap in a brass bowl with side dishes

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodJeonjuFreeAbout 1 h 40 min from Seoul

Jeonju Bibimbap Festival

The Jeonju Bibimbap Festival is a three- or four-day food festival in Jeonju, the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy 1 h 40 m from Seoul by KTX. The 2026 edition ran 2–4 October at Deokjin Park, a lotus-pond park, after the 2025 edition at the World Cup Stadium; 2027 is expected in October.

Signs for makgeolli houses along one of Jeonju's makgeolli alleys

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodJeonjuFreeAbout 1 h 40 min from Seoul

Jeonju Makgeolli Festival

The Jeonju Makgeolli Festival is a free two-night rice-wine festival in Jeonju, Jeonbuk State, where local breweries and houses from the Samcheon-dong Makgeolli Alley pour Jeonju makgeolli with side dishes, alongside traditional performances and a retro DJ party. The third edition runs Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October 2026 at the main sports ground of Jeonju Vision University, 15:00–22:00 on both days.

A gate on the Mungyeong Saejae pass in spring, in the provincial park that hosts the festival

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodMungyeongAbout 2 h 20 min from Seoul

Mungyeong Yakdol Hanu Festival

The Mungyeong Yakdol Hanu Festival (문경약돌한우축제) is a free three-day beef festival at Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do: you buy the city's Yakdol Hanu beef at 20–33% below market price (2023–2025) and grill it yourself in a grill area that seated 800 people at once in 2025. The 15th edition, 9–11 October 2026, ran as a scaled-down beef market because of a foot-and-mouth outbreak in neighbouring Yecheon; 2027 dates have not been announced, but recent editions fell on a weekend between early October and early November.

The entrance to Wonju Jungang Market (Miro Art Market), one of the traditional markets in the festival area

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodWonju

Wonju Mandu Festival

The Wonju Mandu Festival (원주만두축제) is a three-day dumpling festival in the old downtown of Wonju, Gangwon, spread along the Wonjucheon stream, Culture Street and the Jungang-dong traditional markets. The 4th edition runs Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, 11:00–21:00, with 15 local dumpling makers, a global dumpling zone, free concerts and a fire-drop show over the stream on opening night.

Pine mushrooms (songi) displayed on forest soil at the 2009 Yangyang Pine Mushroom Festival

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodYangyangAbout 2 h 19 min from Seoul

Yangyang Pine Mushroom and Salmon Festival

The Yangyang Pine Mushroom and Salmon Festival (양양송이연어축제) is an autumn harvest festival on the Namdaecheon riverside in Yangyang, on Gangwon's east coast, where you hunt for pine mushrooms (song-i) in a pine forest and catch returning salmon bare-handed in the river. The 2026 edition ran 16–18 October; 2027 dates are not announced, and mid-October is most likely.

A hall at Silleuksa Temple in Yeoju, next to the festival grounds

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodYeojuFreeAbout 1 h 27 min from Seoul

Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival

The Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival (여주오곡나루축제) is a free three-day harvest festival at the Silleuksa temple resort beside the Namhan River in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, built around Yeoju rice and sweet potatoes and the Joseon-era tribute boats that left from the Jopo ferry. The 2026 edition runs 23–25 October, 10:00–21:00, with a tribute parade, cauldron-cooked bibimbap, free roasted sweet potatoes and a different riverside night show each evening, including nakhwa fire-falling on 24 October.

The Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site in Yeoncheon, the festival's venue, in February 2025

Expected

Expected2027

Oct / Nov

usual window

FoodYeoncheonFree

Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival

The Yeoncheon Job's Tears Festival (연천율무축제) is a free three-day farm market built around yulmu, or Job's tears, a grain of which Yeoncheon grows about 60% of Korea's supply. It is held at the Jeongok-ri Prehistoric Site in Jeongok-eup, Yeoncheon, in northern Gyeonggi-do.

Korean ginseng, a local speciality of Punggi in Yeongju

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

usual window

FoodYeongjuAbout 1 h 40 min from Seoul

Yeongju Punggi Ginseng Festival

The Yeongju Punggi Ginseng Festival (영주풍기인삼축제) is a nine-day ginseng market festival on the Namwon-cheon stream and in Punggi Ginseng Park in Punggi-eup, Yeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the town that claims Korea's first cultivated ginseng. The 2026 edition ran 3–11 October, 10:00–20:00, and drew about 511,000 visitors; 2027 dates are not announced, and a Saturday-to-Sunday run in early to mid October is most likely.

Expected

Expected2027

Oct

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FoodYesanFreeAbout 1 h 55 min from Seoul

Yesan Market Samguk Festival

The Yesan Market Samguk Festival (예산장터 삼국축제) is a free four-day food festival in and around Yesan Permanent Market in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, built on three things whose Korean names start with "guk": gukbap (rice soup), guksu (noodles) and gukhwa (chrysanthemums). The 10th edition runs 22–25 October 2026, 10:00–20:00 daily.