At a glance
| Dates | Expected Oct/Nov 2027Late October 2027, four or five days including a weekend. The 2026 dates were announced with the official poster on 8 July 2026. |
|---|---|
| Next edition | 2027: Late October 2027, four or five days including a weekend. The 2026 dates were announced with the official poster on 8 July 2026. |
| Weather | October average 20/12 °C (69/53 °F), 114 mm of rain November average 14/6 °C (57/42 °F), 81 mm of rainMild days, cold evenings: a jacket for after dark. Monthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Gangneung station. |
| Admission | Free to enter; individual tastings, classes, market purchases and some programs are charged (KTO: 'some fees apply').General admission: Free · Global coffee lounge (1 hour): ₩20,000 (2026 prices) |
| Venue | Gangneung Coffee Street (Anmok Beach)강원특별자치도 강릉시 창해로14번길 20-1 (견소동) |
| Nearest station | Gangneung Station (강릉역), KTX Gyeonggang Line (Seoul–Gangneung)Not within walking distance; the free festival loop shuttle starts at the station (10:00–20:00 daily), or take a taxi or city bus to Coffee Street |
| From Seoul | about 2 h 5 min · KTX + TaxiLeave from Seoul Station · One-way fare from ₩27,600 · Back to Seoul the same nightFull route · Festivals by travel time from Seoul |
| Organizer | Gangneung Cultural Foundation (hosts: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Gangwon State; Gangneung City)(재)강릉문화재단 (주최: 문화체육관광부·강원특별자치도·강릉시) |
| Usual timing | Four or five days in late October (24–27 Oct 2024, 30 Oct–2 Nov 2025, 21–25 Oct 2026). The dates and poster are released in early July. Browse October / November festivals. |
| First held | 2009 |
| Last checked | 19 October 2026Checked against 21 sources · See sources |
What it is like
Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon province two hours east of Seoul by KTX, has called itself Korea's coffee city since the 1980s, when a row of coffee vending machines on Anmok Beach became a local habit and self-roasting cafés followed. The city started the festival in 2009; the Gangneung Cultural Foundation now runs it with the Ministry of Culture, Gangwon State and the city as hosts, and the 2026 edition is timed to overlap with the ITS World Congress being held in Gangneung.
The main venue is Gangneung Coffee Street, the café-lined road along Anmok Beach, which is closed to cars during the festival. Booths from local roasters pour free tastings, 100 baristas each brew their own cup in the '100 Baristas 100 Flavors' event, and a coffee market (about 120 stalls in 2026) and craft market line the street. After dark the program moves onto the sand: 'A Starry Night' pairs coffee with music, and in 2026 there is a single fireworks show, on Saturday 24 October at 20:00 (2025 had two). Smaller 'our neighbourhood' events spread across the city to Jumunjin, Jungang Market, Ojukheon and Okgye, tied together by a stamp rally.
Expect queues at the free tasting booths from the first morning and busy weekends; the sea wind makes evenings cold. Most class and tasting fees were still unpublished in mid-October 2026 (the one-hour global coffee lounge costs ₩20,000), and the official website is Korean-only, so plan to pay as you go rather than book ahead. For 2026 the city planned English, Chinese and Japanese leaflets and interpreters on site.
Highlights
- '100 Baristas 100 Flavors' (100인 100미): 100 baristas each brew their own coffee on Coffee Street
- 'Byeol-ui-byeol Gangneung Coffee': free tasting booths from local roasters (Bohemian, Gallery Bobs, Mother Coffee and others in 2025)
- 'A Starry Night' evening program on the Anmok Beach sand with music and coffee, plus one fireworks show on Saturday 24 October 2026 at 20:00
- Coffee market with about 120 coffee booths and 40 craft booths (2026 plan)
- Mobile stamp rally and 'welcome coffee shop' network across the city, plus sub-events in Jumunjin, Jungang Market, Ojukheon and Okgye (2026)
- Free loop shuttle every 15 minutes, 10:00–20:00, from Gangneung Station via city hubs and 13 parking lots to Coffee Street (2026)
Who it suits. Best for coffee drinkers, day-trippers from Seoul and anyone combining the east-coast beaches with a city walk; less suited to visitors who want a single ticketed show, because the festival is a spread-out street-and-beach event with programs announced late and mostly in Korean.
Getting there
From Seoul
KTX from Seoul Station to Gangneung Station, 1 h 54 m–2 h 15 m, from ₩27,600 one way, about 14 trains a day (October 2026 timetable). From the station take the free festival loop shuttle, which starts at Gangneung Station, or a taxi or a city bus toward Anmok to Coffee Street.
From Incheon Airport
AREX to Seoul Station (about 1 hour), then KTX to Gangneung (about 2 hours), then taxi, bus or festival shuttle to Coffee Street.
Last leg from Gangneung Station
KTX Gyeonggang Line (Seoul–Gangneung). Not within walking distance; the free festival loop shuttle starts at the station (10:00–20:00 daily), or take a taxi or city bus to Coffee Street
Festival shuttle
Free loop shuttle, five buses every 15 minutes, 10:00–20:00 daily on 21–25 Oct 2026. It starts at Gangneung Station and runs via Gangneung Sports Complex, Gangneung Convention Center and the Gangneung Green City Experience Center (E-zen) to the Coffee Street venue, linking 13 parking lots and city hubs (Gangneung City notice, 13 Oct 2026; Financial News, 14 Oct 2026).
Getting home
The last KTX-Eum from Gangneung to Seoul Station and Cheongnyangni on the festival dates was not checked against Korail's own timetable: check the last train in the Korail+ app (코레일+) or at Gangneung Station before you go, and book the return ahead. Listed hours end at 20:00; the single fireworks show is on Saturday 24 October at 20:00, and other evening beach program times were not published by 19 October. The free shuttle stops at 20:00, so after the fireworks or the evening program allow time for a taxi back to the station.
Parking
13 designated parking lots near the venue and city hubs, linked by the free shuttle. The Coffee Street seafront section is closed to vehicles 21 Oct 08:00–25 Oct 21:00 and the Songjeong-dong section from 19 Oct 05:00 to 26 Oct 18:00.
How to switch Naver Map and Kakao Map to English
Google Maps shows train, subway and bus routes in Korea but not walking or driving directions yet, so for the walk from the station Naver Map or Kakao Map is more reliable.
Before you go
1330 · Travel hotline
The Korea Tourism Organization’s helpline answers in English, Japanese and Chinese around the clock, and in several other languages from 08:00 to 19:00. Dial 1330 from a Korean phone, or +82-2-1330 from a phone registered abroad.
112 / 119 · Emergencies
112 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free from any phone. Police on 112 can add an English or Chinese interpreter to the call.
T-money card
Buy one at a convenience store such as GS25, CU or 7-Eleven and top it up there with cash. It pays for subways and buses in most cities, and for most taxis.
Maps
Use Naver Map or Kakao Map for walking and bus directions; Google Maps does not yet give walking directions in Korea. Both apps can be switched to English. Naver Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → Language (Japanese and Chinese also available). Kakao Map: Menu (≡) → Settings → App settings → Language. If the option is missing, change your phone’s language and reopen the app. Small shop names and some reviews stay in Korean.
Trains and buses
Book trains on Korail’s English site and express buses on Kobus. Holiday weekends sell out first.
Checked 18 October 2026.
Tickets, prices and practical details
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | Free | KTO lists 'some fees apply' for individual programs |
| Global coffee lounge (1 hour) | ₩20,000 | Per person; 14:00 daily except Saturday 24 Oct, 30 people per session; advance or on-site registration |
| Classes, tastings, Coffee Wave yacht, market purchases | — | Prices not published as of 19 Oct 2026 |
- Booking
- No ticket is needed to attend. The global coffee lounge (₩20,000 per person) takes advance and on-site registration. Participation programs such as 100 Baristas 100 Flavors (participants recruited 18 Sep–11 Oct 2026) and vendor spots are applied for through the official site coffeefestival.net, which is Korean-only and requires member sign-up. Festival office: 033-647-6802.
- English on site
- For 2026 the city planned English, Chinese and Japanese leaflets, an English site map and interpreters on site, timed with the ITS World Congress; the official site is Korean-only, but KTO publishes an English page.
- Crowds
- Busy from early morning on the first day in 2025, with long queues at the free tasting booths; weekends heavier than weekdays.
- Best time to go
- Wednesday to Friday daytime for shorter queues; Saturday 24 October for the fireworks at 20:00; late afternoon into the evening for the beach program.
- What to bring
- A card or cash for café purchases, a reusable cup (the 2026 festival expands reusable containers), and warm layers for the beach after dark.
Editions
| Year | Dates | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Late October 2027, four or five days including a weekend. The 2026 dates were announced with the official poster on 8 July 2026. | expected | Not announced as of 16 October 2026. |
| 2026 | 21–25 Oct 2026 | ended | Expanded beyond Coffee Street to Jumunjin, Jungang Market, Ojukheon and Okgye |
| 2025 | 30 Oct – 2 Nov 2025 | ended | 17th edition, four days, Coffee Street area; crowded from early morning on day one. |
| 2024 | 24–27 Oct 2024 | ended | 16th edition at Anmok Coffee Street. |
Before or after the festival
Places you can fit in before or after the festival without missing the shuttle or the last train or bus back.
The early-Joseon house where the scholar Yi I (Yulgok) was born, a designated Treasure for its architecture, with the Gangneung City Museum of local folk collections in the same grounds. Go in the morning before heading to Coffee Street: it opens at 09:00 and sells tickets until 17:00 (adult ₩3,000). It is also one of the festival's 2026 'our neighbourhood' venues, so start the mobile stamp rally here.
Getting there: Taxi or city bus from Gangneung Station or the town centre (not on the festival shuttle); check the route in Kakao Map before you go
- Solbaram Bridge (솔바람다리)Before or after
A 197 m footbridge for walkers and cyclists, about three storeys high, across the stream mouth at Gangneung Port between Anmok and Namhangjin Beach, lit up at night. Walk over at dusk between the coffee stalls and the evening beach programme, or before taking a taxi to the station once the shuttle stops at 20:00; it is open at all hours and free. Tip: there are no toilets on the bridge; use the ones at Anmok Beach or Namhangjin.
Getting there: On foot from the south end of Coffee Street past Gangneung Port, about 30 minutes in one walker's log; free
Gangneung's central traditional market (seafood, clothing, hanbok) beside Wolhwa-geori, a park walk on the old railway line that runs from Gangneung Station to the Namdaecheon stream; it is also a 2026 coffee-festival venue. Eat here on the way back and walk on to the station for the train (check the last train in the Korail+ app first); hours and closing days vary by stall. Tip: on 23–25 October the Gangwon Handon Festa pork festival also runs on Wolhwa-geori, 10:00–17:00.
Getting there: Taxi or city bus from Coffee Street (the festival shuttle does not stop there); from Gangneung Station, on foot along Wolhwa-geori
Questions travelers ask
When is the Gangneung Coffee Festival 2026?
21–25 October 2026 (Wednesday to Sunday), 10:00–20:00 daily, on Gangneung Coffee Street at Anmok Beach, with smaller programs across the city.
Is the Gangneung Coffee Festival free?
Entry is free and local roasters run free tasting booths, but the Korea Tourism Organization lists it as 'some fees apply': classes, market purchases and some programs are paid. By 19 October the only published fee was ₩20,000 for the one-hour global coffee lounge.
How do I get from Seoul to the Gangneung Coffee Festival?
KTX from Seoul Station to Gangneung Station takes about 1 h 54 m–2 h 15 m and costs from ₩27,600 (14 trains a day in October 2026). From the station, take the free festival loop shuttle (it starts at Gangneung Station), a taxi or a city bus to Coffee Street.
Is there a festival shuttle bus?
Yes. In 2026 a free loop shuttle (five buses every 15 minutes, 10:00–20:00) starts at Gangneung Station and runs via Gangneung Sports Complex, Gangneung Convention Center and the Green City Experience Center (E-zen) to Coffee Street, linking 13 parking lots.
Where is Gangneung Coffee Street?
At 20-1 Changhae-ro 14beon-gil, Gyeonso-dong, along Anmok Beach next to Gangneung Port. During the festival the seafront section from the Anmok Traveler's Center to the Anmok restroom intersection is closed to cars (21 Oct 08:00–25 Oct 21:00).
What happens in the evening?
'A Starry Night' brings coffee and music onto the Anmok Beach sand after dark, and in 2026 there is one fireworks show, on Saturday 24 October at 20:00 (2025 had two). Start times for the other evening programs had not been published by 19 October.
What is the '100 Baristas 100 Flavors' event?
One hundred baristas each brew coffee their own way on Coffee Street so visitors can taste a hundred different cups; participants for 2026 were recruited from 18 September to 11 October.
What is the weather like during Gangneung Coffee Festival?
October in Gangneung: average high 20 °C (69 °F), low 12 °C (53 °F), 114 mm of rain (Gangneung station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). November in Gangneung: average high 14 °C (57 °F), low 6 °C (42 °F), 81 mm of rain (Gangneung station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Mild days, cold evenings: a jacket for after dark.
Sources and verification
Facts checked
19 October 2026, against the sources listed below.
This page is desk research from the sources below, not a firsthand report of the 2027 edition. Confidence in the current facts: medium.
- Gangneung Coffee Festival — official siteofficial — 18th edition, dates 21–25 Oct 2026, venue address, phone, host logos, traffic-control and program notices
- KTO English listing: Gangneung Coffee Festivalkto — Dates, hours 10:00–20:00, 'some fees apply', organizer and hosts, program names, began 2009
- ktriptips (KTO data mirror) — 강릉커피축제kto — KTO data, last modified 16 Oct 2026: 21–25 Oct 2026, 10:00–20:00, some programmes paid (일부 유료), Coffee Street and citywide, programme list including fireworks (불꽃놀이), contact 033-647-6802
- KTO tourist-spot listing (ktriptips mirror): Gangneung Coffee Streetkto — Address, map coordinates 37.7726/128.9473, Anmok history since the 1980s
- MTN News, 4 Aug 2026: progress briefingnews — Sub-venues Jumunjin/Jungang Market/Ojukheon/Okgye, ITS link, stamp rally, slogan
- MTN News, 13 Oct 2026: festival traffic plannews — Road closures with times (Songjeong-dong 19 Oct 05:00–26 Oct 18:00; Anmok 21 Oct 08:00–25 Oct 21:00), 13 parking lots, free loop shuttle with 5 buses every 15 min 10:00–20:00
- Financial News, 8 Oct 2026news — Hours 10:00–20:00, 23 programs, named programs, beach evening venue, hosts/operator
- Financial News, 14 Oct 2026: 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival programmenews — Hours 10:00–20:00; one fireworks show, 24 Oct 20:00 (two in 2025); global coffee lounge 21–25 Oct except Sat, 14:00 for 1 hour, 30 per session, ₩20,000, advance and on-site entry; 5 shuttles from Gangneung Station via 종합운동장, 강릉컨벤션센터, E-zen; citywide receipt event, ₩50,000 (was ₩30,000); EN/ZH/JA leaflets, English map, interpreters; Coffee Wave yacht
- Financial News, 28 Jul 2026: vendor recruitmentnews — About 160 vendors (120 coffee, 40 craft), organizer
- Nocut News, 7 Oct 2026news — Multilingual guidance plan, ITS World Congress link
- Kuki News, 30 Oct 2025: 17th festival opensnews — 2025 dates (opened 30 Oct, four days), program times, tasting booths
- Seoul Shinmun, 20 Oct 2024: 16th festivalnews — 2024 dates 24–27 Oct, program, yacht fare
- Korean Wikipedia: 강릉커피축제other — First held 2009; early venues
- travelmapjourney: 강릉커피축제 2026blog — Program list, 100인 100미 recruitment dates, fee status, Commons photo credit (Altostratus)
- koreacharts: Gangneung–Seoul train timetableother — KTX 1 h 54 m–2 h 15 m, from ₩27,600, 14 trains a day
- KTO tourist data — 솔바람다리 (ktriptips mirror)kto — Solbaram Bridge: pedestrian and cycle bridge completed April 2010, 197 m, about three storeys high, connects Namhangjin and Anmok, lit at night; open at all times, year-round; no toilets on the bridge (use Anmok Beach or Namhangjin); modified 5 Jun 2026
- News Seoul: 해파랑길 강릉구간 트레킹 5부…39코스news — Solbaram Bridge links Namhangjin Beach with the Gangneung Port side, at the mouth of the Namdaecheon and Seomseokcheon; walker's log Solbaram Bridge 09:08 → Gangneung Port 09:34 → Anmok Beach 09:40
- KTO cultural facility data — 강릉시 오죽헌/시립박물관 (ktriptips mirror)kto — Ojukheon: birthplace of Yi I (Yulgok), designated Treasure for its early-Joseon architecture, with the Gangneung City Museum; open 09:00–18:00, tickets sold until 17:00; adult ₩3,000; open year-round; modified 18 Mar 2026
- MTN News, 29 Sep 2026: '여행가는 달' 10월…강릉은 국수·커피, 동해는 인증샷news — Wolhwa-geori is a walking trail on the former railway line from Gangneung Station to the Namdaecheon stream; food course linking Wolhwa-geori, Jungang Market and Anmok Coffee Street; Coffee Festival 21–25 Oct 2026
- travelmapjourney: 강릉시장, 중앙시장·주문진 선택 (14 Oct 2026)blog — Jungang Market's main goods (fresh and dried seafood, clothing, hanbok, sundries) per the official guide; opening hours and closing days vary by stall
- KTO TourAPI listing 강원한돈페스타 (contentId 4127769)kto — Gangwon Handon Festa 23–25 Oct 2026, 10:00–17:00, free, on Wolhwa-geori in central Gangneung; pork discount sales, free tastings, food programmes, performances
What we could not confirm
- Day-by-day program times for 2026 other than the fireworks (24 Oct 20:00) and the global coffee lounge (14:00), including when 'A Starry Night' starts and where the fireworks are launched
- Prices for classes, tastings, the Coffee Wave yacht and the market in 2026 (only the ₩20,000 global coffee lounge fee was published by 19 Oct)
- City bus numbers from Gangneung Station to Anmok/Coffee Street, and the exact shuttle stops and journey time from the station
- Travel from Busan (a Donghae Line service Bujeon–Gangneung exists but was not verified here)
- Walking time from Coffee Street to Solbaram Bridge (only one walker's log was found) and whether the scenic-road construction near Gangneung Port noted by the city on 13 Oct 2026 affects the footpath
- Taxi or bus time from Coffee Street or Gangneung Station to Ojukheon and to Jungang Market
- Last train back on the festival date under the timetable in force that day
Changes: 2026-10-16 — Full fact-first rewrite: hours, prices, stations, 2024–2027 editions, FAQs and sources. · 2026-10-16 — Rechecked against timetables, fare tables and organizer notices: conflicting figures and claims. · 2026-10-18 — Added a photograph of the venue from the Korea Tourism Organization (Korea Tourism Content Lab), KOGL Type 1. · 2026-10-19 — Rechecked before the 2026 edition: fireworks set for 24 Oct 20:00 (one show), global coffee lounge fee and times, shuttle starts at Gangneung Station, multilingual leaflets and interpreters. · 2026-10-22 — Nearby rewritten as 'Before or after the festival' (shuttle and last-train fit); transport: removed the KTX last-train clock time (only a third-party timetable supported it), visitors told to check the last train in the Korail+ app; shuttle 10:00–20:00 kept from the city's 13 Oct notice; prices: none changed.
