| Dates | 25–26 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|
| Hours | Not confirmed in 2025 sources; KTO's Chinese listing, which says it shows 2025 content, gives 10:00–17:00 |
| Venue | Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and Eco-friendly Ecological Park (Jikjisa temple area)경상북도 김천시 대항면 직지사길 118 |
| Admission | Entry: Free · Korail festival package: food vouchers: ₩15,000 |
| Previous edition | 2024: 26–27 Oct 2024 |
| Next edition | 2026: 23–25 Oct 2026 |
Program
- Three zones named after gimbap fillings: Mujiring (pickled radish), Oing (cucumber) and Hamjji (ham), each with gimbap sales, hands-on booths, performances and a flea market
- More than 50 kinds of gimbap from 32 vendors (8 in 2024); an on-site factory line by Daejeong making more than 1,000 rolls an hour; a snack gimbap made with Gimgane
- First public sale of the Cook King contest winner, run with CU convenience stores: walnut-mayo spicy pork gimbap (호두마요제육김밥)
- Kiosk payment at each booth and a large screen showing remaining gimbap in real time
- Gimbap-themed contest, children's air bounce and a gimbap maze; no opening ceremony
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | |
| Gimbap | — | Prices not found; booths limited sales to 4 rolls per person |
| Korail festival package: food vouchers | ₩15,000 | One-way train ticket to Gimcheon(Gumi) or Gimcheon Station at up to 40% off, plus three ₩5,000 vouchers whose cost the city refunded |
Notes on the 2025 edition
2nd edition. About 150,000 visitors over two days (more than 80,000 on day one), in a city of about 134,500; 70.5% came from outside Gimcheon. More than 100,000 rolls were prepared, but some booths sold out before noon on day one, and waits of up to 3 hours for gimbap and 1–2 hours for shuttles were reported. Budget about ₩600 million, four times 2024. One report counts 34 gimbap vendors.
About the 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. From Seoul, take the KTX to Gimcheon(Gumi) Station (about 1 h 30 m, ₩31,900) and a festival shuttle bus, and arrive early: about 150,000 people came over two days in 2025 and popular rolls sold out.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Gimcheon Gimbap Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
22 October 2026, against the sources listed below.