| Dates | 23–25 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 10:00–20:00 daily (KTO); Kimchi Party 18:30–20:00 on 23 and 24 October |
| Venue | Gwangju City Hall plaza (Gwangju office of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City)광주광역시 서구 내방로 111 (치평동) |
| Admission | Entry: Free |
| Previous edition | 2025: 31 Oct – 2 Nov 2025 |
| Next edition | 2027: Three or four days between mid-October and early November 2027, if the pattern of 2023–2026 holds (3–6 Nov 2023, 18–20 Oct 2024, 31 Oct–2 Nov 2025, 23–25 Oct 2026); 2027 dates not announced as of 18 October 2026. |
Program
- Daily 10:00–20:00"table for a thousand" (천인의 밥상) kimchi food zone with food shows and performances, outdoor music plaza
- Fri 23 Oct 14:00–15:00opening show by the Gwangju City Opera on the main outdoor stage
- Daily 11:00–12:00Kimchi Experience School, one 60-minute session a day booked in advance on Naver, in the plaza in front of the city council building; a different presidential-award kimchi master each day (23 Oct white kimchi with deodeok, 24 Oct kohlrabi kimchi and ogeurakji, 25 Oct whole-wheat seokbakji)
- Daily 13:30–18:00"My first kimchi" class, five 30-minute sessions a day; mix 1 kg of kimchi and take it home in the container provided
- Sat 24 Oct 15:00Master Live Show by a presidential-award kimchi master on the main stage
- Fri 23 and Sat 24 Oct 18:30–20:00: Kimchi Party on the main stage ("RED NIGHT" with opera and cocktails; "K-HEUNG NIGHT" with traditional performance and orchestra); gifts for guests who follow the dress code
- Daily 10:00–19:00 on the City Hall lawn: Kimjang Arcade games (free, walk-in) and the Global Kimchi Lounge (tastings, pickling cultures of the world)
- Daily 16:00–17:00Kimjang Sports Day mini-games with prizes
- Kimchi MarketHACCP- and traditional-food-certified makers and kimchi masters selling at 10–30% off; new for 2026, the '오늘만 사는 김치' line-up, a random pack mixing six vendors' kimchi, a kimchi goods pop-up, online ordering with nationwide delivery and a farm and fishery market for kimchi ingredients
- Pop-up exhibition on the history of kimchi and award-winning kimchi on the first floor of City Hall
- Also listed by KTOKimchi Market, Korea Kimchi Competition, Kimchi Master Class, salt experience hall and an urban farmers' festival
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Free | |
| Kimchi Experience School | — | Paid (KTO); advance booking on Naver; the fee was not published in the sources opened |
| Kimchi dishes in the 천인의 밥상 food zone | — | About ₩6,000–16,000 per dish in 2024; 2026 prices not published |
Notes on the 2026 edition
33rd edition, theme "압도하라! 김치파티" (Overwhelm! Kimchi Party). Dates, hours, venue and fees are from the KTO and culture ministry listings; the Kimchi Party at 18:30 on 23 and 24 October, the 10 restaurants in the 천인의 밥상 zone, the road closure and free weekend parking are from news reports of 19 October 2026; other programme times are from a festival guide based on the official site. Festival office 062-613-3955.
About the 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. Entry is free; only the Kimchi Experience School is paid and booked in advance. From Seoul, take the KTX to Gwangju Songjeong (about 2 hours, ₩42,000 from Yongsan), then Gwangju Metro Line 1 to Sangmu Station.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Gwangju World Kimchi Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
22 October 2026, against the sources listed below.