Busan Pork and Rice Soup Festival
Oct 16 – Oct 18, 2026 · Busan
Overview
The 2026 Busan Pork and Rice Soup Festival is a participatory food tourism festival built around dwaeji gukbap (pork and rice soup), Busan's signature local dish, created together by citizens and visitors. Through recommendations from citizens and tourists, the festival uncovers Busan's best dwaeji gukbap restaurants, and participants visit the restaurants in person to taste and vote for this year's top Busan dwaeji gukbap. A variety of programs will run, including the 'Gukbap Talk,' a discussion sharing stories about gukbap; the 'Gukbap Week,' visiting gukbap restaurants across Busan; and the 'Gukbap Showcase,' where visitors can taste and enjoy dwaeji gukbap all in one place. Following the flavor of Busan and the stories of its neighborhoods found in a single bowl of dwaeji gukbap, this festival lets visitors travel across the city and experience Busan's food culture in a new way.
Why go
This is a citizen-driven food tourism festival built around dwaeji gukbap (pork and rice soup), Busan's signature local dish. Visitors can join programs like the 'Gukbap Talk,' 'Gukbap Week' (visiting gukbap restaurants across the city), and the 'Gukbap Showcase,' tasting and voting for the year's top bowl alongside locals.
Getting there from Seoul
Take the KTX from Seoul Station (or Yongsan) to Busan Station, a journey of roughly 2.5 to 3 hours. From Busan Station, take a taxi or local public transit to the venue on the 3rd floor of BIFC2, 128 Namdongcheon-ro, Nam-gu (Munhyeon-dong).
Tips
- The festival is built around tasting and voting, so pace yourself across several stalls rather than filling up on one bowl.
- The venue is inside the BIFC2 building in Nam-gu's Munhyeon-dong area, not an open-air market, so look for festival signage once inside the building.
- If you have extra time, use the 'Gukbap Week' theme as inspiration for a self-guided gukbap crawl at restaurants elsewhere in Busan.
Best for: foodies, food tourism, day-trippers, culture seekers.
Other festivals in Busan
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Jeonpo Coffee Festival
Oct 17 – Oct 18, 2026
The Jeonpo Coffee Festival is Busan's first coffee festival, launched to commemorate Jeonpo Cafe Street being selected by The New York Times in 2017 as one of the places you must visit that year. Now in its 10th edition this year, the festival will be held under the theme 'Ten Years of Jeonpo Connected by Coffee' from October 17 to 18 around Jeonpo Cafe Street. Coffee and dessert vendor booths from Jeonpo and the Busan area, along with guest booths featuring baristas invited from overseas, including Japan and Taiwan, will be set up, allowing visitors to experience a variety of coffee flavors and cultures. In addition, coffee-related programs such as hand-drip experiences, master brewing classes, and barista seminars, as well as a range of participatory programs including live performances, an auction event, and a stamp tour, will be offered. Visitors can feel the distinctive alleyway character of Jeonpo, where unique cafes and various shops come together, and enjoy a special festival where coffee, culture, people, and the local commercial district meet.
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Busan Comprehensive Folk Art Festival
Oct 24 – Oct 25, 2026
The 6th Busan Comprehensive Folk Art Festival is a traditional culture festival hosted by Busan Metropolitan City that introduces Busan's intangible heritage and traditional folk culture through performances and hands-on experiences. It will be held from October 24 to 25, 2026, at Dasom Square in Busan Citizens Park for Busan citizens and tourists. The festival's main programs consist of Pungnyu Madang, centered on performances; Somssi Madang, centered on hands-on experiences; and Janchi Madang, centered on participatory programs. Pungnyu Madang is a space hosting the opening ceremony, performances of intangible heritage from Busan and other regions, performances by heritage transmission schools, global performances, special performances, and citizen participation programs. Somssi Madang is a space offering experiences with skill- and art-based intangible heritage, traditional culture-making experiences, traditional food experiences, and cultural heritage care experiences. Janchi Madang is a space offering a traditional games experience zone, the Busan Intangible Heritage Art Fair, a traditional crafts market linked to Hanbok Culture Week, a stamp tour and wish-note writing, and hanbok rental and traditional accessory experiences. Through performance viewing and participatory hands-on experiences, the festival is designed to let visitors encounter Busan's intangible heritage and traditional culture.
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Moonlit Night Exercise Busan Challenge
Sep 19 – Nov 7, 2026
The Moonlit Night Exercise Busan Challenge is a Busan-specific community sports program designed to encourage even citizens who are not accustomed to exercise or have little interest in it to participate in community sports activities in an easy and enjoyable way. Its goals are to expand citizen participation in community sports, promote health, and foster a vibrant nighttime leisure culture. Hosted and organized by the Busan Metropolitan City, this citizen-participation event utilizes outdoor spaces—such as Busan’s iconic parks and waterfront areas—to allow residents to enjoy recreational sports regularly every week under the moonlight on autumn nights.
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Dates and programs can change. Check the official site before you go. Official site