Goesan Gimjang Festival
Nov 5 – Nov 8, 2026 · Chungcheongbuk-do
Overview
The Goesan Gimjang Festival celebrates the Korean cultural tradition of preparing kimchi as a community, using fresh, local produce. The festival is a one-stop experience for making this essential Korean food item.
Why go
The Goesan Gimjang Festival turns the Korean autumn tradition of kimjang (community kimchi-making) into a hands-on visitor experience, using fresh produce grown locally in Chungcheongbuk-do. It's a good pick for travelers wanting an authentic, participatory food-culture event rather than just a market or performance.
Getting there from Seoul
Goesan has no KTX or ITX station of its own, so the most direct option from Seoul is an intercity/express bus from a terminal such as Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Goesan Bus Terminal, which takes a couple of hours. From the Goesan terminal, Goesan Expo Square Area and the festival venue are a short taxi or local bus ride away.
Tips
- General admission is free, but kimchi-making and other hands-on experiences carry a separate fee, so budget extra for those.
- The festival runs 10:00-20:00 daily from November 5-8, 2026; dress warmly since early November evenings in inland Chungbuk can be cold.
- Goesan is known for its agriculture, so it's a good chance to buy fresh napa cabbage, chili paste, and other seasonal local produce directly from growers.
Best for: food lovers, cultural travelers, families, photographers.
Photos
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization 
Photo: Korea Tourism Organization
Other festivals in Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungcheongbuk-do
Goesan Kimjang Festival
Nov 5 – Nov 8, 2026
The 2026 Goesan Kimjang Festival is a kimchi-making culture festival held over four days from November 5 to 8, 2026, around the Organic Expo Plaza and Goesan Sports Complex in Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. Using local produce such as cabbage and Cheonggyeol peppers grown in Goesan as kimjang ingredients, the festival lets participants make kimchi themselves. The signature programs are 'One-Stop Kimjang Making,' in which participants mix kimchi using pre-reserved salted cabbage and fillings at the Organic Expo Plaza and take it home, and 'Drive-Through Kimjang,' in which participants park their cars at individual booths within Goesan Sports Complex, make kimchi, and load the finished kimchi into their vehicles. The festival also features the 'Children and Teen Kimjang Experience,' where children and teenagers make kimjang kimchi themselves, the 'Kimjang Master's Workshop' featuring kimjang masters, and the 'World Kimchi Tasting,' where visitors can sample kimchi from various countries. In addition, major events include the K-Red Food Street, the Grilling Zone, and the Korea Kimjang Competition. Separate from the festival venue, the 'Village Kimjang Experience,' in which kimchi is made directly in villages throughout the Goesan area, also takes place over the course of November.
Chungcheongbuk-do
Chungbuk Goesan Space Special City: All-Star Exploration Squad
Apr 30 – Dec 6, 2026
The Chungbuk Goesan Space Special City: All-Star Exploration Squad exhibition is a hands-on exhibition that explores new possibilities for fruits and plants based on an imagined environment called 'space ecology.' Through a variety of experiences involving seeing, touching, and moving, children can ask questions, imagine, and create their own stories. Guardians can become guides who join in the child's exploration, sharing questions and experiencing the exhibition more deeply.
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Mungyeong Apple Festival
Oct 17 – Nov 1, 2026
Mungyeong is a mid-mountain region, and apples grown there in fertile soil and a pristine natural environment with a wide day-night temperature gap have firm flesh, a deep aroma, and high sweetness, earning them a reputation as 'honey apples.' Mungyeong apple farmers have a strong passion for producing high-quality apples, completing technical training to grow delicious and safe apples, and take pride in being 'good farmers' who put consumers first. The Mungyeong Apple Festival is a bountiful festival centered on the premium, nationally representative Mungyeong Gamhong apple, which boasts the best taste and aroma in the country with an average sweetness of 16.5 Brix. The festival holds event programs as well as promotional and sales events to widely publicize the excellence of Mungyeong Gamhong apples to consumers, and operates an online store to give consumers who cannot visit the festival site in person the chance to purchase Mungyeong apples — making it a festival ground where all visitors can be satisfied and enjoy themselves.
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Dates and programs can change. Check the official site before you go. Official site