Chuncheon Mini Sool Festa

2 minutes from Chuncheon Station, a pre-festival taste of the "City of Alcohol" beside Uiam Lake

If you only knew Chuncheon as the "city of dakgalbi and makguksu," this festival will change your mind. The "Chuncheon Mini Sool Festa" I visited is a pre-event held in June ahead of the main September event, the "Chuncheon Sool Festa." In 2026, it runs for two days from June 19 to 20 at "Hwadong2571," a food-themed complex cultural space right next to Chuncheon Station. The main Chuncheon Sool Festa began in 2021 and draws more than 10,000 people every year; this mini version compresses that atmosphere into a smaller scale so you can enjoy it in advance.

The core idea is simple. Local breweries that make alcohol in Chuncheon gather in one place to offer tastings of their drinks and sell bottled liquor. Chuncheon has an impressively broad spectrum, from traditional drinks like makgeolli and yakju to distilled soju, spirits like gin and brandy, beer, wine, and even mead made with honey. Breweries with distinctive names such as Potato Island, Lake Brewery, Soyang Brewery, Arts, Mideribongja, and Distiller & Brewer set up their own booths. As you taste one drink after another and walk across the grassy plaza along Uiam Lake, you come to understand in your body why this is called the "City of Alcohol."

A full day even for a solo foreign traveler — how to get there and how to enjoy it

The first thing to feel reassured about is transportation. Hwadong2571 is just a 2-minute walk from Exit 2 of Chuncheon Station, where ITX-Cheongchun and the Gyeongchun Line stop. If you take the Gyeongchun Line subway or ITX-Cheongchun from Sangbong Station in Seoul, you can go straight to Chuncheon Station. One of the festival's biggest advantages is that there is almost no need to worry about getting lost, so even if your Korean is limited, you can just get off at the station and walk along with the crowd. However, the Gyeongchun Line runs relatively infrequently, so if you miss a train, you may have to wait 20 to 30 minutes. It is a good idea to check your return train time before you leave. If you plan to stay until night, save the last train time on your phone.

If you want to drink on site, adult verification is required. Based on the main event, you need an adult verification wristband for alcohol experiences, while entry and performance viewing are open to all ages, so many families come as well. Be sure to bring your passport — for foreigners, a passport is the most reliable way to verify age. Tastings are generally small samples, and if you find something you like, you can buy a bottle at the booth. Payment methods may vary by booth, so it is more comfortable to bring a card and a bit of cash.

You also do not need to worry about snacks. "Kitchen2571" inside Hwadong2571 and the local F&B booths work together to pair Chuncheon-grown ingredients with alcohol. This is not just a place to drink; the program is packed with the main stage busking performance "Juhyang Stage," "Fermentation Yoga," which combines yoga and tastings, the traditional liquor lecture "Brewery Salon," "Drunken Bookshelf," which links books and alcohol, "Movie Drink Salon" with films on the side, and the media art exhibition "The Drinking Museum." It is hard to say that English interpretation is provided at all times, but tastings, purchases, and performance viewing do not require much speaking, so you can enjoy it just fine by reading the atmosphere. A simple hand gesture like "one drink, please" will get the message across.

The Drinking Museum and Fermentation Yoga — why this is more than a simple tasting event

The real reason I love this festival is the combination of "alcohol + culture." From reviews of the main event, it feels less like a simple tasting session and more like a playground where performances and hands-on experiences come together. The mini festa follows that same spirit, with busking, exhibitions, and lectures all flowing at the same time around the Hwadong2571 plaza and kitchen area. In the daytime, you can loosen up with fermentation yoga, learn the background of a drink by hearing a brewery representative speak at Brewery Salon, and as the sun begins to set, wander between stage busking and media art. Even if you are not much of a drinker, the atmosphere alone can easily take up half a day.

The flea market is also worth mentioning. There are goods and food made by local creators, and it feels natural to buy a bottle from a brewery and browse the market. Each booth has its own small events or goods, so you will likely end up carrying something in your hands.

Things to know before you go so you will be less flustered

To be honest, online information for this festival is a bit weak. Even for the main event, there were reviews saying that detailed schedules were announced late or that information was insufficient. So instead of trying to fully memorize the booth lineup and timetable, it is more comfortable to check Hwadong2571's Instagram (@hwadong_2571) once and then enjoy the rest as something you discover on site. Be sure to confirm the exact operating hours and program for the day through the official channel before you leave.

• Passport — needed for adult verification when tasting or buying alcohol
• Card + a bit of cash — payment methods may differ by booth
• Comfortable shoes and a light outer layer — mostly outdoors on a grassy plaza, and June evenings by the river are cool
• Your return Gyeongchun Line/ITX train time — check in advance because the trains run infrequently

The June event has a strong outdoor component, so it is affected by the weather. If rain is expected, bring an umbrella or raincoat, and since the midday sun can be strong, a hat is helpful too. Toilets and rest areas are available inside the Hwadong2571 facilities, so it is not especially inconvenient.

In short, this is the perfect festival for travelers who want to taste the broad world of Korean traditional liquor without any burden, especially right in front of a train station. Even if you do not drink, there is enough to enjoy just from the performances and exhibitions, so consider slipping it into your Chuncheon day-trip course. That half-day spent comparing unfamiliar brewery drinks one by one while feeling the breeze from Uiam Lake will stay in your memory longer than you might expect.