Gimcheon Gimbap Festival

October 23–25, 2026: Gimbap Heaven Gimcheon at 1189-52 Hwangak-ro

The 2026 Gimcheon Gimbap Festival is scheduled to take place for three days, from October 23 to 25, at 1189-52 Hwangak-ro, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Admission is free. The festival inquiry phone number was listed as 053-965-0910. According to Korea Travel Guide: Gimcheon Gimbap Festival, the detailed 2026 program is still being updated, so the 2025 schedule below is best used as a preview of the festival’s character.

Gimbap is not Gimcheon’s signature specialty, but the event began by turning the witty image of “Gimbap Heaven Gimcheon” into a food festival. In 2025, it was held on October 25–26 around Jikji Culture Park and Samyeongdaesa Park, divided into three areas: Mujiring Zone, referring to pickled radish; Oing Zone, referring to cucumber; and Hamjji Zone, referring to ham. In 2025, the number of gimbap vendors increased to 32, with about 50 varieties prepared. Kiosks at each booth and real-time quantity display boards were also operated. Thanks to the operating details described in the Yonhap News advance article, the yellow booths and autumn mountain scenery in the photos felt more like a large outdoor picnic than a simple food market.

• The 2025 main stage included the celebratory performance Gimbap Playlist and Kkodal’s first-birthday ceremony.
• Side-event areas in 2025 featured a Gimbap Maze Escape and a Gimbap Air Bounce.
• Participation areas in 2025 included local and regular gimbap sales booths, Make Your Own Gimbap, Friendly Bunsik, and a flea market.
• Experience booths in 2025 offered gimbap character making and a gimbap board game.

From Gimcheon Station and the KTX Station to Jikji Culture Park: Five shuttle boarding points in 2025

Rather than thinking of this as a festival reached on foot from a subway exit, it is more convenient to plan around connections between railway stations and shuttle buses. In 2025, shuttles transported visitors to the venue from five locations: Gimcheon Sports Town, Green Future Science Museum, the KTX Station, Gimcheon City Hall, and Gimcheon Station. Based on the 2025 travel example in the Yonhap News on-site article, the most practical route was to go directly to the shuttle boarding area after arriving at Gimcheon Station or KTX Gimcheon Station.

For those driving, it is worth noting that 50 shuttle buses and parking for 6,600 vehicles were prepared in 2025. However, since large crowds also gathered in 2025, it felt less stressful to use designated parking and shuttles rather than driving as close to the parking area as possible. Maeil Shinmun’s on-site report stated that 80,000 people visited on the first day and 70,000 on the second day in 2025.

Admission is also free in 2026. However, the public information does not specify whether gimbap sales booths accept cash, cards, or mobile payments, so it is best to bring both a card and some small-denomination cash if you plan to buy food or flea-market items. Information about English guidance, foreign-language signs, and interpretation services has also not yet been provided. Saving “Gimcheon Gimbap Festival,” “shuttle bus,” and “restroom” in a translation app may therefore be helpful at the venue.

• In 2025, in addition to gimbap vendors, a total of 52 teams were selected, including seven Friendly teams selling bunsik other than gimbap and 30 flea-market teams. The Yonhap News article recruiting participating businesses suggests that it was easy to combine dining and browsing for small goods in one route.
• Because this is an outdoor park-style event, comfortable sneakers, a light outer layer, wet wipes, and a foldable reusable shopping bag are recommended.
• Official travel information also introduces the Gimcheon Green Future Science Museum and Gimcheon Mulsori Ecological Forest as places to visit alongside the festival, making it easy to continue exploring Gimcheon’s other scenery after eating gimbap.

Remember the 2025 crowds of 150,000 and the four-roll gimbap limit

In 2025, 80,000 people visited on the first day and 70,000 on the second, for an estimated total of 150,000 visitors according to Gimcheon City. Some booths sold out early, purchases were limited to four rolls of gimbap per person, and on-site feedback reported one-hour waits for shuttles and another hour to move through the event area. As described in the Newsis on-site summary, even with more vendors and gimbap production facilities operating, visitors needed plenty of time around popular booths.

For 2026, I recommend first checking the gimbap booths you most want to try immediately after the event opens, then scheduling experiences and performances afterward. In 2025, five general information centers operated: two in Mujiring Zone, two in Oing Zone, and one in Hamjji Zone. Picnic mats could also be borrowed free of charge for two hours. This system, described in the Asia Today information article, was useful for separating time spent waiting in line from time spent resting in the park.

• After buying gimbap, check the locations of information centers and rest areas before moving on rather than eating directly in front of the sales counter, which can help you avoid merging with passageway queues.
• If traveling with several people, divide responsibilities: one person can wait in line while others check experience registration or picnic-mat rental information.
• Once detailed information is released, it is best to organize restroom locations and the 2026 shuttle schedule before departure. Allowing for the possibility of long queues, as in 2025, will make the day feel less rushed.

Kkodal and more than 50 varieties of gimbap for travelers who enjoy Korean bunsik culture

The Gimcheon Gimbap Festival is a good fit for international travelers who enjoy neatly prepared rolls of gimbap and want to see how a Korean local festival expands a single food into games and performances. In 2025, more than 50 varieties were prepared, including local gimbap, unusual gimbap from around the country, franchise gimbap, and frozen gimbap, making it fun to compare the range of gimbap. The idea of expressing the name Gimcheon through gimbap was also memorable.

On the other hand, the crowds may be overwhelming if your schedule allows only a short, quiet meal. But if you look forward to walking around an autumn park with a roll of gimbap while visiting the Kkodal character and experience areas, it could be the most cheerful way to encounter the city of Gimcheon.