Gumi Food Festival

October 17–18, 2026: When the Songjeong Food Street 9 Flavors Project Takes Place

The Gumi Food Festival began in October 2022 as an urban food festival intended to bring vitality to residents and small business owners. The 2026 event will be held for two days, from Saturday, October 17 through Sunday, October 18, at the Gwangpyeongcheon 2nd through 5th public parking lots along Songjeong Food Street in Gumi, from noon to 8 p.m. This year's slogan is “In autumn, you crave Gumi (flavor)!” and it highlights an “all-five-senses smart gourmet park” combining food and advanced technology. Gyeongbuk Newspaper event article

The festival is centered on the 9 Flavors Project. It is laid out as a walk through the Gumi local specialty food market, Samgyeop Grill-Grill Zone, Gumi Millgarri Bakery & Cafe Zone, Local Restaurant Zone, Asian Gourmet Zone, Gumi Dang-gim Chicken-and-Beer Zone, Local Makgeolli Zone, Kids Sweet Taste Zone, and Food Tech & Experience Zone. Opening performances, invited singer stages, busking, and recreation such as magic shows and balloon art are also planned, making this less a festival solely focused on food on plates and more one where visitors can enjoy the rhythm of the street as well. Gumi Food Festival tourism guide

In 2025, 77 booths and around 200 types of food filled a roughly 1.5 km stretch of Songjeong Food Street, and photos of long nighttime dining tables and rows of tents conveyed the festival's lively density. This year, too, the close-knit atmosphere distinctive to an urban festival venue is expected to be part of its appeal. Yonhap News 2025 event overview

45 Local Restaurant Zone Vendors and QR Ordering: Highlights for International Travelers

If visiting with an international friend, I would want to start at the Local Restaurant Zone. Under the 2026 recruitment criteria, 45 popular Gumi restaurants will participate in this area, joined by 5 Asian Gourmet Zone vendors, 5 chicken-and-beer vendors, 4 local makgeolli vendors, and 5 children's food vendors. You can compare items made in Gumi within a single meal, including bread and coffee made with Gumi Millgarri, a local wheat brand; Gumi Dang-gim Lager and chicken; and local makgeolli with regional snacks. Gumi City 2026 participating restaurant recruitment notice

This year, the festival plans to introduce a QR-code-based smart ordering system that will handle menu selection, payment, cooking completion notifications, and food pickup in one flow. Information on English signage or interpretation services has not yet been released, but since the ordering process will be QR-centered, preparing a translation app and mobile phone should make ordering much less intimidating. The accepted scope of cash, card, and mobile payments has not been announced, so it would be wise to call 054-480-5593 before departure to ask whether the 2025 arrangement—free admission with fees only for certain sections—will continue. Visit Korea 2025 event information

Public information does not specify a subway station or exit immediately beside the venue. For rail travelers, it is therefore practical to use Gumi Station as a base and connect by city bus or taxi. Buses 184 and 410-6, which serve Gumi Station, pass the Gumi Tax Office Front stop. If driving, since the event spans the Gwangpyeongcheon 2nd through 5th public parking lots, it is better to check nearby public parking information first rather than expect to park inside the festival area. As this is an outdoor event operating for eight hours, a light jacket, power bank, and thin rain poncho will make extended walking more comfortable. Gumi Tax Office Front bus stop route guide

After eating, it is also nice to take a leisurely walk along Songjeong Food Street itself. The 2025 festival stretched for about 1.5 km, while the 2023 event was held around the covered parking lot opposite Gumi City Hall and the Gumi Culture and Arts Center, making it easy to plan a route that includes the downtown scenery in front of City Hall.

On-Site Tips Suggested by the Samgyeop Grill-Grill Zone's 32 Tables and 3,300 Seats

Rather than being a festival where visitors leisurely circle a large park, this event involves walking along a long food street connecting urban parking lots, so waits may form in front of popular booths during mealtimes. More than 100,000 people visited over two days in 2025, and dining space for 3,300 people was provided with the addition of standing tables. Walking around shortly after opening at noon to choose menus first, then selecting only two or three items to share and order, can save both time and stomach space. Gyeongbuk Newspaper article on the 2025 closing event

If you are aiming for the Samgyeop Grill-Grill Zone, allow extra time in particular. In 2025, it operated from noon to 2 p.m. near Sanho Sashimi Restaurant in the Gwangpyeongcheon 2nd parking lot, with 32 four-person tables available through first-come, first-served reservations. Reservation availability and operating hours for 2026 have not yet been announced, but if this area is a priority, it is best to watch for official reservation notices first. Gumi City 2025 Samgyeop Grill-Grill Zone reservation guide

The Food Tech & Experience Zone is scheduled to feature cooking robots, food 3D printers, and artificial intelligence technology experiences, so it is a good idea to plan food ordering and hands-on activities in one route. However, restroom locations and detailed amenities have not yet been announced. Since the route may extend to around 1.5 km as it did in 2025, it is more convenient to take care of anything you need before or after dining. If visiting with children, starting at the Kids Sweet Taste Zone and passing through the crowded central section after eating should be easier.

From Gumi Millgarri to Gumi Dang-gim Lager, for Travelers Who Want to Walk Through Nine Flavors

The Gumi Food Festival is better suited to people who want to slowly compare a plate from a local restaurant, wheat bakery goods, makgeolli, and chicken with beer in one neighborhood than to travelers who simply want to quickly sample Korean street food. With cooking robots and food 3D printers as well, it should also be enjoyable for friends who want to experience K-food alongside technology. Walking along Songjeong Food Street from noon to 8 p.m. on October 17–18, 2026, Gumi's food may feel less like simple sustenance and more like a language that brings people together in the heart of the city.