Gwangju Kimchi Festival

Gwangju Kimchi Festival at Gwangju City Hall, October 23–25, 2026

The Gwangju Kimchi Festival will take place from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, October 25, 2026, throughout Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City Hall at 111 Naebang-ro, Seo-gu, Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City (Chipyeong-dong). Admission to the festival is listed as free, making it a great place to visit with foreign friends who want to discover the flavors of Gwangju through one food: kimchi. Korea Tourism Organization festival information

The detailed schedule and hands-on program lineup for 2026 are still being updated, so the 2025 scenes described below are best viewed as a reference for getting a sense of this year's atmosphere. The 32nd festival in 2025 was held for three days, from October 31 to November 2, throughout Gwangju City Hall, with the theme “Universe’s Ultimate Light Kimchi Party.” Its main features were the Kimchi Appreciation Ceremony, Table for a Thousand People, Kimchi Market, and Kimchi Pop-up.

In 2025, the Kimchi Appreciation Ceremony took place on October 31 from 11:30 to 12:30 on the main stage at the outdoor music hall, while the Kimchi Master Class was held daily from 14:00 to 15:00 for three days. On October 31, 2025, Master Kim Ji-mi introduced wild-mountain deodeok-stuffed white kimchi; on November 1, Master Park Gi-sun presented napa cabbage kimchi filled with blue crab meat; and on November 2, Master Gwak Eun-ju introduced sweet pumpkin white kimchi. After each class, kimchi samples were provided to the first 50 people in line. The 2025 Ahn Yu-seong Show featured a 90-minute stage including a tuna-cutting demonstration, creating a distinct festival atmosphere in which culinary demonstrations unfolded like a performance. Official featured events information

The market scene, with kimchi containers, rubber gloves, and tasting plates all visible in one frame, was vivid in itself. I felt that the charm of this festival lies less in flashy decorations and more in being able to watch up close the movements of people’s hands as they make, taste, and choose kimchi.

Begin Your Gwangju Kimchi Journey at Sangmu Station Exit 4 and the Global Kimchi Lounge

The closest subway route is Sangmu Station Exit 4. According to the 2025 information, walking from Sangmu Station Exit 4 toward the Bank of Korea building and passing through Peace Park took 25–30 minutes to reach Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. It was also possible to walk 25–30 minutes from Uncheon Station Exit 3 via the Tire Bank, the 5·18 Memorial Park intersection, and the KBS Gwangju Broadcasting Station direction. Buses 46, 16, 50, 38, 25, 45, and 22 stopped at City Hall Bus Stop, while buses 46, 14, 50, 25, and 22 stopped at the Bank of Korea Bus Stop. Official directions

In 2025, the Global Kimchi Lounge operated in Gwangju City Hall Square from 10:00 to 20:00 as a promotional booth and comprehensive information center exclusively for foreign tourists, and special programs for foreign visitors were also available. In 2025, the International Cooperation Team at Chosun University posted festival information with an English title and announced free participation in a kimchi-mixing experience for international students. Whether English signs and interpretation services will be available in 2026 has not yet been announced, but this year’s festival will be held from October 23 to 25 with free admission, so preparing a translation app and planning your basic route in advance should make things much easier. Official hands-on events information

It is also a good idea to plan your payment method in advance. In 2025, the Kimchi Experience School was held in timed sessions from 10:00 to 18:00 on the road in front of City Hall, and advance reservations for making 1 kg of kimchi and creating a kimchi sandwich cost 15,000 won. In 2025, the Culture Nuri Card could also be used for on-site payments, but the range of card, cash, and mobile payment options for 2026 has not yet been announced.

In 2025, the Agricultural Products Market and Daily Market on the road in front of City Hall operated from 10:00 to 20:00, while six food trucks in the outdoor music hall plaza sold hotteok, crepes, milk ice cream, waffles, coffee, and more. The 2025 K-Gourmet Belt special course connected Kimchi Town, Yangdong Market, and the Gwangju Kimchi Festival, making it a good addition for a day when you want to explore more kimchi ingredients and market foods. Official sales events information Gwangju Tourism opening press release

Since the route involved moving between the outdoor music hall main stage, the road in front of City Hall, and the lawn plaza, it would be best to bring comfortable sneakers and a light outer layer. If you plan to participate in a kimchi-making activity, a comfortable top that allows easy movement felt more practical than clothing with long sleeves.

Plan for Queue Times at the Kimchi Market Visited by 57,000 People

In 2025, more than 57,000 people attended over three days. At the Kimchi Market, Presidential Award-winning kimchi, traditional-market kimchi, and quality-certified kimchi drew lines from the first day, with some items selling out early. Since the road in front of City Hall was operated as a car-free street in 2025, it would be more convenient to choose one of Sangmu Station, Uncheon Station, or City Hall Bus Stop and arrive by public transportation rather than planning to drive directly to the front of the venue. 2025 festival results press release

In 2025, the Kimchi Market sold Presidential Award-winning kimchi and traditional-market kimchi at prices 20–30% lower than regular retail prices. The Table for a Thousand People served dishes such as Gwangju kimchi-jjim, aged-kimchi oil pasta, kimchi and meat jeon, and pork belly kimchi jjapaguri. If there is a particular kimchi you want to buy, it seemed better to visit the market first around opening time rather than in the late afternoon, and plan your meal afterward.

The stage schedule was also subject to change. The 2025 K-Kimchi Party at 7 p.m. ended early on its first day because smoke from a nearby fire drifted into the area. If you are most looking forward to the outdoor performances, it would be wise to keep your schedule flexible by also choosing markets, exhibitions, and hands-on activities at other times that day. Newsis on-site report

When you want to step indoors briefly, it was welcome news that in 2025 a kimchi pop-up exhibition and an exhibition and tasting of winning entries from the Korea Kimchi Competition were held in the City Hall first-floor lobby from 10:00 to 20:00. However, detailed information on restroom locations, rest areas, and parking arrangements for 2026 has not yet been announced, so checking with the comprehensive information center upon arrival should make navigating the festival site less complicated. Official exhibition events information

For Food Travelers Drawn to the 1 kg Kimchi Experience School

This festival should be especially suitable for travelers who want to first understand Korea’s fermented-food culture through taste, travelers who want to buy kimchi at the market and take it back to their accommodation or home, and travelers who want to watch Korean-cuisine demonstrations up close. In 2025, the 1 kg kimchi-making activity at the Kimchi Experience School, the Presidential Award Kimchi Master Class, the Kimchi Market, and the exhibition of winning entries from the Kimchi Competition were all gathered at one venue.

If it were me, in 2026 I would slowly make a circuit of City Hall Square with free admission, check the hands-on activities and items for sale first, and then finish the day with the spicy, deep flavor of a plate of kimchi. The Gwangju Kimchi Festival felt like a place that calmly shows how kimchi is more than a side dish—it is a food that captures the flavors of people’s hands and the vitality of the marketplace.