Samto Festival

The 2026 Samto Festival will be held from September 11 to September 13 at Wonju Sports Complex, 311 Seowon-daero (Myeongnyun-dong), Wonju, Gangwon State, and admission is free. It has not been confirmed whether advance reservations are required for general visitors, but some competitions and participatory events may require prior registration. Unlike the 2025 materials, which mainly consist of on-site photos from the previous edition, the 2026 63rd Farmers’ Day Commemoration event has published a schedule including the theme pavilion opening ceremony at 5:20 p.m. on September 11, the opening ceremony at 6 p.m., and the Samto Singing Contest from 7 to 9 p.m.

The Samto Festival: From 2025 Photos to the 2026 63rd-Edition Schedule

The 2026 edition is designated as the 63rd Farmers’ Day Commemoration event, hosted by Wonju City and the Wonju Federation of Korean Agricultural Extension Leaders. Although photo materials from 2025 remain available, the 2025 program, pricing, and operating-hour figures could not be confirmed, so it is difficult to conclude that the venue or scale has changed.

The 2026 performance lineup includes the Samto Singing Contest, Samto Concert, invited agricultural-culture performances, and busking. Competitions include the National Samto Senior Model Contest, Youth Talent Contest, community club competition, and scarecrow-making contest.

The 2026 Totomi Love Seed-Gathering event is divided into preliminaries on September 11, semifinals on September 12, and finals on September 13, with 10 participants per team.

Planning Your Arrival at Wonju Sports Complex, 311 Seowon-daero

The venue address is Wonju Sports Complex, 311 Seowon-daero (Myeongnyun-dong), Wonju, Gangwon State. International travelers should search for Wonju Sports Complex or enter the full road-name address in their map app to set their destination.

The publicly available 2026 information does not provide travel times from Seoul or other major cities, the names of the nearest station or terminal, bus numbers and walking distances, temporary shuttle information, or parking locations and fees. Since the overall closing time and the last bus or train have also not been confirmed, it is safer to plan as though a same-day return is not feasible and secure accommodation first.

Following the Samto Schedule from 5:20 p.m. on September 11

On September 11, 2026, the theme pavilion opening ceremony is scheduled for 5:20 p.m., the opening ceremony for 6 p.m., and the Samto Singing Contest from 7 to 9 p.m. If the evening stage is your main objective, plan your travel around these three time slots, and also check the Totomi Love Seed-Gathering preliminaries scheduled for September 11.

The Samto theme pavilion will exhibit 2026 agricultural specialties, agricultural technology, processed products, agricultural-work safety, and industrial insects. Agricultural-culture experiences, horticultural activities, animal feeding, VR agricultural experiences, natural-dyeing activities, and an agricultural-specialty cooking class are also part of the event.

Direct sales of agricultural specialties will be available, and the sharing events include cauldron bibimbap and rice-cake pounding. The food area consists of a local-food pavilion, multicultural-food pavilion, and Chiaksan Korean Beef Zone.

As of the final update on August 20, 2026, reference prices are 1,800 won for lamb skewers, 9,000 won for beef-head soup with rice, 5,000 won for Chiaksan makgeolli, 3,000 won for coffee, and 15,000 won for tofu kimchi. These prices are also marked as reference prices in the official information and may change; payment methods by booth, including card, cash, and mobile payment, have not been disclosed.

What to Confirm at 033-737-4155 Before You Go

The publicly available 2026 materials do not include daily operating hours, admission cut-off times, operating procedures in rainy weather, the locations of restrooms and information desks, luggage storage, stroller and wheelchair accessibility, or venue cleanliness and safety procedures. English signs, English leaflets, interpretation, and multilingual audio guides have also not been confirmed, which may limit travelers who need to follow the stage content in English only.

There are sound-focused events such as the Samto Singing Contest, Samto Concert, invited agricultural-culture performances, and busking. There are also exhibits and activities, such as the theme pavilion and agricultural experiences, that can be enjoyed through visual information and hands-on participation without understanding every word. Visitors seeking a quiet experience should avoid the evening competition and performance periods, while those accompanying strollers or wheelchairs should separately confirm route and slope information.

As of 2026, the official website’s consultation hours are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the inquiry phone number is 033-737-4155. Before departing, call this number to confirm daily operating hours, transportation and parking, payment methods, rainy-weather procedures, and accessibility all at once, then finalize your travel plan.

• What can I see first if I visit on the evening of September 11? — The theme pavilion opening ceremony is scheduled for 5:20 p.m., the opening ceremony for 6 p.m., and the Samto Singing Contest from 7 to 9 p.m.
• Does the Totomi Love Seed-Gathering event finish in one day? — It runs with preliminaries on September 11, 2026, semifinals on September 12, and finals on September 13, with 10 people per team.
• Are there places to spend money even though admission is free? — Admission is free, but there are direct sales of agricultural specialties and local-food, multicultural-food, and Chiaksan Korean Beef areas. Reference prices include 3,000 won for coffee and 9,000 won for beef-head soup with rice.
• Can I experience the Samto theme pavilion and stages using only English? — English signs, leaflets, interpretation, and multilingual audio guides have not been confirmed. The theme-pavilion exhibits and agricultural activities are less language-dependent than the stage events.