This post summarizes official announcements; it is not a review of a visit. Sources: the official 2026 Wonju Mandu Festival website (festival overview, timetable, venue map, 2026 leaflet and FAQ), four Wonju City press releases (August 25, August 26, September 16 and September 29, 2026) and a Wonju Cultural Foundation press release with the official poster (October 7, 2026), checked on October 8, 2026. The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
- Dates
- Fri, Oct 23, 2026 ~ Sun, Oct 25
- Hours
- Stage timetable 13:00–21:00
- Venue
- Wonjucheon Stream (Dawn Market), Culture Street & Jungang-dong traditional markets (원주천 새벽시장·문화의거리·중앙동 전통시장 일원)Pyeongwon-dong & Jungang-dong area, Wonju-si, Gangwon — from the Wonjucheon Dawn Market to Culture Street (강원 원주시 평원동·중앙동 일대)
- Organizer
- Wonju City (organized by the Wonju Cultural Foundation)
- Official
- Official notice (Korean) ↗
- Updated
- when we last re-checked the official notice
📅 Schedule at a glance
October 2026
Event daysHighlightsTodayKorean public holidays
Korea Meteorological Administration · 10/16, 2 AM issued · forecasts can change
📌 What's on each day
- 10/23Fri★ Nakhwa-nori · Cooking classToday
- 10/24SatCooking class · Mandu towerToday
- 10/25Sun★ Jung Ji-sun · Folding raceToday
🔁 Daily · Mandu Broadcasting Station 13:00 · 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' 17:00 · evening concerts
Wonju Mandu Festival 2026 — Dates, Stage Timetable & Parking Before You Take the Kids to the Nakhwa-nori Fire Show on Wonjucheon Stream
It’s the season when
steaming-hot mandu
(Korean dumplings) feel just right 🥟
The 2026 Wonju Mandu Festival
(2026 원주만두축제)
runs for three days,
Oct 23 (Fri) – 25 (Sun),
around Wonjucheon Stream (Dawn Market)
and Culture Street in Wonju (원주), Gangwon,
through to the Jungang-dong traditional markets.
We put this together from
the official website’s timetable and venue map
and press releases from Wonju City
and the Wonju Cultural Foundation.
🎪 What kind of festival is it?
The slogan is
’시장에서 한 판, 즐거울 만두!’ —
roughly ‘A round at the market,
no wonder it’s fun!’, with a pun on mandu.
This year the festival grounds,
which used to center on the roads,
now center on Wonjucheon Stream.
They stretch from the stream to Culture Street
and on to the Jungang-dong traditional markets.
The ‘Wonju Mandu Zone’ (원주만두존),
the main food area,
is made up of 15 vendors picked by judges
from 32 teams at a tasting contest in September.
To cut down on long lines,
they’re also bringing in
QR real-time ordering & booking
and kiosks, the city says.
There’s also a Mandu Road leading into the markets,
receipt rewards, a stamp tour,
a traditional-market ‘extra helping’ festa (덤 페스타)
and a Global Mandu Zone.
✨ What’s on, and when?
There are two stages: Wonjucheon Stream
and Culture Street.
We copied the official timetable day by day.
| Date & time | Wonjucheon Stream stage |
|---|---|
| 23rd (Fri) 15:00–17:00 | Wonju Harmonica Ensemble → Life Saxophone Ensemble |
| 23rd (Fri) 17:00–18:00 | Mandu cooking class (Oneul Kalguksu, 오늘칼국수) |
| 23rd (Fri) 18:00–21:00 | Celebration concert — nakhwa-nori fire-falling show (opening ceremony) · Ojik Moksori (오직목소리) · Gong Hoon · Rikideu (리키드) · Seodo Band · Kim Yon-ja |
| 24th (Sat) 13:00–15:00 | Yeoseotjul Sarang (여섯줄사랑) → Baelli Time (밸리타임) |
| 24th (Sat) 15:00–16:00 | Mandu contest — stacking the tallest mandu tower |
| 24th (Sat) 16:00–19:00 | Ochindong (오친동) → mandu cooking class (Wonju Eommason Mandu, 원주엄마손만두) → Kim Sung-min |
| 24th (Sat) 19:00–21:00 | Celebration concert — AUX (억스) · Crying Nut · DJ Two Face (투페이스) |
| 25th (Sun) 13:00–15:00 | Gideu Nanri Blues (기드 난리부르스) → violinist Soyeon (소연) |
| 25th (Sun) 15:00–16:00 | Mandu contest — fastest mandu folding |
| 25th (Sun) 16:00–17:00 | Singpoem (싱포엠) |
| 25th (Sun) 17:00–18:00 | Live cooking show — Chef Jung Ji-sun (정지선) |
| 25th (Sun) 18:00–21:00 | Celebration concert — Wind Orchestra First Place · Lee So-jung · Harmonize (하모나이즈) · Kim Yong-bin |
Culture Street has the same lineup all three days.
| Time | Culture Street |
|---|---|
| Before 13:00 (first slot on the timetable) | Stilt-walking clown street performance |
| 13:00–16:00 | Mandu Broadcasting Station (만두방송국) |
| 17:00–20:00 | ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (한여름밤의 꿈) |
The opening-day nakhwa-nori fire-falling show on Wonjucheon Stream
(원주천 낙화놀이)
is listed together with the opening ceremony
in the 23rd’s concert slot (18:00–21:00).
The timetable doesn’t give
a separate time for the fire show itself.
🥟 What can you eat and try?
These are the related events
listed under the timetable.
Locations follow the official venue map.
| Area | What & where |
|---|---|
| Wonju Mandu Zone | 15 vendors chosen at the tasting contest — on the map by Wonjucheon Stream, next to the food zone |
| Mandu-folding zone | Fold your own mandu |
| Activity zone · culture & arts activity zone | Culture and arts activities for the whole family (leaflet) |
| Global Mandu Zone | A linked program leading into the traditional markets |
| Free market · traditional-market direct sales | Two spots on the map: a traditional market (by the stream) and a free market |
| Youth Market (청춘마켓) | Booths from young Wonju small-business owners (25 being recruited) — around the outdoor stage of the Culture Sharing Platform (문화공유플랫폼) |
The Youth Market opens on
Thursday the 22nd, the day before the festival.
The 22nd is market day at the
Folk Pungmul Market (민속풍물시장),
so that day it’s only in the plaza
inside the Culture Sharing Platform.
This year’s menus and prices
haven’t been announced yet.
🚌 Getting there & parking
These are the transport and parking plans
in Wonju City’s festival action plan.
| Transit & parking | Official info |
|---|---|
| Shuttle bus | Hubs such as Wonju City Hall, Wonju Station and the Dancing Performance Venue (댄싱공연장) ↔ festival grounds, 3 routes |
| Where to get on & off | Venue map: pick-up next to NH NongHyup Bank · drop-off next to the Culture Sharing Platform |
| Parking | Parking for about 1,980 cars near the festival grounds |
The stops and timetable for each route
and where the parking lots are
haven’t been announced yet.
The website’s transport page says ‘coming soon’.
👨👩👧 Going with kids
The mandu contests are at 15:00 on the 24th & 25th,
and the cooking classes at 17:00 on the 23rd & 24th.
If you go on Saturday or Sunday afternoon,
you can catch contest → stage shows → evening concert
one after another.
Pets are welcome too.
A leash or a carrier is a must.
The venue map shows restrooms
in the Doremi Market, Jayu Market
and Jungang Market buildings
and by Wonjucheon Stream.
The Daegu Tteokbokki Festival
runs during the same days.
Visit both and show proof,
and you get festival goods, they say.
on opening day, Fri the 23rd
It's part of the 18:00–21:00 concert
and the exact time isn't out yet
⏳ Not announced yet
□ Stops & timetable for each shuttle route
□ Parking lot locations & fees
□ Exact time of the nakhwa-nori fire show
□ Opening hours of the Mandu Zone & other booths
□ Activity fees & how to sign up
□ What happens if it rains, and road closures
None of this is in the official info yet.
We’ll update this post once it’s out.
On admission, the FAQ on the website
(posted in October 2025) says
’admission is free with no separate ticket;
some activities may charge a fee.’
Questions? Call the Wonju Cultural Foundation
at +82-33-760-9863.
👍 Recommended for these families
✔ Kids who want to try folding mandu
✔ Families who like browsing markets & eating
✔ Families who want to stay for the evening fire show & concerts
Eat mandu, fold mandu, then catch a show —
an easy festival to make a whole day of on Wonjucheon Stream.
We put this together from official announcements before going ourselves. The character illustrations are GPT-generated images.
🔄 Updates
- One-week check
- First write-up
📎 Sources
- 2026 원주만두축제 공식 누리집 (축제개요·축제장안내·교통안내) 원주만두축제 ((재)원주문화재단) · 주최
- 2026 원주만두축제 축제일정 (TIME TABLE) 원주만두축제 ((재)원주문화재단) · 주최
- 2026 원주만두축체 리플렛 원주만두축제 ((재)원주문화재단) · 2026.8.3 · 주최
- 원주시, 2026 원주만두축제 실행계획 점검 "시민은 편하게, 전통시장은 활기차게" 원주시 · 2026.9.16 · 관공서
- 딤섬의 여왕 정지선 셰프, 2026 원주만두축제 알린다 원주시 · 2026.8.25 · 관공서
- 원주 만두·대구 떡볶이, 지역 넘어 'K-분식'으로 뭉친다 원주시 · 2026.9.29 · 관공서
- 원주 만두축제와 함께하는 "청춘마켓" 부스 참가자 모집 원주시 · 2026.8.26 · 관공서
- 원주 만두와 대구 떡볶이 맛있는 만남 (재)원주문화재단 · 2026.10.7 · 주최
This is a guide based on official announcements, not a visit review. Schedules, programs and fees can change, so please re-check the official notice before you go.
Translated from our Korean post with AI assistance. Dates, times, numbers and phone numbers were checked against the Korean original on October 8, 2026. Program, zone, market and performer names are our own translations and romanizations of the Korean, not official English names. Mandu (만두) are Korean dumplings; nakhwa-nori (낙화놀이) is a traditional Korean fire show in which sparks rain down from burning pouches hung on lines. We did not check whether the festival offers guidance in English. Original post (Korean)