This guide summarizes official announcements and is not a firsthand visit review. Character illustrations are GPT-generated.
- Dates
- Fri, Oct 23, 2026 ~ Sun, Oct 25
- Hours
- 10:00~20:00
- Venue
- Gwangju Office plaza area, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City (광주청사 광장 일원)111 Naebang-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju (전남광주통합특별시 서구 내방로 111)
- Fee
- Free (Kimchi School is paid)
- Organizer
- Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City · organized by the Gwangju Kimchi Festival Committee
- 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★ Opening show · Kimchi PartyToday
- 10/24Sat★ Master demo · Kimchi PartyToday
🔁 Daily · 10:00~20:00 · Table for a Thousand · Kimchi Market · Kimchi School · Kimchi arcade
2026 Gwangju Kimchi Festival Dates, Kimchi School, Directions – City Hall Kimchi Playground with Kids
2026 33rd Gwangju Kimchi Festival poster — Oct 23 (Fri)–Oct 25 (Sun), Gwangju Office plaza area, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City (광주청사 광장 일원) (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
Ahead of kimjang (kimchi-making) season,
a festival for making and tasting kimchi is coming 🥬
The 33rd Gwangju Kimchi Festival
(광주김치축제) runs
October 23 (Fri) – 25 (Sun)
around the Gwangju Office of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City.
I’ve put together the official festival website
and the Ministry of Culture’s festival listing.
🎪 What Kind of Festival Is It?
past festival — Outdoor booths and visitors at the festival (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
It is hosted by Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City
and organized by the Gwangju Kimchi Festival Committee.
This year’s subtitle is “Overwhelm! Kimchi Party.”
Kimchi activities, exhibitions, markets and contests
fill the city hall grounds for three days.
Admission is free, from 10:00 to 20:00 every day.
Kimchi School charges a separate fee.
🎤 When Are the Big Stage Shows?
past festival — An outdoor stage performance and visitors (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
past festival — Audience members watching an outdoor stage performance (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
All of them are on the main stage of the outdoor music hall.
| Date & time | Program |
|---|---|
| 10/23 (Fri) 14:00 | Opening show · Gwangju Metropolitan Opera |
| 10/23 (Fri) 18:00 | Kimchi Party RED NIGHT · opera & crossover |
| 10/24 (Sat) 15:00 | Kimchi master demonstration · Presidential Award-winning masters |
| 10/24 (Sat) 18:00 | Kimchi Party K-HEUNG NIGHT · traditional performance & band |
The Kimchi Party runs until 20:00 on both nights,
an evening stage where the audience joins in.
At the opening ceremony on the 23rd,
the Korea Kimchi Contest awards are also presented.
🎮 Things to Try with Kids
past festival — Foreign visitors enjoying a kimchi-making experience at the festival (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
These activities need no booking.
| Activity | Official information |
|---|---|
| Kimchi arcade | Daily 10:00~18:00 · lawn plaza |
| Arcade games | Masters of salting, seasoning and mixing · reward booth |
| Kimjang sports day | Daily 16:00~17:00 · join on the spot, no sign-up |
| Sports day events | Arm wrestling · balloon distance · jegichagi (shuttlecock kicking) |
| Kimchi pop-up exhibition | City hall 1F lobby · QR quiz · kimchi squishy making |
| Daily-life market | Kimchi squishy toy · keyring making |
Win at the sports day
and you can get festival prizes, too.
🥬 Kimchi School: Book Before You Go
past festival — People wearing aprons and preparing food (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
These are paid activities in the plaza in front of the council building.
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Kimchi making & cooking | Starts at :30 past each hour from 13:30 · 5 sessions a day · 30 min |
| What you do | Mix 1kg of kimchi · rice balls with Mudeungsan watermelon pickles |
| Who | All ages |
| Master class | Daily 11:00 · 60 min · adults |
| Booking | Naver advance booking · remaining spots taken on site |
You get a container to take your kimchi home.
The master class changes master and kimchi every day:
deodeok (bonnet bellflower root) white kimchi on the 23rd,
kohlrabi with ogeurakji (dried radish kimchi) on the 24th,
and whole-wheat seokbakji (chunky radish kimchi) on the 25th.
Because ingredients are prepared in advance,
there may be a cancellation fee.
🍲 Where to Eat and Shop
2025 festival — A kimchi sales stand and visitors choosing kimchi (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
past festival — Visitors purchasing food at a booth (Photo: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 3)
| Place | What’s there |
|---|---|
| Table for a Thousand | Outdoor music hall plaza · kimchi restaurants and food shows |
| Kimchi Market | Road in front of city hall · kimchi from masters and traditional markets |
| Farm market | Road in front of city hall · local produce & processed foods |
| Food trucks | Hotteok · gukhwappang · waffles · ice cream |
| Kimchi pop-up store | “Today-only kimchi” · kimchi random pack |
At sales booths showing a “temporary merchant” sign,
you can also pay with the Culture Nuri Card.
(Gwangju Ilbo, Gwangju Cultural Foundation notice)
🚇 Getting There & Parking
The address is 111 Naebang-ro, Seo-gu (Chipyeong-dong),
around the Gwangju Office plaza.
| Transport | Official information |
|---|---|
| Subway | Sangmu Station Exit 4, 25~30 min walk |
| Subway | Uncheon Station Exit 3, 25~30 min walk |
| Bus stop ‘Sicheong’ (City Hall) | Geumho 46 · Maewol 16 · Unrim 50 · Ilgok 38 · Jiwon 25 · Jiwon 45 · Cheomdan 22 |
| Bus stop ‘Hanguk Eunhaeng’ (Bank of Korea) | Geumho 46 · Seonwon 14 · Unrim 50 · Jiwon 25 · Cheomdan 22 |
| Parking | Not in the festival information |
👨👩👧 Visiting with Kids
Children’s activities are clustered in the afternoon.
Kimchi School starts at 13:30,
and the kimjang sports day is at 16:00.
The arcade games end at 18:00,
so it’s a good idea to stop by the lawn plaza first.
Only remaining spots are taken on site
The master class is for adults
⏳ Not Yet Announced
□ Parking during the festival (whether the office lot opens)
□ Shuttle bus
□ Kimchi School fee
□ Opening ceremony time
□ Operation in case of rain
These aren’t in the official information yet.
I’ll update this post once they come out.
👍 Recommended for These Families
✔ Families who want to make kimchi with their kids
✔ Kids who want to run around with games and a sports day
✔ Families who want to browse kimchi and produce for kimjang
Make it, play, taste it —
a three-day kimchi festival.
This article is based on official information, organized before visiting in person. Event photos are from the Korea Tourism Organization, released under KOGL Type 3 (attribution, no derivatives) and shown unedited. The character illustrations are GPT-generated.
📷 The festival in photos 11
Swipe to see more
🔄 Updates
- One-week check
- First write-up
📎 Sources
- 한국관광공사 국문 관광정보(TourAPI) — 광주김치축제 행사 사진 (contentid 604097) 한국관광공사 · 관공서
- 축제소개 — 제33회 광주김치축제 광주김치축제(전남광주통합특별시·광주김치축제위원회) · 주최
- 대표행사 프로그램 — 천인의 밥상·오프닝쇼·명인 시연회·김치파티 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 체험행사 프로그램 — 마스터클래스·김치체험학교·김치 놀이터 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 전시행사 프로그램 — 김치 팝업 전시 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 판매행사 프로그램 — 김치마켓·일상마켓·푸드트럭·김치 팝업 스토어 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 오시는 길 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 제33회 광주김치축제 [김치명인 마스터클래스] 참가자 모집 공고 광주김치축제 · 2026.9.21 · 주최
- 대한민국 김치 경연대회 광주김치축제 · 주최
- 지역축제 — 광주김치축제 문화체육관광부 · 관공서
- 김치체험학교 — 김치 담그기+요리 체험·김치 명인 마스터 클래스 예약 네이버 예약(문화공방디케이비, 축제 누리집 연결) · 주최
- 지역축제 연계 문화누리카드 이용 기회 확대 광주일보 · 2026.10.1 · 지역신문
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.
AI-assisted translation. Numbers and article structure were checked against the Korean original on 2026-10-10. This is not a new verification of the event announcements. Original post (Korean)