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FestivalAutumn 2026

Goesan Gimjang Festival

괴산김장축제

This edition · Data as of · Published · Compiled by

Kimjang is the Korean ritual of making a winter's worth of kimchi in one go, and Goesan, a farming county two hours south-east of Seoul, is where salted cabbage ready for seasoning was first sold as a product. Its kimjang festival is built around making kimchi yourself and taking it home in a tub: pre-booked sessions with cabbage, seasoning, gloves and a helper laid out for you; walk-in stalls where farms let you mix a batch on the spot or sell finished kimchi; a free class with a kimchi master; a grilling zone where you roast skewers and chestnuts over wood fires; and trot concerts with fireworks in the evening. The 2026 edition runs Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November at the Organic Expo Square and the county stadium in Goesan-eup; entry is free. The county counted about 123,000 visitors in 2025. We read Korean blog posts from people who went in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Goesan Gimjang Festival
2026 괴산김장축제 (5).jpg2026 괴산김장축제 (1).jpg2026 괴산김장축제 (9).jpg2026 괴산김장축제 (3).jpg2026 괴산김장축제 (7).jpg2026 괴산김장축제 (6).jpg
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type3). Shown uncropped, as supplied.

What’s on

This is the official programme as checked on 19 October 2026. The one-stop and drive-through kimjang sessions are advance booking only, with no on-site sign-up — nearly every slot was sold out by the night of 19 October, and cancellations close on 26 October at 18:00. The master's class and children's sessions are free with pre-booking, and no-shows are given to the walk-up queue. Walk-in kimjang, the market, the grilling zone and the concerts need no booking.

Kimjang sessions

One-stop kimjangBooking₩148,000 per 20 kg · organic ₩170,000
5–8 Nov · Thu 14:00, 16:00 · Fri–Sun 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 · 90 min
In the big tent on the Expo Square: one table per party, 20 kg of salted cabbage plus 7.5 kg of seasoning as the base (extra 10 kg ₩76,000, extra seasoning ₩14,000 per kg), and a cart takes your tubs to the car. ₩5,000 in local vouchers per 10 kg and a ₩5,000 grilling-zone coupon. 50 parties per slot, 700 in all.
Book on gimjang.kr (Korean site) →
Drive-through kimjangBooking₩296,000 per 40 kg
5–8 Nov · Thu 14:00, 16:00 · Fri–Sun 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 · bulk slots 10:00, 14:00
At Goesan Stadium: drive in, make kimchi at your party's own booth and load the car on the spot (you do get out of the car). From 40 kg (two sets); a 100 kg bulk booth is ₩740,000 for up to three cars; organic 40 kg ₩340,000. 20 parties per slot, 280 in all.
Book on gimjang.kr (Korean site) →
Walk-in kimjangWalk-inpriced per stall · one 2024 post paid ₩150,000 for 20 kg
5–8 Nov · 09:00–18:00
Inside the kimchi market in the Culture & Sports Centre car park: no booking, pick a farm stall and make cabbage, radish or spring-onion kimchi on the spot. This is the route for under 20 kg. Expect a wait.
Kimchi master's classBookingFree
5–8 Nov · Thu 11:00, 16:00 · Fri–Sat 13:00, 16:00 · Sun 11:00, 15:30
On the lawn with kimchi master Lee Ha-yeon: free, 30 people per session. Booked guests must check in 30 minutes early or their place goes to the walk-up queue.
Book on gimjang.kr (Korean site) →
Kimjang for foreign visitorsBookingNot published
Thu 5 Nov · 13:00–16:00
In front of the world-kimchi exhibition tent on the lawn, run by the Jinji Museum. How to join, capacity and price had not been published as of 19 October.
No sign-up method, capacity or price had been published as of 19 October. In 2024 participants were recruited in advance; in 2025 the county brought invited groups. Ask the festival committee on +82 43-830-3463 (Korean) or the festival's KakaoTalk channel; the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline can interpret. If it does not work out, the walk-in kimjang stalls take anyone from 09:00 to 18:00.
Check availability on gimjang.kr →
Kimjang for children, teens and disabled visitorsBookingFreeAges 6–19
6–8 Nov · Disabled visitors Fri 14:30 · children Sat 11:00, 14:30 · teens Sun 14:30
Free; children (6–12) and teens (12–19) are booked on the Korean site, 40 per session, up to four per booking, check in 20 minutes early.
Book on gimjang.kr (Korean site) →
Village kimjang at farmsBookingPriced by each farmPartner programme
1–30 Nov
Fifteen farms around the county host kimjang on their own dates through November, some with boiled pork and rice wine thrown in. Booked through the county's Goesan Jangter shop site (Korean).
Book on 괴산장터 (Korean site) →

All day, walk-in

K-Kimchi MarketWalk-in
5–8 Nov · 09:00–18:00
Finished kimchi from across the country, Goesan salted cabbage, chilli and farm produce, with tasting at every stall.
Bonfire grilling zoneWalk-in₩1,000–5,000 per item (skewers, chestnuts, pork belly ₩5,000; fish cake ₩1,000)
5–8 Nov · 11:00–20:00
Skewers, pork belly with kimchi and chestnuts over wood fires. Official 2026 menu: ₩5,000 each for a large chicken skewer, two prawn skewers, three chicken-heart skewers, a marshmallow set, thin pork belly with aged kimchi, ramyeon with Goesan kimchi, two sausages or a bag of chestnuts; fish cake ₩1,000. Some items may sell out early. In 2025 a skewer was ₩5,000, sold four of a kind at a time.
Kimchi exhibitions, free photo prints, pork tastingWalk-in
5–8 Nov
Kimchi exhibition tents, a booth that prints your photos free, a receipt roulette, free boiled-pork tasting and a street of red-themed food.

Stage and contests

Open-air folk playWalk-in
6–8 Nov · 14:00 · extra show Sat 16:30
A participatory folk play with the bandit-hero Im Kkeok-jeong, on the lawn, with free boiled pork.
K-ConcertWalk-in
Thu 5 Nov · 18:00
Main stage; indie and K-pop acts.
Opening ceremony, concert and fireworksWalk-in
Fri 6 Nov · 18:30 · fireworks after the show
Main stage with veteran pop and trot singers; an indoor nostalgia concert at 15:00 in the sports centre.
Bonfire concert and comedy showWalk-in
Sat 7 Nov · Concert 18:00 · comedy 10:30 and 14:00 indoors
The duo Yurisangja by the bonfires; a Korean-language comedy show in the sports centre.
National kimjang contest and village kimchi voteWalk-in
6–8 Nov · Village round Fri 11:00–13:00 · final Sat 13:00–16:00 · winners' recipes Sat–Sun
Taste and vote on the villages' cabbage kimchi, then watch twelve finalists compete for ₩7 million, with last year's winners demonstrating recipes.
Closing day: village games, kimchi giveaway, closing concert and fireworksWalk-in
Sun 8 Nov · Games 14:30 · giveaway 16:30 · closing concert 17:00 · fireworks after
Cabbage-carrying races and a traditional dice game, prizes, then the closing concert.

Source: the festival's official site (gimjang.kr) — timetable, programme and booking pages, 19 October 2026; grilling-zone menu and the site map checked 22 October. Times may change; restaurant prices were still marked “in preparation”.

The essentials

Dates2026-11-05 – 2026-11-08
WhereGoesan Organic Expo Square and around (90 Imkkeokjeong-ro, Goesan-eup, next to the county office) · drive-through kimjang at Goesan Stadium · kimchi market and grilling zone in the Culture & Sports Centre car park
CostEntry free · booked kimjang ₩148,000 per 20 kg (₩170,000 organic), drive-through from 40 kg at ₩296,000 · master's class and children's session free · walk-in kimjang priced on site · grilling-zone items ₩1,000–5,000
OrganisersGoesan County · Goesan Festival Committee (+82 43-830-3463) · bookings and refunds: Enjoy Life Co. +82 10-5888-4868 or the festival's KakaoTalk channel
Address충청북도 괴산군 괴산읍 임꺽정로 92
Contact043-830-3463 · gimjang.kr
ProgrammeBooked and walk-in kimjang, a kimchi master's class, sessions for foreign visitors and children, a kimchi market, the bonfire grilling zone, a national kimjang contest, evening concerts and fireworks — see “What’s on” below.

Official poster

2026 괴산김장축제 포스터.jpg

The organisers’ own poster, in Korean. Source: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type3), shown unaltered. Tap to open full size.

What 29 visitors said

We searched Naver, the blog platform most Koreans use, for posts written during each festival and the weeks after (42 for 2023 — five of which would not load — 30 for 2024, 46 for 2025), read every one to the end and kept only people who actually went: 9 for 2023, 10 for 2024, 10 for 2025. Official blogs (the county, the agriculture ministry), a post paid for by the county, and two near-identical posts that read as generated from a press release were dropped, and no writer is counted twice in a year. Every number counts the posts that mentioned something.

What people liked

Everything is prepared — you just mix11 of 29 posts

Salted cabbage, seasoning, apron and gloves are laid out and a helper stands by; a 20 kg batch takes 30–60 minutes, and a cart carries the tubs to your car 23-10 23-26 24-04 24-06 24-11 24-25 25-07 25-10 25-24 25-37 25-23

Generous tasting and honest food prices11 of 29 posts

Kimchi samples at every stall, free boiled pork, and restaurant tents with prices posted large — several writers say there was no festival mark-up 23-07 23-09 24-03 24-06 24-09 25-06 25-07 25-22 25-23 25-31 25-40

No booking? There is walk-in kimjang and a kimchi market9 of 29 posts

Farm stalls let you make a batch on the spot or buy finished kimchi; every stall tastes different, so taste first 23-01 23-19 24-02 24-03 24-06 25-07 25-10 25-22 25-24

Evenings grilling skewers and chestnuts over open fires10 of 29 posts

Wood fires and braziers in the grilling zone, plus a cheap pork barbecue tent — a campsite feel 23-07 23-19 24-04 24-11 24-22 24-24 24-26 25-07 25-37 25-40

Kimchi exhibitions and free photo prints9 of 29 posts

Regional kimchi displays, a kimchi master's demonstrations, and a booth that prints your festival photos free 23-04 23-07 23-26 24-02 24-03 25-07 25-22 25-23 25-37

Evening concerts and fireworks4 of 29 posts

Trot singers at the opening and closing concerts; fan clubs arrive by the busload 23-13 24-24 24-25 25-40

Things for children to do5 of 29 posts

A children's kimjang session, craft booths, a stream to peer into 23-07 23-13 24-25 25-06 25-46

What people struggled with

Booked kimjang sells out fast5 of 29 posts

Writers say to sign up the moment the site opens; the master's class filled instantly; no same-day booking 23-07 24-11 25-07 25-22 25-24

Finding the right car park is confusing8 of 29 posts

Separate lots for booked and walk-in visitors, overflow by the stream, a muddy field when it rained, and a walk from car to tent 23-07 23-19 24-02 24-06 24-11 25-07 25-24 25-31

No extra orders on the day, and no running water4 of 29 posts

You cannot add cabbage or seasoning beyond what you booked, the paste runs out if you are generous early, hands are cleaned with wet wipes, and one group felt hurried for the next slot 24-04 24-06 25-24 25-37

Less happens on the first morning and late evening4 of 29 posts

Stalls were still setting up on day one, smoke from the fires stung, and by evening the drive-through zone was shut 23-07 23-19 24-22 24-24

These are raw counts, not percentages. Someone who did not mention something is not someone who disagreed.

Who goes, and when

The core visitor is a Korean family that drives in with empty kimchi tubs: 9 of our 29 posts did a pre-booked kimjang session, often three generations at one table. Others came just to taste, grill and watch the concert, and three combined the festival with the autumn colours at Mungwang Reservoir's ginkgo avenue or the Sanmagi trail along Goesan Lake. All 23 writers who said how they travelled came by car, from Cheongju, Daejeon and the Seoul area.

Who they went with

With friends4 of 29 posts
With children5 of 29 posts

9 of the 29 posts did not say.

Time of day

Evening3 of 29 posts
Afternoon5 of 29 posts
Morning5 of 29 posts

11 of the 29 posts did not say.

Visiting from abroad

Not one of the 29 posts we counted mentions foreign visitors, and one notes the kimchi exhibition had no foreign-language labels — so expect to be a curiosity, in a friendly way. Outside our count, the county has hosted foreign diplomats (2023), a pre-recruited foreigners' kimjang session (2024), and in 2025 a sponsored post describes many overseas visitors on a county-run familiarisation tour. For 2026 the official timetable lists a kimjang session for foreign visitors on Thursday 5 November, 13:00–16:00, run by the Jinji Museum in front of the world-kimchi exhibition tent on the lawn — but as of 19 October no sign-up method, capacity or price had been published. The official website is Korean only, and the paid pre-booked sessions are reserved through it. Realistic options if you cannot book: the walk-in kimjang stalls (09:00–18:00, pay on the spot), tasting and buying at the kimchi market, the grilling zone, and the free master's class if a booked guest fails to check in 30 minutes before the start.

Weather and crowds

Early November here is milder than you might expect: 8 of the 13 posts that mention weather call it warm or pleasant, and in 2023 one writer found it too hot for kimchi-making. It rained on and off on the first day of 2024 and the dirt car park turned to mud. Dawn starts are chilly. Ten posts describe big crowds — the longest queues were for restaurants at weekend lunchtime and in front of the stage on concert nights — while a weekday afternoon visitor found the car park half empty.

Getting there and access

Goesan has no train station and every writer drove. Without a car, take an intercity bus from Dong Seoul Terminal to Goesan Bus Terminal (about 10 a day, 1 h 54 min, ₩13,500 on the July 2026 timetable) or from Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal (about 1 h 5 min). From Goesan's terminal the festival square, next to the county office, is a little over 1 km — roughly 15 minutes on foot, or a short taxi ride. Drivers have three official car parks (661 Seobu-ri; the county office at 92 Imkkeokjeong-ro; and the riverside lot at 217-1 Seobu-ri); the lot was already filling at 9 am on a weekend. The organisers had not announced a shuttle bus for 2026 as of 19 October.

No post mentions wheelchairs or pushchairs. The site is flat — a lawn, a stadium and car parks — and kimjang is done standing at a table, though one writer's husband with a bad back was brought a chair and worked sitting down. Toilets inside the sports hall were described as clean, and there were sofas and bean bags under shade tents. Expect a walk from the car park to the tents; one writer suggests arriving 30 minutes early.

Year by year

Autumn 2023

3–5 November, Friday to Sunday; the county counted 32,700 visitors and the 700 pre-booked slots sold out before opening. On the first morning many stalls were still setting up and smoke from the fires stung one writer's eyes; walk-in kimjang cost ₩137,000 for 20 kg. The free photo prints and the opening-night concert and fireworks were praised.

Autumn 2024

1–3 November, Friday to Sunday; 66,597 visitors. Rain on the first day turned the dirt car park to mud; there was a drone show at the opening and a TV singing-contest recording. Booked kimjang was ₩137,000 for 20 kg, with ₩5,000 in local vouchers back per 10 kg. Free boiled pork, a tasting vote between the villages' kimchi and the grilling zone were the hits.

Autumn 2025

Extended to four days, 6–9 November, Thursday to Sunday; 123,394 visitors by the county's count. The theme was "all the kimchi in the world × bonfire party". Booked kimjang rose to ₩148,000 for 20 kg (₩170,000 organic). The weather was so mild the bonfires went quiet; finding the right car park was the main complaint; restaurant prices were called honest; and the first children's kimjang post appears.

Tips from people who went

  • Pre-booked sessions sell out within days of the site opening in mid-October — by 19 October 2026 almost every slot was gone
  • Bring your own kimchi tubs (two large ones for 20 kg) and a cool box; nothing extra can be ordered on the day
  • The seasoning paste is all you get, so do not over-stuff the first heads
  • Wear nothing you mind staining; aprons and gloves are provided
  • Booked guests show the confirmation text at the gate and check in 30 minutes before their slot
  • Without a booking, taste at several farm stalls before choosing one for walk-in kimjang; the free boiled pork is near the entrance
  • The ₩5,000 local vouchers per 10 kg are collected from the operations tent and spent inside the festival
  • Weekday afternoons are quietest; concert evenings and weekend lunchtimes are packed
  • Pair it with the ginkgo avenue at Mungwang Reservoir, ten minutes by car

The 29 posts we read

  1. 23-01 · 2023-11-03 2023 괴산김장축제 다녀온 후기, 괴산김치축제 가수 주차장 정보
  2. 23-02 · 2023-11-04 2023 괴산김장축제
  3. 23-04 · 2023-11-06 [괴산 가볼만한곳] 절임배추의 원조 괴산 김장축제 방문후기!
  4. 23-07 · 2023-11-10 괴산 김장축제 방문기 and 김치 만들기 넘사벽인 사람 추천
  5. 23-09 · 2023-11-14 2023_11월
  6. 23-10 · 2023-11-15 2023-11-01｜가을이화/괴산김장축제/무심천드래곤/보테가/첫번째 결혼....
  7. 23-13 · 2023-11-23 [괴산] 문광저수지 은행나무 길 사진 맛집! / 2023 괴산 김장축제 개막....
  8. 23-19 · 2023-11-03 괴산김장축제 첫날 방문 후기
  9. 23-26 · 2023-11-04 괴산 김장 축제 김장체험 안내
  10. 24-02 · 2024-11-02 충북괴산 김장축제, 월동준비 하러 출발해 볼까요?
  11. 24-03 · 2024-11-03 2024 괴산 김장 축제 충북 11월 가을 먹거리 김치 축제 후기
  12. 24-04 · 2024-11-04 괴산 김장축제 드라이브스루 방문 후기
  13. 24-06 · 2024-11-07 2024 괴산 김장축제 김장 먹거리 후기 , 몇 kg가 적당할지?
  14. 24-09 · 2024-11-10 2024 괴산김장축제 다녀온 후기
  15. 24-11 · 2024-11-13 2024괴산 김장축제 다녀온 후기(11.30까지 마을김장축제진행중)
  16. 24-22 · 2024-12-05 내게 언제의 나를 사랑하냐고 물으면 바로 지금
  17. 24-24 · 2024-11-02 2024 괴산김장축제 기본정보 드론쇼 불꽃놀이 가수 진욱 키썸 개막식....
  18. 24-25 · 2024-11-03 김장 양념 세트 한포기김장 만들기
  19. 24-26 · 2024-11-04 [원정수영]영법촬영 가능한 충북 괴산 중원대학교 실내수영장 50M레....
  20. 25-06 · 2025-11-11 2025 괴산김장축제
  21. 25-07 · 2025-11-12 충북 괴산 가볼만한곳 2025 괴산 김장축제 마지막날 다녀온 후기
  22. 25-10 · 2025-11-15 2025 괴산김장축제 원스톱 김장체험, 괴산아침식사 서울식당 올갱이....
  23. 25-22 · 2025-11-07 괴산 김장축제 김치 가격 출연가수 드라이브 스루 김장 담그기?
  24. 25-23 · 2025-11-08 괴산호 SUP & 김장축제 후기
  25. 25-24 · 2025-11-09 괴산 김장축제를 가다
  26. 25-31 · 2025-11-06 괴산 김장축제 가격 무료행사 주차팁 정보 후기
  27. 25-37 · 2025-11-07 충청 {괴산 김장 축제} 1시간 안에 재료부터 김장까지 쉽게 끝내는 ....
  28. 25-40 · 2025-11-07 가을의 끝자락, 온기 가득했던 괴산 김장축제
  29. 25-46 · 2025-11-08 2025 괴산김장축제 어린이 김장체험 후기 #괴산여행#괴산김장축제

All posts are in Korean. We summarise them in our own words rather than quoting.