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FestivalAutumn 2026

Mungyeong Apple Festival

문경사과축제

This edition · Data as of · Published · Compiled by

An apple festival at the foot of the Mungyeong Saejae pass in North Gyeongsang: dozens of local orchards set up stalls and slice apples for you to taste as you walk, then sell by the box — the star is Gamhong, a sweet, fragrant local variety. Behind the site runs Saejae, a Joseon-era road over the mountains with old gates, which most visitors walk after shopping. The 2026 festival (the 21st) runs 17 October – 1 November; entry is free (per the 2026 Korea Tourism Organization listing) and parking was free in 2025. We read Korean blog posts from people who went in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Mungyeong Apple Festival
2026 문경사과축제 (3).jpg
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type3). Shown uncropped, as supplied.

What’s on

From the festival website, the 2026 leaflet and the Korea Tourism Organization listing (checked 19 October). The site is open 09:00–18:00 (per the KTO listing); stage events run roughly 11:00–17:00. The listing also mentions apple picking at farms, apple sticker tattoos, cornhole and an “Apple Day”, with no dates, venues or prices, so they are not in the list below.

By the Old Road Museum and the first gate

Apple and local produce marketWalk-in
17 Oct – 1 Nov · Daytime
Thirty orchards, with tasting.

Outdoor stage

Opening ceremony and concertWalk-in
17 Oct · 14:00
Korean pop and trot singers.
Singing contest finalWalk-in
18 Oct · 15:00–17:00
Warm-up from noon.

Lawn

Apple games and local performersWalk-in
18, 24, 25, 31 Oct, 1 Nov · 11:00–17:00
Apple-eating and peeling contests.

Play zone

Wooden playground, apple hats, photo boothWalk-inFree
17 Oct – 1 Nov · 45 minutes on, 15 off
Free.

Announced on the day

Free apple giveawayWalk-inFree
1 Nov · Pop-up
First come, first served.

Sources: the festival website and 2026 leaflet, the Korea Tourism Organization listing, and Kyongbuk Maeil reports.

The essentials

Dates2026-10-17 – 2026-11-01
WhereMungyeong Saejae Provincial Park, 932 Saejae-ro, Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang
CostFree entry (per the Korea Tourism Organization listing) · parking was free in 2025 · some activities, carts and the film set paid
OrganisersMungyeong City, apple festival committee and Mungyeong Tourism (+82 54-571-7677)
Address경상북도 문경시 문경읍 새재로 932
Contact054-571-7677 · www.mgapple.or.kr/
ProgrammeOpening 17 Oct 2pm, weekend events on the lawn, free apples on 1 Nov — see “What’s on” below.

Official poster

2026 문경사과축제 포스터.jpeg

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

What 22 visitors said

We searched Naver, the blog platform most Koreans use, for 30 posts around each year's festival, read every one to the end, kept only people who went (15, 8 and 6), and used 10, 6 and 6 — 22 in all. Sponsored and official-supporter posts were dropped and no writer is counted twice. Every number counts the posts that mentioned something.

What people liked

Tasting apples farm by farm13 of 22 posts

More than ten tasting stalls; Gamhong is the sweetest 23-17 23-18 23-19 23-21 23-27 23-29 24-13 24-18 24-21 25-08 25-13 25-17 25-24

A walk up the old Saejae pass7 of 22 posts

Streams, old gates, barefoot path, autumn colour 23-03 23-04 23-17 23-19 23-27 24-18 24-22

Activities and play areas for children5 of 22 posts

Craft stalls, a maze, bouncy castles 23-02 23-18 23-21 24-23 25-29

Easy shuttles and electric carts5 of 22 posts

A free shuttle from the Omija park; carts refund a voucher 23-18 23-19 23-21 25-07 25-08

What people struggled with

Traffic and parking14 of 22 posts

Queues from 2km out; the near car parks full by mid-morning 23-02 23-04 23-08 23-18 23-21 23-29 24-13 24-18 24-21 24-22 25-08 25-13 25-24 25-29

Apples are not cheap6 of 22 posts

Gamhong ₩50,000–70,000 for 5kg 23-02 23-03 23-17 24-21 25-08 25-17

Little food at the site6 of 22 posts

No food trucks; queues and early-closing restaurants 23-03 23-21 23-29 24-21 25-24 25-29

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

Who goes, and when

Couples, families and coach parties. 15 of the 22 posts call it crowded, nearly all at weekends; on opening day and when trot singers performed, people could not get near the stage. On weekdays the pass was quiet. The usual half day is buying apples, then walking the old road. Gamhong is plentiful early on and ran out near the end one year.

Who they went with

With children5 of 22 posts
With parents or adult family2 of 22 posts
As a couple6 of 22 posts
In a group (incl. volunteer teams)1 of 22 posts

8 of the 22 posts did not say.

Time of day

Day into night6 of 22 posts
Afternoon5 of 22 posts
Morning2 of 22 posts

9 of the 22 posts did not say.

Visiting from abroad

None of the posts mention foreign visitors; the festival's English page is just a banner. It works without Korean — tasting is free and prices are on the boxes. Ask for 감홍 (Gamhong). Most farms ship within Korea, which helps if you are staying on. Walk at least to the first gate of Saejae; restaurants near the park stop seating around 5pm.

Weather and crowds

It is a mountain valley: the sun drops early and late afternoons turn cold. Opening day 2023 ended in a downpour. The leaves turn in the last week of October.

Getting there and access

At weekends traffic backs up 2km from the entrance and the near car parks (1 and 2) are full by 9–10am. Public car parks are free during the festival; park in lots 3 or 4 and taste your way up, or take the free shuttle (every 10 minutes) from the Omija theme park. Electric carts run further up the valley (₩1,000 refunded as a voucher in 2025). By public transport: intercity buses from Dong Seoul to Jeomchon or Mungyeong, or KTX to Mungyeong station; in 2025 local buses were free during the festival and a free bus ran from the station.

The site is flat and pushchair-friendly, but it is a long walk from the car parks — bring a pushchair or wagon for small children. Disabled drivers could use reserved spaces in the near lots, and the shuttle took a wheelchair (2024). There was no baby-changing room in 2023. The Saejae path has foot-washing taps and shoe lockers for barefoot walkers.

Year by year

Autumn 2023

14–29 October. Trot singers on opening day jammed the roads before a downpour; there were no food trucks on site.

Autumn 2024

19–27 October. Car parks filled even on weekdays; children's activities were few and pricey, one post said.

Autumn 2025

18–26 October, with sales to 2 November. A picnic area and kids' play zone were added; the Gamhong harvest came late.

Tips from people who went

  • At weekends arrive before 10am, or go on a weekday
  • Park in lots 3–4 or take the Omija park shuttle
  • Taste at several farms before buying
  • Buy Gamhong early in the festival
  • Walk Saejae in the morning, in good shoes
  • Bring a packed lunch for the picnic area
  • Walk up, ride the cart down

The 22 posts we read

  1. 23-02 · 2023-10-15 문경사과축제 기본정보 및 주차하는 방법 (with 이찬원, 정동원)
  2. 23-03 · 2023-10-16 문경새재 트래킹&문경사과축제-(2023.10.14)
  3. 23-04 · 2023-10-16 문경새재 단풍은 이제 시작! 사과축제도 함께 즐겨요^^
  4. 23-08 · 2023-10-18 [문경 1박 2일] 달인을 찾아서 :: 뉴욕제과 + 남부떡볶이 + 영흥반점 + ....
  5. 23-17 · 2023-10-22 2023문경사과축제의 현장에 다녀왔어요!!
  6. 23-18 · 2023-10-23 경상북도 가을 여행지 단풍과 낙엽이 멋진 산책코스 문경새재 / 사....
  7. 23-19 · 2023-10-24 지금 여기 문경 사과축제와 가을이 깊어가는 새재길 걷기
  8. 23-21 · 2023-10-25 문경사과축제 기본정보 감홍, 시나노골드 가격 가을축제 가볼만한....
  9. 23-27 · 2023-10-28 [문경새재] 단풍이 어마어마한 2023 문경사과축제
  10. 23-29 · 2023-11-01 단풍이 얼마나 물 들었나? 문경새재 사과 축제 기간에 다녀온 따끈....
  11. 24-13 · 2024-10-20 2024 문경사과축제 주말 방문, 축제 정보
  12. 24-18 · 2024-10-21 2024 문경 사과 축제 대충후기- 일찍 일어난 새가 빠르게 주차장을 섭....
  13. 24-21 · 2024-10-24 2024 문경사과축제 후기
  14. 24-22 · 2024-10-24 문경새재 야유회 소풍 (ft. 사과 축제)
  15. 24-23 · 2024-10-25 2024 문경사과축제 문경새재 기본정보 행사일정 배치도 관람후기
  16. 24-29 · 2024-10-29 가을, 은행 단풍길 보러 온 영주 부석사 여행
  17. 25-07 · 2025-10-18 문경사과축제 2025 뜨거운 현장 10월 가을 여행 필수 가볼만한 코스
  18. 25-08 · 2025-10-19 2025 문경사과축제 주말방문 후기 / 볼거리 셔틀버스정보 주차 먹거....
  19. 25-13 · 2025-10-22 10월 가볼만한곳_문경사과축제_감홍 가격과 주차
  20. 25-17 · 2025-10-24 [문경 여행] 문경사과축제 후기, 문경새재 문경가볼만한곳 국내여행....
  21. 25-24 · 2025-10-31 |문경 맛집| 문경새재 블루리본 새재할매집(2025 문경사과축제 후기)
  22. 25-29 · 2025-11-18 문경새재 단풍시기 사과축제 감홍사과 입장료 아기와 여행 주차 식....

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