Goesan Kimjang Festival 2026 Nov 5-8: Amazing Hands-On Kimchi Making Complete Guide

The Goesan Kimjang Festival lets you make kimchi on the spot, with no reservation needed for batches under 20 kg. 🥬 It runs November 5–8 at Goesan Organic Expo Plaza, with a KRW 7 million kimchi contest and two big concerts. Read this before you go: here’s the full guide to what needs booking and what doesn’t. 🔥

※ Check the official website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

The Goesan Kimjang Festival runs 4 days, November 5–8, and batches under 20 kg need no reservation. 🥬 Village kimchi-making runs all through November and is booked on Goesan’s online market. 🔥

The Goesan Kimjang Festival is a kimchi-making culture festival in Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province, held Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8, 2026 around Goesan Organic Expo Plaza (90 Imkkeokjeong-ro, Goesan-eup). Kimjang (김장, also romanized gimjang) is the Korean tradition of making large batches of kimchi together in late autumn to last through winter, and it is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Based on official announcements as of October 30, 2026. The opening concert features Byeon Jin-seop (변진섭), Kim Beom-ryong (김범룡) and Kim Da-hyeon (김다현). The kimchi contest has 12 finalist teams and a total prize of KRW 7 million. Programs differ in whether they need booking, so this guide separates what needs a reservation from what you can join on the day.

The official website is in Korean only. Your browser’s translate feature (e.g., Chrome → Translate) works well for checking dates and prices.

Festival Schedule (Korean)

1. Goesan Kimjang Festival: 4 Steps to Book Kimchi Making

Useful Korean: 예약 없이 (yeyak eopsi) means “without a reservation,” 현장 (hyeonjang) means “on-site,” and 김장 (gimjang) means communal kimchi making. Official booking pages are in Korean, so these three words help when you translate them.

Step 1: Under 20 kg, Make It On the Spot

You can make kimchi at the festival without a reservation. Napa cabbage kimchi, altari kimchi (made with small ponytail radishes) and green onion kimchi are all on offer. The on-the-spot option covers batches under 20 kg. That makes it the main route now that advance reservations are closed. Decide how much your group will carry home before you go.

Step 2: Village Kimchi-Making Is Booked on Goesan’s Online Market

The village program takes place at 15 participating farms in Goesan County and is booked through Goesan Jangter, the county’s online market. It runs from November 1 to 30, so you are not tied to the festival dates. Each 10 kg of kimchi earns 5,000 points, described as a payback. I could not confirm whether the booking pages offer English, so plan to use a translation tool. Check available dates and farm conditions there.

Step 3: Know Which Programs Need Reservations

The one-stop kimjang is booked on the festival website, and every session is reported as full. The drive-through kimjang gives each group its own booth, including large booths of 100 kg or more, and also requires booking. The Master’s Kimjang House features kimchi master Lee Ha-yeon (이하연), with 30 people per session across 8 sessions, and takes both reservations and on-site registration. The kimjang culture program for children and teenagers requires booking, with 40 participants per session.

Step 4: Check the Points Conditions

At 5,000 points per 10 kg, a 20 kg batch earns 10,000 points and 30 kg earns 15,000 points. The timing and usage of the points were not confirmed. Read the conditions on the booking page before you apply.

2. Dates, Venue & How to Get There

Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8

The festival runs Thursday to Sunday. An opening ceremony with a celebration concert, and a closing ceremony with a closing concert, each end with fireworks. Start times for individual programs were not confirmed, so check the official program for concert and comedy show times.

Venue: 90 Imkkeokjeong-ro, Goesan-eup

The venue is Goesan Organic Expo Plaza, and activities such as kimchi making, the bonfire grilling zone and the kimchi exhibition hall are held in and around it. Everything appears to be in one area, but no booth map was confirmed. I could not confirm train or bus times from Seoul or Incheon Airport either. The transport hub linked in More to Explore lists express bus timetables (in Korean).

On-Site Programs

On-site programs include a kimchi exhibition hall, free printed photos at a kimjang photo spot, a receipt roulette event and a free Hanwoo pork suyuk tasting (suyuk is boiled pork). The “Kimchi of the World” K-Kimchi Market sells ready-made kimchi from across Korea and local farm products, and on-the-spot kimjang is also available there. A radish-and-cabbage carrying contest and yutnori, a traditional board game, make up the town-versus-town events.

💡 Check Agoda or Booking.com for stays near Goesan, and compare cancellation terms before you book!

Kimjang means carrying your kimchi home, so transport planning matters. If you need a room, search early so your schedule doesn’t get tight on the day. Parking details were not confirmed, so check the official website. Allow extra time for loading your car or luggage when you choose your arrival time.

3. 5 Tips for Foreign Visitors

Check the 20 kg Limit First

The walk-in option covers batches under 20 kg only. If your group needs more, don’t rely on the festival site alone. Look at booking-based options such as village kimchi-making instead. Working out your quantity before the trip prevents a wasted visit.

Separate Closed Bookings from Open Programs

The one-stop kimjang reservation is reported as full for every session. On-the-spot kimjang, the bonfire grilling zone and the K-Kimchi Market can be joined on-site. The Master’s Kimjang House takes both reservations and walk-ins, but with only 30 people per session. Availability can change, so check the official site once more.

Village Kimchi-Making Runs All November

It runs from November 1 to 30, so you can join outside the festival dates. If the festival weekend doesn’t suit your trip, choose another day. With 15 farms taking part, dates and quantities may differ from farm to farm. Check the available dates on Goesan Jangter first.

The Bonfire Zone Is Walk-In

You can try skewers, grilled pork belly with kimchi and roasted chestnuts around the bonfire. No reservation requirement was mentioned, but prices and hours were not confirmed. A free Hanwoo pork suyuk tasting is also held, so time your meals around it.

Admission and Parking Are Unconfirmed

The sources used here did not confirm admission fees or parking, so this guide won’t call the festival free or paid. Guessing could cause trouble at the gate. Check the official website and Goesan County notices just before you go.

4. Concerts, Comedy Shows & Kimchi Contest

Opening, Closing and Bonfire Concerts

The opening concert features Byeon Jin-seop (변진섭), Kim Beom-ryong (김범룡) and Kim Da-hyeon (김다현). The closing concert features Chun-gil (춘길), Irune (이루네) and Park Da-min (박다민). Fireworks follow both concerts. The bonfire concert features the male duo Yuri Sangja (유리상자) along with Kim Hee-sung (김희성) and Lee Dong-hyun (이동현), winners of the Organic Goesan Song Contest. The running order and times were not confirmed, so check the official program.

The Comedy Show

A comedy show runs twice a day, with performers including Kim Hak-rae (김학래), Bae Yeong-man (배영만), Lee Yong-sik (이용식) and Kim Bo-hwa (김보화). Whether the lineup changes daily was not confirmed. Even if you come mainly for the concerts, checking the comedy show times lets you add a second performance to your day.

The National Kimjang Contest

The contest uses Goesan salted cabbage and Goesan chili peppers, with 12 finalist teams competing for a total prize of KRW 7 million. It is organized and supported by the Jinji Museum and the Korea Kimchi Association. A separate contest, “Our Town’s Kimjang Master,” features representatives from each town, who are judged on aged kimchi and same-day cabbage kimchi. Visitors can taste the entries and vote for their favorites.

Contest Details (Korean)

5. Village Kimchi-Making vs On-the-Spot Kimchi at a Glance

There are two main ways to make kimchi: the month-long village program and on-the-spot kimjang at the festival. They differ in quantity and schedule, and their booking methods are opposites. Points are offered only for village kimchi-making.

6. Where to Eat & Stay Nearby

Food at the Festival

The sources used did not confirm restaurant or hotel names and prices around Goesan-eup, so none are recommended here. Confirmed food programs include the bonfire grilling zone with skewers, grilled pork belly with kimchi and roasted chestnuts, plus the free Hanwoo suyuk tasting. The K-Kimchi Market also sells ready-made kimchi and local farm products.

Overnight Stays and Day Trips

For a room, compare stays near Goesan on Agoda, Booking.com or Trip.com. Hotel availability during the festival was not confirmed, so searching early is safer. Check cancellation terms and check-in times before you book.

💡 Compare hotel locations and cancellation terms on Trip.com before you commit!

Plan travel time and accommodation together to avoid rushing on site. Storing and carrying your kimchi takes longer than expected. Compare check-out times with your visit schedule, and check the distance from your hotel to 90 Imkkeokjeong-ro.

Frequently Asked Questions

More to Explore

Before you head to Goesan, sort out your stay and transport together. You can compare hotels on Agoda or Booking.com and check booking pages with a translation tool. Kimchi adds luggage, so settle your way of getting around early.

Heading to Goesan by express bus? Check the timetable in advance — note that this page is in Korean, so your browser’s translate feature will help.

Source: Festival official website program information, Goesan Jangter village kimchi-making guide (as of October 2026)