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Hi, I’m SeoulAslanGimcheon Gimbap Festival 2026: Dates, Shuttles, How to Go
Checked Oct 11, 2026
The Gimcheon Gimbap Festival (김천김밥축제) runs Fri Oct 23 to Sun Oct 25, 2026, in the parks beside Jikjisa Temple in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. It is a third-year festival that drew about 100,000 people in 2024 and about 150,000 over two days in 2025, and gimbap ran short both years. This year it adds a third day, a shuttle fleet, a taxi service and ordering by QR code. The Korea Tourism Organization listing says entry is free, and I found no price list for the food. Hours are 09:00 to 18:00 (opening at 10:00 on Oct 23), per the Korea Tourism Organization listing; the festival's own front page shows 10:00 to 18:00. From Seoul you can take a Kakao T shuttle that goes straight to the festival, or the KTX to Gimcheon-Gumi Station (김천구미역) and a festival shuttle from there.
Remember eating gimbap on a mountain hike? Gimbap is my soul food, and for gimbap I'll go anywhere. That is why this guide goes through the news about earlier years: the hard part here is getting in and getting fed, not finding the place.
Jump to: What it is · When and where · Shuttle · Taxi · From Seoul · Past years · Beating the sell-out · FAQ
What is the Gimcheon Gimbap Festival?
Gimcheon is a city of about 130,000 people. Gimbap (김밥) is rice and fillings rolled in seaweed, an everyday Korean food. The festival grew out of a city survey in which many people linked Gimcheon with "Gimbap Heaven" (김밥천국), a common name for cheap gimbap restaurants (Seoul Shinmun). The first festival was in 2024, and 2026 is the third. The festival's front page splits the grounds into four themed zones:
- Gimbap Plaza (김밥광장): a gimbap factory, premium local gimbap, snack foods, a dessert zone, a flea market and a water-gazing area.
- Gimbap Heaven (김밥천국): quirky gimbap from across the country, a custom-gimbap workshop, booths selling the cook-king contest winners, a busking stage and a poem-and-photo exhibition.
- Event Gimbap Zone (이벤트김밥존): a stage, limited-edition gimbap, the mascot Kkodari (꼬달이) goods shop and a picnic zone.
- Gimbap Playground (김밥놀이터): for kids, with a four-season sled, a bouncy castle and a maze.
The city's press release, as reported on Oct 8 and 9, counts more than 60 kinds of gimbap and adds ordering and paying by KakaoPay QR code to cut the lines. The official lineup card names the performers Bobby Kim (바비킴), Jada (자두), Cheeze (치즈), Dongmija Bicycle Music Band (동미자전거음악단) and Park Young-jin (박영진). I have not copied the days and times, because I could not read them reliably; they are on the festival site.
When and where is it, and what are the hours?
The dates are Oct 23 to 25, 2026. The Korea Tourism Organization's listing gives the address as 118 Jikjisa-gil, Daehang-myeon, Gimcheon (경북 김천시 대항면 직지사길 118) and the hours as 09:00 to 18:00, with Oct 23 starting at 10:00. The festival's front page shows 10:00 to 18:00 for all three days, and the vendor recruitment notices on the same site say 09:00 to 18:00. Those do not agree, so plan around the later start on Friday and check the front page again before you leave. The organizer line is 054-420-6714, the Gimcheon city tourism policy office, and 053-965-0910 is the festival agency.
The site and its notices are Korean only. I did not find an English page for the festival, apart from news reports in English.
How does the festival shuttle work?
The festival poster for the shuttle, posted Oct 6, lists three stops, all with a bus every 20 minutes (the poster says traffic may change this):
| Day | Runs | Break |
|---|---|---|
| Fri Oct 23 | 10:00–12:00 · 13:00–16:00 · 17:00–19:00 | 12:00–13:00 and 16:00–17:00 |
| Sat Oct 24 and Sun Oct 25 | 8:00–12:00 · 13:00–16:00 · 17:00–19:00 | 12:00–13:00 and 16:00–17:00 |
The stops are the Gimcheon Comprehensive Sports Town parking lot (김천종합스포츠타운 주차장), KTX Gimcheon-Gumi Station (KTX김천구미역) and Gimcheon Station (김천역). The city's press release of Oct 5, as reported, says the buses run from those three stops to the Jikji No. 2 public parking lot (직지 제2공영주차장) beside the festival, with 60 large buses: 40 at the sports town, 14 at KTX Gimcheon-Gumi and 6 at Gimcheon Station. A line on the poster says riders get 1,000 won off at Daejeong Gimbap (대정김밥). The poster shows no fare, so I can't tell you what the ride costs, and I won't call it free.
Last year the shuttle was a weak point, so read the sections below before you rely on it. A 2025 report said visitors waited more than an hour for a bus.
What is the "Picnic Taxi", and how much is it?
Picnic Taxi (소풍택시) is a tourist on-demand taxi: no fixed route, you call it from a start point to an end point. The notice of Oct 6 gives these terms:
| Ride | Fare |
|---|---|
| Gimcheon Station ⇄ Jikjisa (festival) | 8,000 won |
| KTX Gimcheon-Gumi Station ⇄ Jikjisa (festival) | 8,000 won |
| Gimcheon Sports Town ⇄ Jikjisa (festival) | 5,000 won |
- Hours: 08:00 to 21:00, with calls accepted until 20:30, Oct 23 to 25.
- Seats: up to 4 passengers. A full car from the station works out to 2,000 won each, my own division of 8,000 by 4.
- Pay: the driver collects the fare shown in the app, on the spot.
- Book: the Picnic Taxi app, usable from Oct 19, or the call center at 1877-8293. Questions go to the Gimcheon city transport office, 054-420-6251.
The poster has small print under the fares that was too small for me to read, so check the app for the fare if you start from anywhere else.
How do I get there from Seoul and other cities?
Two ways. The first is the Kakao T Shuttle (카카오T 셔틀), which the city launched with Kakao Mobility on Sep 22. The Asia Business Daily's English edition says it runs direct, non-stop routes to the festival from Seoul (Jamsil, Sadang and Seoul stations), Daejeon (City Hall Station), Daegu (Banwoldang Station), Gwangju (the Comprehensive Bus Terminal) and Busan (Seomyeon Station). You pick the date and the starting point in the Shuttle menu of the Kakao T app, under the local festivals list. Each rider gets two pieces of Kkodari merchandise and a roll of gimbap. The article gives no fare and no departure times, and neither does the festival's notice, so the booking screen is where you find them. If you have not used Kakao T, Can you use Uber in Korea? explains how it works for foreigners.
The second is the train. KTX Gimcheon-Gumi Station is on the high-speed line, and the festival shuttle and the Picnic Taxi both start there. How to book the KTX as a foreigner covers the booking. I did not check the KTX timetable or fare for this guide.
Naver Map pins
| # | Place | Naver Map |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jikjisa Temple (직지사) | Open |
| 2 | Jikji Culture Park (직지문화공원) | Open |
| 3 | Samyeongdaesa Park (사명대사공원) | Open |
| 4 | KTX Gimcheon-Gumi Station (김천구미역) | Open |
| 5 | Gimcheon Station (김천역) | Open |
| 6 | Gimcheon Comprehensive Sports Town (김천종합스포츠타운) | Open |
New to Naver Map? Naver Map vs Kakao Map vs Google Maps explains it. The festival also says it has its own Kakao Map with the zone layout and the show times, opened by a QR code on site.
What happened at the festival in 2024 and 2025?
This is the part I wanted to check. I remember a news story about a gimbap festival, maybe last year or so. I'd heard huge crowds came, and the ingredients ran out so fast that many visitors left disappointed. So I looked it up. It was not last year but the first festival, in 2024, and the story holds up.
| Year | Crowd | What went wrong | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 (Oct 26–27) | About 100,000 over two days, per the city. The city is home to about 130,000 people. | On Oct 26 at about 2 pm the city's social media said the gimbap zone's ingredients would run out by 3 pm. On Oct 27 at about 2 pm it said gimbap sales had ended. Some visitors ate tteokbokki or hamburgers instead. A city official said the first-time festival had problems with traffic, gimbap supply and system management. | Seoul Shinmun and SBS Biz, Oct 28, 2024 |
| 2025 (Oct 25–26) | About 80,000 on day one, about 150,000 over two days, as reported | More than 100,000 servings prepared and 32 gimbap vendors, up from 8. Some booths still sold out before noon on day one. A report of visitors waiting more than an hour for the shuttle. | Wikitree, Oct 25, 2025; Segye Ilbo, Oct 27, 2025 |
The 80,000 figure for day one is from Wikitree, which does not say who counted. The 150,000 total is from Segye Ilbo's report. Treat both as press numbers, not official counts.
For 2026 the city says it has changed several things: a third day, the extra Eco-friendly Ecology Park, ordering by QR code, more than 60 kinds of gimbap, 60 shuttle buses, the taxi, the Kakao T direct buses, the festival Kakao Map, 3 new women's toilet blocks (5 units) and a luggage storage service (the Oct 8 to 9 reports of the city's release). I have read those through press reports, not the release itself. Vendors were recruited in August: the festival site lists 17 gimbap, 7 snack-food and 5 dessert vendors, plus 50 flea market and activity booths. That is what was advertised for, not the final count.
How do I get gimbap before it sells out?
This is my read of the numbers above, not an official rule. In 2024 gimbap was gone by 3 pm on day one and was ended at 2 pm on day two. In 2025 some booths were out before noon on day one. So plan to buy gimbap early, not after you have looked around. If you come on the Friday, the festival opens at 10:00, so that is your earliest chance. The festival's own Kakao Map and QR ordering are meant to shorten the lines, but I can't tell yet how well they will work.
- Come by public transport. The city admitted traffic problems in 2024, and visitors that year complained about the shuttle service as well (Seoul Shinmun).
- Keep a plan B for the shuttle. The Picnic Taxi is a fixed price, but at 8,000 won for the car it only makes sense if you share it.
- Have something else to eat. Visitors in 2024 fell back on tteokbokki and convenience-store triangle gimbap.
- Dress for late October outdoors. It is a park, not a hall. That is my advice, not the organizers'.
FAQ
When is the Gimcheon Gimbap Festival 2026?
Fri Oct 23 to Sun Oct 25, 2026. Hours are 09:00 to 18:00 per the Korea Tourism Organization, with Oct 23 opening at 10:00. The festival's front page says 10:00 to 18:00.
Is the Gimbap Festival free?
The Korea Tourism Organization listing says entry is free. I found no price list for the food, so I can't say how much gimbap costs. The shuttle fare is not on the poster either.
How do I get to Gimcheon from Seoul?
Take the Kakao T Shuttle from Jamsil, Sadang or Seoul station, booked in the Kakao T app, or take the KTX to Gimcheon-Gumi Station and the festival shuttle or a Picnic Taxi from there.
Can I drive to the Gimbap Festival?
You can, but the city admitted traffic problems in 2024. The only parking lot named in the city's transport notice is the Jikji No. 2 public lot, where the shuttles end. I found no price or space count.
Can I read the festival information in English?
Not that I found. The festival site is in Korean. An English report from the Asia Business Daily covers the Kakao T Shuttle.
Is the shuttle free?
I don't know. The poster shows no fare.
Shuttle, parking and the Oct 24 and 25 crowds
I'll look again for the final shuttle and parking notices, the show days and times, and any statement on the Oct 24 and 25 crowds, and update this page. I haven't been to this festival, so this is a read of official notices and news, not a visit.
Sources
- Gimcheon Gimbap Festival, official site gimbapcity.kr (Korean): front page, zones, shuttle poster, Picnic Taxi poster and Kakao T Shuttle notice, all dated Oct 6, 2026; recruitment notices
- Korea Tourism Organization, festival listing for the 2026 Gimcheon Gimbap Festival (as shown on ktriptips.com): dates, address, free entry, hours, phone
- The Asia Business Daily, "Gimcheon City to Launch Nationwide Direct Shuttles for Gimcheon Kimbap Festival", Sep 22, 2026
- Seoul Shinmun, report on the 2024 festival, Oct 28, 2024 (Korean)
- SBS Biz, report on the 2024 festival, Oct 28, 2024 (Korean)
- Wikitree, report on the first day of the 2025 festival, Oct 25, 2025 (Korean)
- Segye Ilbo, report on gimbap shortages at the 2025 festival, Oct 27, 2025 (Korean)
- Gimcheon city press release of Oct 5 to 9, 2026, as reported by Seoul Economic TV, Kukmin Ilbo and others (Korean): shuttle fleet, more than 60 kinds of gimbap, QR ordering, toilets, storage
- Photos: Korea Tourism Organization photo gallery, KOGL Type 1 (credited; cropped to size); gimbap hike photo by me
— SeoulAslan
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