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Hi, I’m SeoulAslanPyeongchang Kimjang Festival 2026: Make Kimchi, Nov 4–16
Checked Oct 11, 2026
The 9th Pyeongchang Highland Kimjang Festival (평창고랭지김장축제) runs from Wed Nov 4 to Mon Nov 16, 2026, in Jinbu, Pyeongchang. You get salted highland cabbage and seasoning, and make your own kimchi at a table: 69,000 won for 7 kg of cabbage and 3 kg of seasoning. It's open 09:00–17:00, walk-ins until 16:00. Online booking opens Oct 20, and the festival's own advice for foreigners is to call +82-33-336-4000.
My family always waits for the highland cabbage to come out before we make our kimjang. It's grown up high, so the heads are packed tight and it tastes really good. With kimjang season close, Pyeongchang's news was the first thing I looked up. Everything below comes from the festival's Korean website and notice.
Jump to: Getting there · What it is · Prices · Booking as a foreigner · What to bring · Why highland cabbage · FAQ
How do you get to the Pyeongchang Kimjang Festival?
The festival is at the Pyeongchang Trout Festival grounds (평창송어축제장), inside Jinbu-myeon Sports Park (진부면민체육공원). Address: 강원 평창군 진부면 오대천로 1958-27.
- KTX: take the Gangneung Line KTX from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station (진부(오대산)역). From there it's about 10 minutes by bus or taxi. Booking KTX from abroad is covered in how to book KTX as a foreigner.
- Intercity bus: buses run from Dong Seoul (동서울) and Seoul Nambu (서울남부) terminals to Jinbu Intercity Bus Terminal (진부시외버스터미널). The festival is a 10-minute walk from there.
- Car: Yeongdong Expressway to Jinbu IC, then 3 minutes.
For a taxi, show the driver 평창송어축제장 or the address. Jinbu is also the gateway to Woljeongsa temple and Odaesan, if you want to add a walk. See Pyeongchang in fall.
What is the Pyeongchang Kimjang Festival?
Kimjang (김장) is the yearly job of making a winter's worth of kimchi at once, usually in late autumn. UNESCO added "Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea" to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2013.
The festival lets you do it without a Korean kitchen. The cabbage arrives already salted. You get the seasoning (양념), stand at a table, rub it into each leaf, and pack your kimchi to take away. The festival started in 2016 and has run every year except during COVID, so 2026 is the 9th.
How much does it cost?
| Program | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Kimjang (일품 김장 체험) | 7 kg salted cabbage + 3 kg seasoning | 69,000 won |
| Premium kimjang (프리미엄) | 7 kg + 3 kg, cabbage salted with deep-sea water salt · booking only | 79,000 won |
| Young radish kimchi (알타리) | 5 kg salted radish + 2 kg seasoning | 70,000 won |
The premium cabbage is salted with salt made from seawater drawn from 600 m below the East Sea. The other two use sea salt (천일염).
All ingredients are from Korea. The cabbage, radish, green onion, chili and mustard greens are from Pyeongchang. The salted shrimp is from Ganghwa and the anchovy sauce from Sokcho.
Can foreigners book?
Yes, but online is the hard way. The booking page needs a website account, and it says the name on the bank deposit must match the name on the booking. That's built around Korean bank transfers. The festival's website has one line in English: "If you are foreigner, please call us (+82-33-336-4000)."
- Phone: +82-33-336-4000, 09:00–16:00 KST. When booking opens around Oct 20, that's 20:00–03:00 the evening before in New York (EDT) and 01:00–08:00 in London (BST).
- Online: from Oct 20. Book at least 5 days before your date.
- Walk in: you don't have to book. Booking gets you a fixed time slot. Walk-ins may wait, and the festival suggests coming in the afternoon. Walk-in sign-up closes at 16:00.
Limits: up to 80 kg per person (young radish not counted), and up to 6 people per table.
What should you bring?
The festival hands out disposable gloves, hygiene caps, aprons, kimchi bags and boxes. Bring your own rubber gloves and a kimchi container. Pick one with a lid that seals, or the car or train ride back will smell of kimchi.
You can send your kimchi by parcel delivery from the site, at your own cost. That only helps if you have an address in Korea to send it to.
On site there's boiled pork (수육) and mandu-guk, dumpling soup made with dumplings from Jinbu's older residents, plus stalls selling Pyeongchang produce like potatoes and apples.
Why highland cabbage?
Korea's Rural Development Administration counts farming at 600 m or more above sea level as highland farming (고랭지). Pyeongchang is a plateau with an average height of about 700 m.
Cabbage heads fill out best at 15–18°C, according to the same administration. The festival says Pyeongchang's October days are 15–20°C, so the heads come in firm. It also says Pyeongchang highland cabbage stays crisp until spring, and that all its cabbage, radish, chili and green onion are grown above 500 m in Pyeongchang. Those two are the festival's own claims.
FAQ
When is the Pyeongchang Kimjang Festival 2026?
Wed Nov 4 to Mon Nov 16, 2026, 09:00–17:00. Walk-in sign-up closes at 16:00.
How much is the kimchi-making experience?
69,000 won for 7 kg of salted cabbage and 3 kg of seasoning. Premium is 79,000 won and young radish kimchi 70,000 won.
Do I need to book the kimchi-making experience?
No. Walk-ins are accepted. Booking (online from Oct 20, or by phone) gets you a set time slot.
Can I buy kimchi there without making it?
No. The festival doesn't sell finished kimchi or salted cabbage on their own.
How do I get to the Kimjang Festival from Seoul?
KTX to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station, then about 10 minutes by bus or taxi. Or an intercity bus to Jinbu terminal and a 10-minute walk.
Booking day on Oct 20
Online booking opens Oct 20. I'll check whether it opens on time and whether the site adds an easier way for overseas visitors to pay, and update this page.
Sources
- Pyeongchang Highland Kimjang Festival official site (Korean): programs and prices · booking · about and directions · FAQ
- 9th festival notice (개최 안내) from the festival committee
- UNESCO: Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi
- Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro) on highland farming and cabbage temperature (Korean)
- Photos: Korea Tourism Organization photo gallery, Korea Open Government License Type 1
— SeoulAslan
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