The 2026 Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival wrapped up Sunday, setting all-time records for both attendance and on-site sales over its five-day run.
According to Hoengseong-gun and the Hoengseong Culture and Tourism Foundation, 400,163 visitors attended the 22nd Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival at the Seomgang riverside grounds from Wednesday through Sunday, generating on-site sales of 4.4 billion won ($3.29 million) — record highs in both categories.
Compared with last year's figures of 326,000 visitors and 3.6 billion won in sales, attendance rose 23 percent and revenue climbed 22 percent.
On Friday alone — the first day of the Hangul Day holiday weekend — 100,000 people turned out. A single-day turnout of that scale rivals this year's top-drawing events, including the Seoul Lantern Festival Christmas Market and the Yeongwol Danjong Festival.
With an average of 80,000 visitors per day, all 300 head of Hoengseong hanwoo cattle prepared by three livestock organizations sold out. Lines stretched before the grilling area at every lunch and dinner service, where the livestock groups sold beef at the same prices as their own retail stores.
Hoengseong-gun credited the results to its new "stay-and-linger festival" theme, introduced for the first time this year.
Evening programming kept daytime visitors well into the night — and often through to the next morning. The "Seomgang Starlight Lantern Festa" lit up the riverside, a nightly "Elegant Music Festa" ran throughout the event, and a "Space Fireworks Show" lit up the sky on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, turning day trips into overnight stays.
A "Retro Carnival" and a "Memory Playground Kids Park," both making their debut this year, drew large numbers of family visitors.
The festival's spillover effect on nearby attractions was also notable: foot traffic on the Hoengseong Lake Trail rose 37 percent during the festival period, while usage at the Hoengseong luge track increased 32 percent.
The event also dovetailed naturally with the National Foundation Day holiday and the Anheung Steamed Bun Festival, contributing to the broader local economy. Daily average visitors to the Hanwoo Experience Center ran 2.3 times higher than usual.
Kim Dae-jung, head of the festival foundation, thanked visitors, local residents and livestock farmers for making the event a success. "Based on visitor satisfaction surveys and performance reviews, we will build on the potential of the 'stay-and-linger festival' concept we confirmed this year and come back next year as a Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival that people will want to return to," Kim said.
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