A scene from the 2025 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival. [Gimcheon City]
A scene from the 2025 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival. [Gimcheon City]

The city of Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang Province will hold the 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival from Oct. 23 to 25 at Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and Eco-Friendly Ecological Park, the city announced Wednesday.

This year's festival runs three days — one day longer than last year — and expands the venue to include the ecological park, changes made in response to visitor feedback aimed at creating a more comfortable experience.

To cut wait times for kimbap orders, organizers will introduce a QR-based ordering and payment system developed in partnership with Kakao Pay. Dedicated kiosks and staff guides will also be on hand for visitors who have difficulty using digital devices.

Shuttle bus capacity will be expanded to about 60 vehicles, with boarding stops concentrated at three locations: the Gimcheon General Sports Town parking lot, Gimcheon-Gumi Station and Gimcheon Station.

A demand-responsive tourism transport service called "Sopung Taxi" will also be available, allowing visitors to reach the festival grounds for a flat fare of 5,000 won ($3.60) or 8,000 won.

In partnership with Kakao Mobility, round-trip shuttle buses will connect the festival to major cities including Seoul, Daejeon and Busan.

A dedicated Kakao Map service will be set up to help visitors navigate the grounds, with QR codes providing access to zone-by-zone routes, participating vendors and performance schedules.

Five general information centers and a dedicated foreign-visitor information booth will be in operation. Three additional women-only restroom facilities — five units in total — will be installed, and a luggage storage service will be introduced to improve convenience.

"We have worked hard to incorporate the valuable feedback from last year's festival," Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho said. "We will continue building a festival where visitors are the true stars."


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