Crowds Flock to Seongbuk-gu's 'Nurimassil' to Savor Global Food and Culture

Large crowds have been turning out for the 18th Seongbuk World Food Festival "Nurimassil," held Sunday along Seongbuk-ro in Seoul's Seongbuk-gu.

This year's Nurimassil features a record 26 embassies showcasing traditional foods and cultures from around the world. Visitors explored food booths and cultural experience programs, sampling cuisine and learning about countries across the globe.

Particularly popular was the opening parade, "Find the Secret of Flavor!" — a street spectacle featuring dancing kimbap ingredient characters and a chef mascot, alongside contemporary circus acts, B-boy performances and dance routines that drew enthusiastic crowds. Festivalgoers snapped photos against the backdrop of the street performances and soaked up the celebratory atmosphere.

The world cuisine booths run by the 26 participating embassies drew steady streams of visitors eager to sample each country's signature dishes. Traditional costume try-ons, global games and cultural diversity programs were also a hit with families.

All food booths used reusable containers, and a price cap of 8,000 won per item kept the festival accessible and eco-friendly. A QR code-based ordering and payment system, introduced for the first time this year, made it easier for visitors to place orders on the spot.

A newly added venue at the Seongbuk Stream Fountain Plaza drew additional visitors with oversized character balloon photo zones and DJ performances.

"Nurimassil is Seongbuk-gu's signature cultural diversity festival — a place where people come to understand and connect with one another through the world's varied foods and cultures," said Seongbuk-gu District Mayor Lee Seung-ro. "We will continue to develop it into a festival that shares the value of cultural diversity and that everyone can enjoy together."