Seoul to host BBQ festival at Nanji Camping Site in October

A "K-BBQ" festival aimed at winning over global palates will unfold in downtown Seoul this fall. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it will hold the Seoul Barbecue Festival, a global food tourism event combining K-BBQ with urban camping and picnicking, around the Nanji Camping Site from Oct. 24 to Oct. 25.

Last year's edition, held under the name Seoul Barbecue Festa around the Noeul Park camping site, drew about 28,000 visitors over two days. Overall satisfaction stood at 86.5 percent, and 93.1 percent of visitors said they would attend again. Among foreign tourists, that figure reached 98.1 percent.

This year's festival will expand the K-BBQ experience further. It will feature a Self BBQ Zone where visitors can grill their own meat, a Barbecue Masters program with star chefs, and a Barbecue Village showcasing some of Seoul's top meat restaurants, giving residents and tourists alike a chance to experience the city's food and culture together.

The Self BBQ Zone, the festival's flagship program for letting citizens enjoy K-BBQ hands-on, will allow visitors to grill their own barbecue in a camping setting without bringing any equipment of their own. The first round of reservations for the Self BBQ Zone opens at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16 through Naver Reservation.

Also on offer is the Barbecue Masters program, where visitors can watch up close as star chefs from Culinary Class Wars put on flashy barbecue performances.

The festival will also run a cooperative event with a nearby traditional market. Visitors who bring a receipt from Mangwon Market will receive a discount on meat purchased at the festival grounds.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government asked visitors to use public transportation, citing expected traffic congestion in the area during the festival.

"Last year's Seoul Barbecue Festival showed that K-BBQ can be an attractive way for both residents and foreign tourists to experience Seoul," said Cho Sung-ho, director general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Tourism and Sports Bureau. "We will continue to link Seoul's food content, including K-BBQ, with tourism, developing differentiated tourism content that can only be experienced in Seoul and enhancing the city's appeal as a global tourism destination."