Gimcheon to hold 2026 Kimbap Festival with no VIP protocol, opening ceremony, price gouging or long lines

Gimcheon City in North Gyeongsang Province announced Sunday that the 2026 Kimbap Festival, set to run from Friday through Sunday at Jikji Culture Park, will be held as a "four-free" festival — free of VIP protocol, an opening ceremony, price gouging and long lines.

To address a persistent complaint from previous editions — visitors had to wait in line for more than an hour to buy kimbap — the city has partnered with Kakao Pay to build a smart ordering and payment system.

Visitors will be able to scan QR codes anywhere on the festival grounds with their smartphones to order and pay for kimbap.

As in previous years, the city is also scrapping the formal opening ceremony entirely, aiming to make the event one where visitors, not officials, take center stage.

To ensure high-quality food at reasonable prices, the city has significantly strengthened its food quality and price management system.

Starting from the vendor selection stage, the city plans to verify and inspect ingredients, weights and country of origin in advance, promising kimbap that is honest and trustworthy with no inflated prices.

The 2026 Gimcheon Kimbap Festival will run for three days from Friday through Sunday at Jikji Culture Park, Samyeongdaesa Park and an eco-friendly ecological park.

Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho said the city would continue building the festival into "a visitor-centered, participatory event where guests are not mere spectators but the true hosts of the festival."