If you’re after a food festival on an autumn trip to Gangwon Province, the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival is well worth adding. Hanwoo is Korea’s prized native beef, and the 2026 festival goes beyond grill-your-own beef stations with a kids’ park, performances, a retro street, lantern displays and fireworks.
With kids, try activities by day, have Hoengseong hanwoo for dinner, then stay for the evening shows. Here’s the 2026 schedule, parking, lineup, fireworks and family programs.
1. Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival 2026 Dates and Venue
The 2026 edition was the 22nd Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival.
- Dates: Wednesday, October 7 – Sunday, October 11, 2026
- Venue: Seomgang Riverside, 221 Bukcheon-ri, Hoengseong-eup, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon
- Main hours: 10:00–21:00
- Admission: free
- Food: beef grilling area and beef shop are paid separately
- Phone: Hoengseong Culture & Tourism Foundation, +82-33-808-8007
Most regular programs — the grilling area, beef shop, food zone and local farm market — run 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The main evening shows start at 7 p.m. daily.
Entry is free. The Korea Tourism Organization lists beef prices such as 21,000 KRW per 100 g for grade 1 sirloin and 25,000 KRW per 100 g for grade 1+ sirloin; prices vary by cut, grade and seller, so check the price tags.
2. First Things First: The Beef Grilling Area
The surest reason to go to the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival is, of course, the hanwoo.
There’s a Hoengseong hanwoo shop and self-grilling stations, so you buy meat and grill it right there — a little different from a typical food festival.
You can choose cuts for grilling, butcher cuts and offal, and there’s also a food zone with local dishes and a local farm market for regional produce.
With kids, eat first at a set lunch or early-dinner time rather than wandering around. Weekend mealtimes get busy, so go a little early.
3. Must-See Spots With Kids
Family programs at the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival have clearly grown in the 2026 edition.
Start with the Memory Playground Kids Park, open October 7–11, 10:00–21:00, beside the Time Slip Retro Street. It mixes play spaces for kids with old-school games from their parents’ childhood.
The Kids Dream Busking stage in the park features magic, bubble shows and balloon art that even little ones enjoy. Per the official schedule, it runs 13:00–17:00 on October 7 and 11, and 14:00–16:00 on October 8–10.
The Time Slip Retro Street recreates 1970s–80s tearooms and arcades — nostalgic for parents and a glimpse of old everyday life for kids. It turns a beef dinner into a real family festival.
4. Concert Lineup and Fireworks
If you stay into the evening, check the main stage.
The 2026 “Wooahan Music Festa” runs nightly 19:00–21:00:
- October 7: Lee Chan-won, Na Sang-do, Heo Min-young
- October 8: Park Seo-jin, Na Tae-joo, Hong Sung-ho
- October 9: Ahn Sung-hoon, Kim Soo-chan, Oh Seung-ha
- October 10: Cheon Rok-dam, Choi Soo-ho, Han Kang
- October 11: Kim Hee-jae, Song Min-jun, Song Siljang
October 7 and 10 stand out: both have the “Woo-ju” fireworks show at 9 p.m. after the concert. The official pages list slightly different end times, so plan around a 9 p.m. start.
The Starlight Lantern Festa also lights up the Seomgang River, so after a day of beef and activities, enjoy the lanterns and shows after dark.
5. Where to Park
If you’re driving, check this first.
The official 2026 map shows 10 parking zones around the venue with about 2,930 spaces, including the sports complex (650), Culture and Sports Park (450), the new Bukcheon-ri road (320) and the Hanwoo Experience Center–post office stretch (230). The largest is roadside parking from Wonheung 2nd Apartment to the Hoengseong roundabout (800).
Instead of navigating straight to the venue address, follow official parking signs and traffic staff. Insisting on parking right in front can actually take longer.
By public transport, shuttles connect KTX Hoengseong Station with festival zones 1 and 2, and a town loop serves the public health center, SG Mart, the National Sports Center and Hoengseong Art Center.
6. Best Time to Go
At the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival with kids, plan 5–7 hours from afternoon into the evening.
Arrive in the afternoon, eat at the grilling area, explore the kids’ park, retro street and Woohwa Garden, then move on to the evening concert.
For fireworks, choose October 7 or 10. With little ones, staying past 9 p.m. can be long, so an afternoon of kids’ programs and a beef meal is plenty.
For photos, visit the Woohwa (Cow Flower) Garden across the river, a large themed garden of autumn flowers and sculptures.
7. Nearby Places in Hoengseong
With kids, pair the Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival with the Hoengseong Luge. In October (off-season) it runs 09:30–17:30, and a 35% discount promotion linked to the festival is announced for October 7–11. Ride the luge in the morning and do the festival in the evening.
If you enjoy walking, Hoengseong Lake Trail offers a quiet nature walk that suits a two-day Hoengseong trip.
The Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival is more than a beef feast — it’s an autumn family festival with a kids’ park, busking, a retro street, concerts and fireworks.
With kids, arrive in the afternoon for food and activities, and stay for the night programs if energy allows. October 7 and 10 even include fireworks.
Dates, programs and prices in this guide are as of the 2026 edition. Check the official website for next year’s schedule before you go.
More Family Trips on Yans World
- Winter Travel in Samcheok – Recommended Boryeong Chicken Gangjeong at Samcheok Central Market
- Samcheok Travel: A Great Place to Visit with Kids – Isabu Lion Park
Schedules and prices can change, so check the Korea Tourism Organization (VISITKOREA) before you go.