The Gimhae Dwitgogi Food Festa, held in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, concluded on 9월 13일.
The Gimhae Cultural Tourism Foundation’s Cultural City Center announced that more than 3만 1천 people visited the event over the two days.
The event was organized to promote dwitgogi as a local culinary brand.
3-Line Summary
1. More than 3만 people visited the Gimhae Dwitgogi Festival.
2. The event was held over two days, from 9월 12~13일.
3. The hands-on approach to the local food drew attention.
Two Days Held Outdoors at Gimhae Culture Center
The ‘2026 Gimhae Dwitgogi Food Festa’ was held from 9월 12일 to 13일 throughout the outdoor areas of the Gimhae Culture Center. Operating hours were from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on both days. The event title’s ‘Hidden to Hero’ conveyed the intention of promoting dwitgogi, once a hidden local food of Gimhae, as a representative culinary brand.
On 15일, the Gimhae Cultural Tourism Foundation’s Cultural City Center announced that more than 3만 1천 visitors had attended the event. Reports by Gimhae Ilbo, Point Gyeongnam, and Daily Hankooki also conveyed the same visitor count, event dates, and venue. The fact that many visitors gathered during the short two-day schedule was the clearest result of this event.
Foods made with dwitgogi were introduced at the venue. Dishes by chefs Oh Se-deuk and Raymon Kim, along with menus from restaurants in Gimhae and other parts of the country, were prepared, and some prepared supplies reportedly sold out early. However, sales volumes by food type and the scale of consumption per visitor were not confirmed.
Gourmand Pyeongsang for Grilling and the Participation of Local Merchants
The Gourmand Pyeongsang, created in collaboration with merchants from Buwon-dong’s Dwitgogi Street, operated as an on-site experience where visitors grilled and ate the meat themselves. The festival was designed not only to sell food but also to let visitors experience cooking and eating dwitgogi. Busking and cultural and artistic performances were also held.
Kwak Dong-hun, CEO of the restaurant group Great, and Song Ji-beom, CEO of the handmade charcuterie brand Salting, participated as promotional ambassadors. On-site, they hosted the Gimhae Dwitgogi Masters exhibition and an event to find the ‘Best Wrap.’ Although dwitgogi was the focus of the festival, the program was structured to broaden the time local food occupied by placing experiences, performances, and competitions together.
Jo Il-ung, director of the Gimhae Cultural Tourism Foundation’s Cultural City Center, said that hands-on programs such as the Gourmand Pyeongsang had reaffirmed the nationwide competitiveness of Gimhae dwitgogi. This was the foundation’s assessment and a direction for future planning; the confirmed figure as an objective result of the festival was more than 3만 1천 visitors. Although the event has ended, the collaborative experience with local merchants remains a key scene in promoting Gimhae dwitgogi.
References
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