Kimchi Festival, BIAF Animation Festival and D'Festa: 3 Events in Korea

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Three events in and around Seoul: a traditional food festival at Unhyeongung, the Bucheon International Animation Festival and the K-pop exhibition "D'Festa The Origin." Here are the details that didn't fit on Instagram. ━━━━━━━━━━ 🥬 Royal Jang and Kimchi Festival at Unhyeongung On Saturday, Oct 24, 2026, the "2026 Royal and Yangban Traditional Food Festival" takes place from 11 am to 5 pm. It is the 19th edition and is held at Unhyeongung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul. This is according to the Chosun Ilbo from Oct 22, 2026. The program includes royal jang and kimchi recipes based on records from the Joseon era, plus a 12-course royal meal. There are also hands-on classes led by masters of traditional cuisine, and free tastings. Entry is free. However, the main program items require registration, either in advance or on site. Jang-making has been on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2024, and kimjang since 2013. 👉 For you: Entry costs nothing. For the main programs, sign up in advance or on site. Details are on the website of the Korean Traditional Food Research Institute (한국전통음식연구소). 🔗 Source: 조선일보 https://www.chosun.com/english/travel-food-en/2026/10/22/BCNIA6ACRFBTFLHQ27JVAGRHHQ/ ━━━━━━━━━━ 🎬 BIAF: Animation Festival in Bucheon (28th Edition) The Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF) is held for the 28th time, from Oct 23 to 27 in Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do Province. The slogan is "Everyone's Animation." Over 100 works from 31 countries will be shown, including in the categories International Competition (features and shorts), Korean Short Film, Graduation Film and TV & Commissioned Film. The festival opens with "Tangles," directed by Lea Nilson. The film is set in San Francisco in 1999 and follows Sarah as she cares for her mother, who has Alzheimer's. It had a special screening at Cannes in May and is a preliminary nominee for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The festival's ambassador is Hyojung of Oh My Girl, who introduced the festival at a news conference in Seoul on Sept 21. To mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, the "Sparkling France" series, sponsored by the French Embassy in Seoul, shows four films, including "The Artist" (2011). Director Michel Hazanavicius will attend a Q&A about his first animated film, "The Most Precious of Cargoes." Another program looks at AI in animation: for films submitted for the awards, there are no specific restrictions on AI this year, and a talk covers "To the Neighbors Upstairs," which was made with the AI model Google DeepMind. BIAF is a global animation festival designated by the U.S. Academy. Last year's Grand Prize winner for feature film, "Little Amelie or the Character of Rain," was nominated this year for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. "Retirement Plan," which received a special mention from the BIAF jury, was nominated for Best Animated Short Film. "The Girl Who Cried Pearls," winner of the AniB's Choice Prize in the short film category, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. 👉 For you: A regular screening costs ₩8,000 (≈ $6). Tickets are available online at biaf.or.kr or at the festival ticket counters at CGV Bucheon (6th floor) and the Korea Manhwa Museum (1st floor). You can find the program and showtimes in the official schedule at biaf.or.kr. 🔗 Source: Korea.net https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=301474 🔗 Source: BIAF (offizielle Website) https://www.biaf.or.kr 🔗 Source: BIAF Tickets https://www.biaf.or.kr/kr/sub.html?pid=186 ━━━━━━━━━━ 🎤 "D'Festa The Origin": K-Pop Exhibition at IFC Mall According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, the exhibition "D'Festa The Origin" opens on Friday, Oct 23, in the underground MPX Gallery of IFC Mall in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. It shows photos and videos of K-pop acts from their pre-debut days through their rise to stardom. According to the source, HNS HQ announced this on a Thursday. Featured are Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together, aespa, Enhypen, IVE, Riize, Cortis, BTS and G-Dragon. The preparation took two years. Filming and photography took place on more than 30 sets, with more than 1,000 photographers, cinematographers, set designers and other staff. You can see giant black-and-white portraits of the 48 artists dressed in creations by designer Juun.J, plus drawings, handwritten letters and prerecorded interviews. Visitors receive an "Admission Kit" with a sticker, leaflet, armband and a randomly selected photo-ticket. There is also a merchandise shop. The Seoul exhibition is planned to run through Nov 30. The Tokyo edition is scheduled to open in January next year, with other major cities worldwide to follow. 👉 For you: It is open daily from 11 am to 8:40 pm, with last entry at 7 pm. A regular ticket costs ₩32,000 (≈ $24) and can be booked, for example, through NOL Ticket. The exhibition runs through Nov 30. 🔗 Source: Korea JoongAng Daily https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/bts-stray-kids-gdragon-and-aespa-headline-starstudded-kpop-exhibition-in-seoul/12933816 🔗 Source: NOL Ticket: D'FESTA THE ORIGIN https://nol.yanolja.com/ticket/products/26014524 ━━━━━━━━━━ 💬 Have you ever been to a festival or an exhibition in Korea that surprised you? What tips do you have for others? 📲 On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lebeninkorea_en/ 📸 Photos: Philip Jang, huiyeon kim, Marek Piwnicki, Marissa Lewis (Unsplash); Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea Tourism Organization, Kim Jiho (KOGL Type 1)