K-Sool Grand Festival 2026: Dates, Highlights and How to Get There
The K-Sool Grand Festival is Korea’s big yearly showcase of traditional liquor. The 2026 edition runs from November 13 to 15 in Seoul. Breweries from around the country gather in one hall at the aT Center in Yangjae. So you can taste, compare and buy Korean sool in a single afternoon. Here are the dates, what is on, and how to get there.
I checked the details against the official festival page and the Korea Tourism Organization’s festival data. Prices and programs can still shift. For that reason, the key facts are collected in one table below.
K-Sool Grand Festival 2026: quick facts
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | 대한민국 우리술 대축제 |
| Dates | Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15, 2026 |
| Hours | 13:00–20:00 (the last day closes at 19:00) |
| Venue | aT Center, Exhibition Hall 1 (aT센터 제1전시장), Yangjae, Seoul |
| Address | 27 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울 서초구 강남대로 27) |
| Admission | 15,000 won, about $11 (per the Korea Tourism Organization) |
| Age | All ages. Minors must come with a guardian |
| Nearest subway | Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station (Sinbundang Line), Exit 4, about 60 m |
| Organizers | Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, with aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.) |
What the festival is about
Sool (술) simply means alcohol in Korean. At this festival, though, the focus is uri-sool (우리술), which means “our drinks.” It is the umbrella term for Korea’s traditional and local alcohol.
The government runs the festival to promote these drinks. The official site lists editions going back to 2016. In other words, it is less a party and more a giant tasting hall. Brewers stand behind their own bottles and pour samples.
A quick guide to Korean sool
If the labels look confusing, here is a short cheat sheet. These are general categories, so each brewery will have its own style.
| Type | Korean | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Makgeolli | 막걸리 | Cloudy, lightly fizzy rice wine. Usually around 6 to 8 percent alcohol |
| Yakju / cheongju | 약주 / 청주 | Clear, filtered rice wine. Smoother and often a bit stronger than makgeolli |
| Traditional soju | 증류식 소주 | Distilled liquor, often made from rice. Many are 25 to 45 percent alcohol |
| Fruit wine | 과실주 | Wine made from Korean fruit such as grapes, apples or omija berries |
Also note that the green-bottle soju sold in convenience stores is a different, mass-produced drink. At this festival, you will mostly meet small and mid-sized brewers instead.
Highlights for visitors
According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s listing, the program for 2026 includes the following.
- Tasting and buying. Traditional drinks from breweries across Korea are gathered in one hall, and you can try and buy them on the spot.
- Stage shows. A cocktail show, a Korean food pairing show and a stand-up comedy show are on the schedule.
- Makgeolli class. A hands-on class where you brew makgeolli. There is also a wine-making session.
- Craft corners. Make hangwa, traditional Korean sweets, or decorate your own drinking cup.
- Korean Sool Awards. The festival also hosts a national competition for traditional drinks, plus a consumer judging event.
- Food trucks. So you are not tasting on an empty stomach.
There are also small events, such as a mission bingo and a receipt event. Stage times were not posted yet when I checked the official page.
Who it suits
This festival makes the most sense if you are curious about Korean food and drink beyond soju and beer. It is also a handy shopping stop, because many of these small-brewery bottles are hard to find outside Korea. Families can still join, since the hangwa and cup-making corners do not involve alcohol.
Getting there
The aT Center sits right next to Yangjae Citizen’s Forest Station on the Sinbundang Line. Take Exit 4, and the venue is about 60 meters away. From Gangnam Station, it is two stops south on the Sinbundang Line.
Staying in Myeongdong or Hongdae? First, ride the subway to Gangnam or Yangjae Station. Then switch to the Sinbundang Line. Overall, plan for roughly 40 to 60 minutes, depending on where you start.
Taxis work too, since the address is on Gangnam-daero, one of the main roads in southern Seoul. Just show the driver the Korean address from the table above.
Tips for visitors
- Bring your passport. The legal drinking age in Korea is 19, and you may be asked for ID at tasting booths.
- Expect to register at the door. The online pre-registration uses Korean mobile phone verification, so most overseas visitors will sign up on site.
- Pace yourself. Many traditional liquors are stronger than they taste, and some distilled soju is well above 20 percent alcohol.
- Leave room in your bag. If you buy bottles, check your airline’s rules for carrying alcohol home.
Also, the festival opens in the afternoon. So you can pair it with a morning walk at Yangjae Citizen’s Forest, a large park right next to the station.
The short version
The K-Sool Grand Festival 2026 runs November 13–15 at the aT Center in Yangjae, Seoul, from 1 to 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on the last day). Admission is 15,000 won, and it is the easiest way to taste traditional Korean drinks from all over the country in one place.
Some links on Haamoni may be affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Dates, programs and fees come from the organizers and can change, so check the official site before you go.
