“A Cup of Coffee Comes with the Sea as a Bonus”... Gangneung Coffee Festival Opens on the 21st, Drawing Autumn Travelers

【Financial News, Gangneung—Reporter Kim Gi-seop】Some 200 outdoor table sets facing the sea have been placed along a 350-meter stretch of Gangneung Coffee Street, while a rest area with hammocks has been set up in the Songjeong pine grove. For five days, corners of Gangneung have been transformed into a coffee festival venue.
According to Gangneung City on the 21st, the 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival opened that day and will continue through the 25th along Gangneung Coffee Street and throughout the city. This year’s festival, under the slogan “Coffeeful Gangneung,” features programs that add food, leisure and culture to coffee tastings and hands-on experiences.
Along with the open-air cafés on Gangneung Coffee Street, a global coffee lounge and rest areas have been set up on Anmok Beach. At the Coffee Picnic area in the Songjeong pine grove, visitors can enjoy coffee while relaxing in camping chairs and hammocks.
The festival’s highlight is “100 People, 100 Flavors,” taking place at 2 p.m. on the 24th at the global coffee lounge. In this signature festival program, 100 participants present coffee brewed with beans and extraction tools they each brought. “All Kinds of Gangneung Coffee,” featuring 20 local cafés, and “All Kinds of Coffee Beans,” a shop showcasing coffee beans and drip bags, will also be open. At the coffee experience zone, visitors can try hand-drip and siphon brewing, as well as roasting.

Programs combining food and relaxation are also drawing attention. At Barista’s Table, visitors can enjoy baristas’ signature coffees with traditional desserts such as hangwa and dried persimmons, while Coffee Therapy offers a chance to unwind with singing bowl meditation and yoga.
At “Sea 24: Book Trip,” organized in partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization, an outdoor bookstore will open, and broadcaster Noh Hong-chul and musician Yozoh will take the stage for a book concert. Music and performance programs, including “A Starry Night” and “Anmok Coffee Radio,” will continue on Anmok Beach, while the Songjeong pine grove will host activities for families, including coffee busking, a kids’ playground and a coffee sports day.
Programs for foreign visitors have also been arranged in connection with the 2026 Gangneung World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems. The global coffee lounge will introduce Gangneung coffee and traditional desserts to foreign visitors, while international students will learn hand-drip brewing and make coffee themselves at “I’m a Barista, Too.”
The festival’s energy will extend beyond Coffee Street. From the 22nd through the 25th, “Coffee Festival Neighborhood Stops” will pop up in Jumunjin, Jungang Market, Okgye and Ojukheon. A mobile stamp rally in partnership with local cafés and a receipt event to boost local spending will also take place.
Measures have also been put in place for visitors’ convenience and safety. During the festival, vehicle traffic will be restricted on some sections of Coffee Street, and parking lots at key locations and free shuttle buses will be available. Information and convenience facilities, along with safety staff, will be positioned at key points around the venue.
A Gangneung Cultural Foundation representative said, “Just enjoying a cup of coffee at an open-air café facing the sea at Anmok and resting in a hammock in the Songjeong pine grove will let you fully experience autumn in Gangneung.” The representative added, “I hope you explore every corner of the festival—from ‘100 People, 100 Flavors’ and the book concert to the Neighborhood Stops opening in each neighborhood—and spend time you’ll remember for a long time.”
[email protected] Kim Gi-seop Reporter