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Description
- When: Friday, August 28 – Saturday, August 29, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Where: Town Centre Park, 1299 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC
- Cost: Free general admission; select classes and experiences require registration or a separate fee
- Hosted by: Brownbag Business Community
After drawing approximately 80,000 visitors in its inaugural year, Kimchi & K-Food Festival returns to Coquitlam Town Centre Park with organizers projecting more than 100,000 visitors for 2026. Billed as Western Canada's largest Korean food and culture festival, this year's theme, "Feel Korea," moves beyond a traditional food festival into a hands-on experience where visitors can make, choose, wear, dance, sing, and compete — food, beauty, traditional culture, sport, and championship performances designed to give guests the feeling of spending a full day in Korea without leaving Metro Vancouver.
Food & Hands-On Experience
K-Street Food Zone & Yeopjeon Lunchbox
Festival currency modelled after traditional Korean coins lets guests select multiple street-food items and build their own tasting lunchbox, recreating the energy and discovery of a Korean market in festival form. K-Street Food Master Chef May Lee oversees menu development and quality across the zone.
Kimbap-Making Class (New for 2026)
Billed by organizers as Canada's first festival-based kimbap-making class, participants choose ingredients and learn to roll, shape, and slice Korean rice rolls, alongside the festival's established kimchi-making classes.
Kimchi-Making Finale
Delivered in partnership with the Vancouver Korean Women's Association, this year's finale session features a Western-born chef participating as master chef for the first time in the festival's kimchi program. Advance registration is required.
Culture, Stage & Family Activities
K-Taekwondo Kids Zone
Basic movements, target kicking, board breaking, and photo opportunities in a family-friendly format.
K-Karaoke & Championship
Organized by the Korean Senior Citizens Society of Greater Vancouver, open to singers of every age and background.
Hanbok Experience & Photo Zone
Guided hanbok fitting, traditional props, and a festival photo backdrop.
Korean Traditional Games Hall
Ongoing and scheduled activities including dalgona, ddakji, and jegichagi.
K-Beauty: R828 Sheet-Mask QR Experience
A QR participation program in the Retail Zone featuring R828 sheet-mask product experiences.
Free Cotton Candy for Kids
Complimentary cotton candy offered to children in connection with the karaoke program.
K-Pop Dance Championship
This year's largest lineup yet features 16 competing teams. Internationally recognized dancer JyoJyo (Jihyo Park), known for Mnet's Street Woman Fighter Season 1 and collaborations with BLACKPINK, LISA, Jessi, and ATEEZ, will travel from Korea to judge the championship and lead a dance workshop. The winning team earns a place in the CIDC final championship held in Korea, along with a Korea travel-ticket benefit.
Korean Air Ticket Draws
With support from Korean Air, two on-site ticket draws will award round-trip air tickets to Korea — one winner on Day 1 and one on Day 2. Entry details will be posted on the festival's official Instagram.
Chef Spotlight
May Lee — K-Street Food Master Chef
Founder/Chef of Masuri Market, Lee oversees the K-Street Food Zone menu and yeopjeon lunchbox experience, drawing on her background in a Gordon Ramsay restaurant environment.
Alex Durant — Culinary Development Chef, Tap & Barrel Group
Trained in Michelin-starred restaurants across North America and Europe, Durant joins the finale kimchi-making class as the program's first Western-born master chef.
Sangjoon Bae — Head Chef, Tap & Barrel Bridges
A Korea Culinary Art High School and UNLV Hospitality Management alumnus who worked at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Bae joins the special kimchi program's chef team.
Dogs Welcome
Dogs are permitted at the festival and must remain leashed at all times. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets and keeping them under control. Dogs may not be permitted in certain areas, including food service zones — visitors are asked to follow all on-site signage and pet guidelines.
Plan Your Visit
- Event: Kimchi & K-Food Festival 2026
- Date: August 28–29, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Location: Town Centre Park, 1299 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC
- Admission: Free; select experiences require registration or a fee
- Website: kimchifest.ca | Instagram @kimchifest.ca
From a first-of-its-kind kimbap class to a 16-team K-pop championship judged by an internationally known dancer, Kimchi & K-Food Festival 2026 packs a full day of Korean food, culture, and performance into Coquitlam's Town Centre Park — with free admission for everyone, dogs included.