A big feast on an autumn night! Jeonju Festa 2024 Jeonju Makgeolli Festival

 “A big feast on an autumn night!
Jeonju Festa 2024 Jeonju Makgeolli Festival”

Jeonju Festa 2024 fills the entire month of October!

The grand finale, the Jeonju Makgeolli Festival, was held at the Jeonju Sports Complex from October 25, 2024 (Friday), to October 26, 2024 (Saturday).

I visited the Jeonju Makgeolli Festival on its first day to enjoy the Makgeolli Abundance Ritual (Hapgut Village) and the Hidden Show with friends.

I’ll give you a glimpse of the scene!

Upon arriving at the festival, I saw hundreds of tables set up in the center of the stadium, with booths selling side dishes and makgeolli around them.

In addition, flea markets and Jeonju Festa photoboxes were set up, enhancing the fun and variety of the festival.

A play zone was available for young kids as well.

Vendors like Yeotchon, Jeonju Takju, Jeonju Myeongga, Sanedeule, and Dazzling Natural Love were selling makgeolli for between 2,000 to 3,500 KRW.

You must carry your ID.
Sprite and bottled water were also on sale.

At first, I went to the tasting booth to decide which makgeolli to try.

I managed to sample most of the makgeolli that was for sale at the festival.
After trying six varieties at the tasting booth, I chose to buy Yeotchon Makgeolli and Jeonju Minariju.

When you buy makgeolli, you receive a metal basket and a silver cup.
You are required to return these at the reusable container collection booth when you leave.

Next to the makgeolli boxes, they were also selling fruit-flavored makgeolli.
Options available were blueberry, calamansi, grapefruit, or pomegranate-flavored makgeolli, and you could also buy a kit to make it yourself.
This booth catered to those who prefer a sweet and tangy flavor over traditional makgeolli.

Now, it was time to buy some side dishes.
You could see the side dish menu posted on each table.
I had preselected the side dishes I wanted to try via Jeonju City’s Instagram.
However, all the side dishes looked delicious, so I explored several booths.

Each booth displayed both the company name and their signature dishes.
Available were hot fish cakes, a variety of rice bowls, and sweet rice puffs.
The menu spanned land, sea, and air with options like chicken feet, kimchi pancakes, crab bibimbap, sliced pork, chicken, braised yellow croaker, tofu with kimchi, whole squid sashimi, blood sausage, sticky corn, mung bean pancakes, oysters, and mussel soup.

Additional offerings included beef pancakes, green onion pancakes, pollack pancakes, a skate combination platter, short ribs, assorted fried foods, acorn jelly, and pig’s feet. All these items, ideal for pairing with makgeolli, were priced affordably, none exceeding 20,000 KRW.

The festival also catered to children with a selection of kid-friendly foods like hotdogs, rolled omelets, skewers, and udon.

Yeotchon Makgeolli, famous among Jeonju’s tourists, was featured at about two or three booths. The largest was so popular that by 7 PM, it had already closed due to running out of ingredients.

Witnessing the festival’s popularity made me feel proud and assured me that attending was a good decision!

My friends and I managed to buy beef pancakes, minari pancakes, kimchi stew, sweet and spicy chicken with shrimp, mixed green onion pancakes, and tofu with kimchi efficiently.
The kimchi with the tofu was strongly flavored, which I loved since I enjoy spicy food; it was delicious and complemented the other side dishes perfectly.
The tofu was served whole and warm, providing excellent value for the money.

The beef pancakes were plump and soft with no off-putting smells, and the mixed green onion pancakes offered good value with their inclusion of squid, tofu, and green onions.

Minari pancakes were the highlight for us all; they were generously filled and featured a robust minari flavor without any overpowering flour taste.
The sweet and spicy chicken with shrimp and the kimchi stew were both moderately spicy and sweet, making them effortlessly enjoyable.

A toast with friends!

Yeotchon Makgeolli was refreshingly balanced, neither too dry nor too sweet.
Minariju, subtly flavored with minari, is recommended for those who like unique and innovative alcoholic drinks.

On this visit, I was joined by local friends from Jeonju. The chefs’ remarkable culinary skills inspired me to think about inviting friends from other regions next time to truly showcase the flavors of Jeonju.

 

As we savored the food, the stage was bustling with continuous programs.

The artistic group ‘Hapgood Village’ took to the stage with vibrant flags and instruments, presenting sounds that captured our spirit.

On the stage, rituals were conducted to wish for the safe and successful completion of the festival.
The festival’s mood was elevated by our traditional music, which significantly increased the excitement and progressively lifted everyone’s spirits.

When a Zumba performance ensued, some attendees had already left their tables and were dancing.

Choi Jae-gu, a master of traditional Korean music, initiated the Hidden Show.

He was followed by impersonators such as Psy-da, Oh Hye-bin, and Kim Jeong-hoon, who lit up the stage in turn, exciting the audience to a degree that even I felt uplifted.

The crowd’s enthusiastic response filled the area in front of the stage, creating an atmosphere as lively as a national singing contest or the Jeonju beer festival.
The singers seemed encouraged by the positive crowd response to put more energy into their performances.

Even though the stage activities concluded at 9 PM, I remained longer with my friends before exiting.
The Jeonju Makgeolli Festival ended at 10 PM.

Upon exiting, I returned the reusable containers at the entrance and then departed the venue.
Jeonbuk is recognized for its policy of zero single-use plastics, isn’t it?
To assist the staff with the cleanup, we carefully pre-sorted the food waste and trash by type.

The Jeonju Makgeolli Festival marked the grand finale of Jeonju Festa 2024!

This event allowed people of all ages to immerse themselves in Jeonju’s distinctive culture, filled not only with food but also with ample activities and sights, ensuring continuous engagement.

I am truly excited about next year’s event.
I hope that those who attend the 2025 Jeonju Festa and Jeonju Makgeolli Festival will fully enjoy the festival, as described in this article.

Please show your love for the various festivals and events in Jeonju and visit the official Jeonju city blog frequently for comprehensive information!