▲ This poster for the "Seoul BBQ Festival," to be held on Oct. 24-25, 2026, at and around Nanji Camping Site in Seoul, is provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the "Seoul BBQ Festival" on Oct. 24-25 at and around Nanji Camping Site, the city government said Wednesday.

 

The festival is a global gastronomic tourism event combining barbecue with camping and picnicking. Programs will include a "Self BBQ Zone," where visitors can grill their own meat, and "BBQ Masters," featuring star chefs.

 

The signature Self BBQ Zone will allow visitors to enjoy barbecue alongside camping without bringing their own equipment.

 

The city plans to collaborate with Yangju Livestock Cooperative, the Korea Pork Producers Association and Coca-Cola to offer high-quality Korean beef, Korean pork and leafy vegetables for wrapping at special prices on site.

 

First-round advance reservations will open through "Naver Reservation" at 6 p.m. Thursday, with some seats also set aside for walk-in visitors.

 

The BBQ Masters program will feature chefs from the hit cooking competition show "Culinary Class Wars," including Yoo Yong-wook of "Imok Smoke Dining" and Gu Gyo-hyeok, head of "Hon Meat."

 

Kim Byung-hyun, a former Major League Baseball player, will also take part as the head of "Metzger49," a brand specializing in handmade ham and sausages.

 

A BBQ Village will also bring together some of Seoul's renowned meat restaurants in one place.

 

An event linked to traditional markets will also be held. Visitors who bring receipts from nearby Mangwon Market will receive discounts when purchasing meat at the festival.

 

Other offerings will include various performances, a local agricultural and specialty products market, and a "Healing Zone" where visitors can relax in a camping-style setting.

 

Further details are available on the festival's official website.

 

Some 28,000 people attended the festival last year. The event recorded an overall satisfaction rate of 86.5 percent, while 93.1 percent of visitors said they intended to return.

 

In particular, the rate of foreign tourists who said they intended to participate again reached 98.1 percent, indicating strong interest in Seoul's gastronomic tourism, the city said.

 

"We confirmed the potential of K-BBQ to become an attractive way for not only residents but also foreign tourists to experience Seoul," Cho Seong-ho, head of the city's Tourism and Sports Bureau, said. "We will identify differentiated content that connects Seoul's unique culinary offerings with tourism and continue to enhance the appeal of Seoul as a global tourism city."

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