Wonju Dumpling Festival "Calling All Dumpling Maniacs Nationwide"

Participation Programs for This Year's Festival Including 'Kimchi Mandu Speed Eating' Revealed
Held for 3 Days from the 25th... Plenty of Family Activities with Children

Wonju City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Mayor Won Gang-su) revealed various participatory programs for the ‘2024 Wonju Mandu Festival,’ which will be held from Friday, the 25th to Sunday, the 27th of this month.

The 'Wonju Dumpling Festival' held last year was a great success, attracting dumpling enthusiasts from all over the country. The '2024 Wonju Dumpling Festival' will take place for three days from October 25 to 27. The photo shows the scene at last year's Wonju Dumpling Festival venue.

The first program is a unique competition only found at the Mandu Festival: the ‘Kimchi Mandu Eating Contest’ and the ‘Kimchi Mandu Wrapping Contest.’ The Kimchi Mandu Eating Contest will take place at 2 PM and 4 PM, and the Kimchi Mandu Wrapping Contest will be held at 3 PM and 5 PM on the main and auxiliary stages.

Each contest will be held over three days from October 25th (Friday) to 27th (Sunday). The winners of each round will gather at 5:30 PM on the 27th (Sunday) for the final championship, where trophies will be awarded. Participants can register on a first-come, first-served basis through the official Wonju Mandu Festival website, and on-site registration is also available.

The second program is the Wonju Mandu Art Playground for families with children, featuring picture book play, dough play, art play, and music play. The ‘Wonju Mandu Picture Book Play,’ operated by the Wonju Picture Book Center, allows teams of two to participate for free in ‘Reading the Mandu Picture Book and Creating a Four-Scene Family Picture Book.’ Pre-registration is available through the official Wonju Mandu Festival website and the Picture Book Center blog, with on-site registration also possible.

In September, a tasting and evaluation event was held for the dumplings to be featured at the '2024 Wonju Mandu Festival.' [Image source=Yonhap News]

‘Wonju Mandu Dough Play and Art Play’ are programs themed ‘Jjomuljjomul Playground’ designed for children to enjoy, with on-site registration available. In ‘Wonju Mandu Music Play,’ participants can enjoy fun music activities using the Mandu Festival theme song, which is easy for all ages to sing along to after hearing it once.

Additionally, the Wonju Video Media Center operates the ‘Visible Radio Mandu Broadcasting Station,’ collecting interesting stories related to mandu. Stories can include small but happy memories of making mandu, tales involving friends, family, or lovers that come to mind when thinking of mandu, or unique mandu-related anecdotes. These can be submitted through the official Wonju Mandu Festival website.

Moreover, the ‘Instant Singing Contest’ held during the festival is open to anyone who wishes to participate, with on-site registration available.

Mayor Won Gang-su of Wonju said, “Since many visitors came from all over the country last year, we have prepared even more diverse participatory programs for this year’s Wonju Mandu Festival. We hope you come to the Wonju Mandu Festival and enjoy the abundant food, sights, and activities centered around mandu with your family.”

Meanwhile, the ‘2024 Wonju Mandu Festival’ will be held for three days from Friday, October 25th to Sunday, October 27th, at the Jungang-dong traditional market, Culture Street, and the underground shopping area. It will feature over 50 mandu booths, the Mandu King Big Show, celebrity performances, kimchi mandu wrapping experiences, and various other programs.