“Come to Manduseongji Wonju!”... Wonju Mandu Festival Opens Tomorrow

From the 25th to the 27th... 'Wonju Manduro Road Taste Tour' Venue Also Doubled in Size

The '2024 Wonju Mandu Festival,' meticulously prepared by Wonju City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Mayor Won Gang-su), will be held from tomorrow (the 25th) to the 27th (Sunday) around the traditional market in Jungang-dong, the cultural street, and the underground shopping area in Wonju City.

◇ After the 1st Festival Last Year, Awarded the ‘2024 Consumer-Selected Best Brand Award’

Wonju City branded mandu, the representative food of traditional markets with a long history and tradition, as Wonju’s signature food and created a festival venue connecting the traditional market in Jungang-dong. Last year, it held the first-ever nationwide 'Wonju Mandu Festival' themed around 'mandu.'

Last year’s festival attracted 200,000 visitors and achieved an economic ripple effect of 10 billion KRW, exceeding expectations. It also confirmed its potential by winning the ‘Grand Prize in the Regional Food Culture Festival Category’ at the ‘2024 Consumer-Selected Best Brand Awards.’

This year, under the theme ‘Wonju Mandu Road Taste Pilgrimage,’ the festival period has been extended to three days, and the venue expanded more than twice, promising a much richer and more diverse experience than last year.

◇ ‘Mandu Heaven Pilgrimage’ to Taste Over 100 Types of Mandu

The first highlight is ‘Enjoying the Representative Programs of the Wonju Mandu Festival.’ Visitors can enjoy the Mandu Heaven Pilgrimage, experiencing over 100 varieties of mandu prepared by more than 50 vendors across 10 themes, including meat mandu, kimchi mandu, vegetable mandu, unique mandu, global mandu, nationwide famous mandu, Gangwon specialties mandu, color mandu, corporate mandu, and startup mandu.

Also, the festival’s highlight, the ‘Mandu King Big Show,’ takes place daily at 12:30 PM and 6 PM on the main stage. The friendly ‘Mandu King’ mascot characters perform dancing shows, offering a spectacular spectacle comparable to amusement park parades. The ‘Mandu King DJing Show,’ popular among the MZ generation, is not to be missed.

The signature program of the mandu festival, the ‘Wonju Kimchi Mandu Making Experience,’ allows visitors to make mandu themselves and steam them immediately to taste the most delicious mandu in the world. This program operates throughout the festival period.

Vibrant performances are also a must-see. The opening ceremony on the 25th (Sunday) at 7 PM will be spectacularly launched with the ‘Goblin Festa and G1 Public Broadcast,’ featuring Mr. Trot 2 winner Ahn Sung-hoon, Song Min-kyung, Gunjo Crew, Ji Se-hee, and others.

◇ Spectacular Performances and ‘All About Mandu’ History Hall

On the 26th (Friday), a public broadcast by TBN Gangwon Traffic Radio will be hosted by comedian Kim Soo-young, featuring Kang Hye-yeon, Ulala Session, Han River, Jo Joo-han, and others. On the 27th (Sunday), Park Gun, the star of ‘Han Janhae,’ Wonju City ambassador Gong Hoon, and fusion gugak group The Reum will deliver a dazzling finale.

The ‘Autumn Concert’ held on the main and auxiliary stages offers a variety of performances to enjoy the special autumn atmosphere of October’s last weekend along with mandu.

Additionally, the festival site features the ‘Mandu Theme Pavilion,’ which includes a local mandu company promotion hall, festival vision hall, Wonju mandu history hall, and kimchi mandu theme hall, providing visitors with a unique visual experience encompassing everything about mandu.

◇ ‘Wonju Mandu Playground’ with Picture Book Play and More for Families

The second highlight is the ‘Wonju Mandu Playground for Families.’ For families visiting with children, activities such as Wonju Mandu picture book play, dough play, art play, and music play are available on-site, allowing visitors to enjoy Wonju mandu through various playful experiences.

The ‘Mandu Broadcasting Station,’ operated by the Wonju Video Media Center, runs a visible radio created by citizens, voicing their stories, sharing interesting Wonju mandu tales, and introducing various stories.

The ‘Mandu Master Cooking Show’ using Wonju ingredients is also worth looking forward to. ‘Master Shin Ok-ja,’ a veteran of Doraemi Market, will present a Wonju Kimchi Mandu cooking show, and ‘Master Go Seok-hwan,’ who started from a 3-pyeong mandu shop and achieved a big success story, will showcase cooking shows featuring sweet potato stem mandu and Gondre Chiaksan Hanwoo mandu.

◇ Unique Competitions Including ‘Kimchi Mandu Eating and Making Speed Contests’

The third highlight is the ‘Wonju Mandu Unique Competitions.’ The ‘Kimchi Mandu Eating and Making Speed Contests,’ held four times daily, challenge participants to see who can eat or make 30 kimchi mandu the fastest. On the 27th (Sunday) at 5:30 PM, winners from each round will compete in the grand final, with trophies awarded at the closing ceremony.

In the ‘Mukbang Contest,’ participants can submit mandu festival mukbang videos to the ‘2024 National Wonju Video Media Contest’ hosted by the Wonju Video Media Center and compete for awards.

Furthermore, to promote sustainable development of the mandu festival, the ‘Wonju Mandu Startup Show’ introduces the first and second startup stores, the protagonists of the mandu startup boom.

Also, on the 25th (Friday) and 26th (Saturday), the 5th floor of the Jungang Youth Culture House will host the ‘2024 Wonju Mandu Festival Global Policy Forum,’ co-organized with the Korea Tourism and Leisure Society, focusing on strategies for revitalizing the old downtown through the Wonju Mandu Festival.

◇ Secured Parking Spaces Including Temporary Lots... Thorough Road Control for Safety

To reduce visitor inconvenience during the festival, 10 temporary parking lots will be secured and operated, including the traditional market public parking lot, market revitalization area parking lot, Jayu Market underground parking lot, Cultural Street public parking lot, the former Hakseong Elementary School playground, health center parking lot, Wonjucheon riverside parking lot, Seongji Hospital parking lots 1 to 5, the former Wonju Station public parking lot, and Wonju Livestock Cooperative Hanaro Mart outdoor parking lot.

Additionally, to prevent safety accidents and ensure smooth festival progress, roads will be controlled in the following sections: Wonil-ro 114 to Jungang Market-gil 32 around Jungang Market and Jayu Market; Jungpyeong-gil 2 to Pyeongwon-ro 45 at the KB Kookmin Bank intersection; and Wonil-ro 70 to Gamyeong-gil 51 at the Jeil Pharmacy intersection.

Wonju Mayor Won Gang-su said, “This year’s Wonju Mandu Festival is fully prepared with so many diverse programs and mandu delicacies that it’s impossible to explain them all one by one. Since the temperature difference is large, please bring a thick coat and enjoy the last weekend of October in ‘Mandu Sanctuary Wonju,’ eating mandu and enjoying the festival to become all ‘Mandu Kings.’”