[Report] 'Curly Food Festa' Doubled in Size... Squid Game 2 Draws Big Crowds

19-22 Il Nacheulgan Magok COEXseo Jinhaeng
1 Siganman-e 2000myeong Mollyeo... Haru Ipjanggaek 8000myeong
'Ojingeo Game' Apseun CJ Jeiljedang Insaninhae

On the morning of the 19th, a line of customers waiting to enter the event continued from the entrance of Magok COEX Le West. Inside the building, there were 4 to 5 layers of waiting lines, creating a sea of people ranging from mothers pushing strollers to male customers carrying large backpacks.

On this day, the '2024 Food Festa' hosted by e-commerce company Kurly saw about 2,000 customers enter the venue within an hour. Visitors waiting to enter continued to line up throughout the afternoon.

Inside Coex Magok Le West, where the Curly Food Festa is being held, customers are lined up waiting for their turn to enter. Photo by Minji Lee.

Kurly is holding the Food Festa at COEX Magok Le West for four days starting from this day. The Food Festa is Kurly's second offline gourmet event. A total of 230 F&B brands from 128 companies participated, including fresh foods, desserts, beverages, and health foods. The number of participating companies has roughly doubled compared to last year. The venue has also expanded, moving from Dongdaemun DDP to COEX Magok Le West.

Among the customers who visited the event, many were women in their mid-30s and older. This shows that Kurly’s main customer base, women in their 30s to 50s, actively participated in the offline event. Before the event, news of Kurly’s Food Festa and ticket discount information were shared on mom cafes in various regions. Thanks to this, the 'early bird tickets,' which allowed admission at a price cheaper than the on-site sale price (24,000 KRW for adults), sold out quickly in the first and second rounds.

A visitor named Han said, "Compared to the first round, there are more brands and the booths are spacious, so it feels comfortable. Regardless of whether products are available, personally, I find it very fun and enjoyable to experience the booths." Afterwards, he said he needed to check out health functional foods next and hurriedly left with his companion.

The tasting product provided by CJ CheilJedang Bibigo features an illustration from the collaborative content Squid Game 2.

The booths that attracted the largest crowds that day were CJ CheilJedang (Bibigo), Pulmuone (Jigu Sikdan), Sempio Foods (Chao Chai), and Daesang (Homings). Among them, CJ CheilJedang placed employees dressed as the managers (red suits) from 'Squid Game 2' to pique visitors' curiosity. They provided tasting products including 'Whole Squid Dumplings,' 'Butter Squid Seaweed Snack,' and tteokbokki, which were collaborations with Squid Game 2. A Bibigo marketing official explained, "While the booth was set up to promote new products, it also reflected the intention to instill the perception that Bibigo has established itself as a global product through collaboration with global content."

Pulmuone focused on promoting its alternative food brand 'Jigu Sikdan' by featuring Edward Lee, the runner-up chef from the show Black & White Chef. Pulmuone, which prepared over 8,000 servings of food, impressed visitors with chefs cooking dishes right before their eyes. Star chefs who appeared on Black & White Chef were also invited by brand. At the Myeonsarang booth that day, 'Hidden Genius,' who appeared as the black spoon contestant on Black & White Chef, was present, and on the 21st, chefs Choi Hyun-seok and Jung Ho-young are scheduled to appear at the Fresh Easy booth.

Pulmuone 'Jigu Sikdan' booth. Above the booth, an advertisement video featuring Chef Edward Lee is playing on a loop.

The Kurly Brand Zone, designed to help customers find their preferences, also stood out. It consisted of three booths: Kurly Bakery, Kurly Deli, and Kurly Egg Farm, where visitors could explore different types of bread, olive oil, and eggs to find products that suit them. At Kurly Bakery, visitors were able to sample unfamiliar Christmas breads such as Stollen (Germany), Panettone (Italy), and Pandoro (Italy). A Kurly representative explained, "Last year, the Kurly Brand Zone focused on introducing Kurly’s private brands (PB), but this year, the booths were set up so consumers could learn which products suit them best."

There were some disappointing aspects as well. Although Kurly set the event theme as 'Kurly Christmas for Everyone (Kurly + Christmas)' and created a Christmas atmosphere, except for the tree and ornaments located in the center of the venue, the overall atmosphere was that of a typical food and beverage expo. Some food brands had strong individual concepts, which prevented a unified Christmas market theme.

Meanwhile, Kurly expects about 7,000 to 8,000 visitors per day, with approximately 30,000 people attending over the four days.

Customers are waiting for their turn to enter the booth.

Inside the Curly Food Festa event venue.