Tofu lattes and songhwa coffee at Gangneung Coffee Festival, Oct. 21–25

Vending machines at Anmok

A Korea Tourism Organization retrospective describes coffee vending machines lining Gangneung’s Anmok Beach in the 1980s and 1990s, with people gathering over cups facing the sea. Coffee was a way to spend time together here before large café windows and specialist brewing equipment arrived.

According to the Gangneung Culture Foundation’s coffee history, published in December 2012, customers chose favourite machines, while operators varied blends, sometimes adding grain or soybean powders.

Chodang tofu and pine pollen

Chodang is a Gangneung neighbourhood known for tofu traditionally set with seawater. The city presents this heritage alongside newer sundubu coffee and gelato.

In a 2025 interview, Fine Pine owner Kim Seong-yong said Gangneung’s pine trees inspired the café’s songhwa coffee and cream. Songhwa powder is pine pollen, not pine needles or pine nuts. KTO’s April 2026 profile also featured the café’s songhwa desserts and coffee.

Schedule and café tastings

The festival runs 21–25 October 2026 on Gangneung Coffee Street and at other city venues, with general hours of 10:00–20:00. The local-café tasting program, Byeorui-byeol Gangneung Coffee, starts daily at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 18:00 near the general information desk, listed in the official program as in front of Pepsi Cola. All times are Korea Standard Time (KST).

Sessions featuring local ingredients are Gabae Chodang’s Sundubu Gabae Latte on 21 October, 15:00–16:00; Chodang Coffee’s Chodang Dubu Latte on 23 October, 15:00–16:00; and Fine Pine’s Songhwa Coffee on 24 October, 13:00–14:00.

100 citizen baristas, paid table

At 14:00 on 24 October, the Global Coffee Lounge hosts the 100 People, 100 Tastes performance, with 100 Gangneung citizen baristas, selected through a public call, brewing coffee.

The separate paid Barista’s Table pairs signature coffee with Gangneung traditional dessert in the same lounge at 14:00 on 21, 22, 23 and 25 October. It costs KRW 20,000 per person, with 30 places per session and both advance and on-site registration. There is no session on 24 October.

Open-air café and pine grove

The official program sets out outdoor tables along about 350 metres of the coffee street as the Anmok open-air café. The coffee-picnic area is in the Songjeong pine grove, between Haemaji Park and the Songjeong futsal court.

For a first visit, the editors suggest a half-day built around one tasting, with time for a beach walk or a rest at an outdoor table.

Transport and enquiries

The main venue is at 20-1 Changhae-ro 14beon-gil, Gangneung Coffee Street. The official free shuttle runs 10:00–20:00 every 15 minutes, circulating from the festival to Gangneung Station, the Sports Complex, the ITS World Congress venue, the Green City Experience Center (e-zen) and back. From Gangneung Station it makes several stops before the festival.

The official program does not give fees or registration methods for the café tastings; the KRW 20,000 fee applies to the Barista’s Table. The organizer, on +82-33-647-6802, can advise on registration, remaining places, foreign-language hosting, interpretation and overseas-card payment.

Visitors avoiding ingredients such as milk or soy should check each drink’s actual recipe on site rather than relying on its name.