About
Kimchi Festival
The Kimchi festival is a one-day cross-cultural culinary discovery with Korean Kimchi as the star. This year’s theme, “Tasting Korean-Culture, Growing Future” encapsulates our dedication to sharing not just the delicious Korean food that we bring but also supporting the future of our community. We believe that food is the best tool to bring people together and to understand and communicate with each other.
Despite the inclement weather last year, the Kimchi Festival attracted more than 5,500 attendees, and this year, in 2024, it is expected to gather at least 7,000 food and culture enthusiasts from all age groups and diverse backgrounds.
The Kimchi Festival will be held at Love Park in the center of Philadelphia! We encourage your support.
THE HISTORY OF THE KIMCHI FESTIVAL
Two years ago, what started as a small, Kimchi workshop and Korean cultural performance, has grown into a recognized event that attracts thousands of visitors to Love Park in Philadelphia each year. The Kimchi Festival offers a place where you can find Korean culture such as food, dance, music, folk games, K-pop, and crafts all in one place.
KIMCHI MATTER: Making Kimchi together
In 2013, Korea’s ‘Kimjang Culture’, ‘the culture of making and sharing Kimchi’, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The reason Kimjang, rather than Kimchi, has been designated as a cultural heritage is that the very act of making and sharing kimchi contains universal human values, such as the spirit of sharing between neighbors, solidarity between families, and the sense of solidarity as members of society. UNESCO highly valued Kimjang as a culture that has been passed down through generations in daily family life, as an activity that creatively uses nature's bounty, fosters communication among various communities, and is a living culture that continues to this day while being a traditional culture. We will bring Korea's 'Kimjang culture,' which involves preparing food with care and sharing it with neighbors, to Love Park.
THE FESTIVAL: Growing together
The Kimchi Festival is not just a festival, it promotes change in the lives of immigrants and gives back to the local community. We return festival proceeds to the local community through various programs. We support immigrants and families struggling with language barriers to make positive changes, promote mental health, and strengthen their capacity to participate in social activities actively. From education to mental therapy, arts, and culture, your support of the festival will play a critical role in helping Asian immigrants and their children adapt to their new social and educational environment in the United States.
