7th Tianjin K-FESTA: Turnout Doubles Target as Favourable Views of Korean Food Rise 11.5%

For two days, Times Olympic City Plaza in Tianjin's Nankai District was filled with queues at Korean food stalls and the sound of K-pop. The 7th Tianjin K-FESTA, held on 12–13 September, drew about 11,000 visitors by the organisers' estimate, more than double its target of 5,000. Now in its seventh year, the festival is growing into a local celebration where Korean residents and Tianjin locals come together over Korean food and culture.

By the editorial desk

Hosted by the Embassy and Agriculture Ministry, linked to Nankai's consumption season

The festival was hosted by the Korean Embassy in China and Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and co-organised by the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Tianjin, the Tianjin Korean Restaurant Council and the Beijing office of aT (Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation). The plaza of about 2,500㎡ was laid out in Korean food, products and experience zones, with 35 companies and organisations running 48 booths.

The host district lent its support. Nankai District designated the festival a featured event of the ‘2026 Haihe International Consumption Season’ and announced it to residents in late August through the district's official WeChat account, placing a Korean food event on the local government's consumption-promotion calendar.

The opening ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on 12 September was attended by 22 Korean and Chinese guests, including the agricultural attaché of the Korean Embassy, the presidents of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Tianjin and the Tianjin Korean Restaurant Council, the head of KOCCA's Beijing centre and the head of KOTRA Tianjin, along with officials from the Tianjin Foreign Affairs Office, the Tianjin Commerce Bureau, the Nankai District Commerce Bureau and the Tianjin Import and Export Chamber of Commerce.

Leading export brands meet local consumers face to face

The festival also served as a sales stage for Korean agri-food brands to meet local consumers directly. The products zone brought together brands representing Korea's main agri-food export categories: Cheong Kwan Jang for ginseng, Kooksoondang for traditional liquor, Orion for snacks and Binggrae for dairy and frozen desserts. KOTRA opened a Korean products hall in the experience zone. On day two, on-stage brand introductions and limited-time offers steered the audience toward the sales booths.

The Korean food zone was run by member restaurants of the Tianjin Korean Restaurant Council, an association of Korean owners of Korean restaurants in Tianjin led by president Park Jun. The council has organised K-FESTA seven times to introduce Korean cuisine to local consumers, and in July 2024 it held a seminar with the Korean Embassy and others on management strategies for Korean restaurants in China. This year, member restaurants ran booths in the Korean food zone, joined by the parents' association of the Korean International School in Tianjin (KIST).

Fifty table sets and 200 chairs in front of the stage let visitors buy food and stay to watch the performances. According to the organisers, most Korean food booths sold out.

At the Korean food drawing corner, visitors who drew a Korean snack or ramyeon received that product. It drew families in and offered a glimpse of which products local consumers pick.

Day one for K-pop, day two for K-food

The stage programme had a different theme each day. On ‘K-POP DAY’ (12 September), 12 teams with 55 dancers competed in the junior dance final, while 39 teams applied for the open contest and 25 teams with 158 dancers reached the final. More than 300 visitors joined the random dance between rounds. ‘K-FOOD DAY’ (13 September) featured the Korea–China masked singer contest, in which contestants from both countries sang behind masks, along with busking performances.

Sister-PC (天津IS街舞) won the junior contest and 王牌特工007 took first place in the open contest. The masked singer title went to Song Yingxin (宋迎新).

The line-up drew visitors in their teens to thirties to the stage and led them on to the food and sales booths.

Survey: more visitors favour Korean food after attending

In an on-site survey of Chinese visitors (166 responses), the number with a favourable view of Korean food rose 11.5% after attending, and the number intending to buy rose 5.1%. Respondents were mainly women in their 20s and 30s, and taste was the highest-rated aspect of the Korean food zone.

Social media such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin was the most common way respondents heard about the event, underlining its role in reaching local consumers.

The president of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Tianjin said more than 11,000 people came over the two days and most of the Korean food sold out, adding that it was especially meaningful that Korean and Chinese students and volunteers ran booths themselves and took an active part.

The president of the Tianjin Korean Restaurant Council said that with this edition, the 7th Tianjin K-FESTA is growing from a community event into a Tianjin festival where people enjoy Korean and Chinese culture, food and festive spirit together. “Next year, too, we will prepare a festival where Korea's lively spirit comes through in its culture and food,” he said.

※ The visitor count is the organisers' on-site estimate, and survey results are tallies of on-site responses.