Gangneung’s coffee festival goes beyond the cup

In Gangneung, Gangwon Province, coffee culture began with a row of vending machines facing the sea at Anmok Beach.

Nearly two decades later, the city celebrates the drink with a five-day festival spread across its beaches, pine forests, harbor and neighborhoods.

The 18th Gangneung Coffee Festival opened Wednesday and runs through Sunday along Gangneung Coffee Street and at sites throughout the city. Launched in 2009, the festival draws around 300,000 visitors a year and has grown out of the city's base of local cafes and roasters.

This year's edition carries the slogan "Coffeeful Gangneung." Organizers are pairing coffee with the city's sea, pine groves, food and wellness offerings, with the aim of keeping visitors in town longer rather than drawing day-trippers for a single cup.

The headline addition is a large open-air cafe. Some 200 outdoor table sets line a 350-meter stretch of Gangneung Coffee Street, turning the entire strip into one continuous terrace.

At the Songjeong Beach pine forest, a "coffee picnic" zone offers camping chairs, hammocks and tables. On the sands of Anmok Beach, an evening program of stargazing by the sea is accompanied by an open-air live radio session.

The festival's signature program, "100 People, 100 Flavors," returns with 100 participants brewing coffee with their own beans and equipment and sharing it with residents and tourists. Twenty local cafes take part in a showcase of Gangneung coffee, while a separate pop-up shop sells beans and drip bags. A hands-on zone offers hand drip and roasting sessions.

At Gangneung Port, “Coffee Wave” serves coffee aboard yachts. Hourly daytime sailings run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cost 32,000 won per person. A sunset sailing from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. costs 40,000 won per person. Schedules may change depending on sea conditions, and organizers advise warm clothing. New this year is “Coffee Therapy,” a free program that pairs coffee with singing bowl meditation and yoga. Advance reservations are required.

“Barista’s Table” (20,000 won per person) pairs baristas’ signature drinks with traditional desserts such as hangwa, dried persimmons and yakgwa. Another program, “I’m a Barista Too,” lets visitors try their hand at brewing.

Readers will find a quieter option at Anmok Beach. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are running "Sea 24: Book Trip" in the Songjeong Beach pine forest for the duration of the festival. A book lounge holds about 200 titles grouped into four themes covering seaside food, photography, local Gangneung content, and travel and coffee. Visitors can also design their own bookmarks and pose at photo spots set against the sea.

Broadcaster Noh Hong-chul, who runs a bookshop in Seoul's Haebangchon, leads a book talk on sea travel and reading on Saturday. On Sunday, singer-songwriter and author Yozoh, who runs a bookstore on Jeju Island, joins writer Kim Shin-hoe for a talk titled "How Many Pages Is the Sound of Waves?" The books in the lounge will be donated to the Gangneung city library after the event.

The festival's highlight comes Saturday at 8 p.m., when fireworks light up the sky over the Gangneung Port.

Beyond the main venue, satellite sites in Jumunjin, Okgye, Jungang Market and Ojukheon host coffee tastings, hands-on programs and busking. Shuttle buses connect the venues.