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Korea Kimchi Festival 2022

Hot on the heels of New Malden’s Kimjang Festival (19 November) comes the 2022 Korea Kimchi Festival just down the road in Kingston. This latter festival is organised with Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who promote the event in different countries each year. This year is the UK’s turn, along with the USA and Vietnam.

As it’s getting close to Advent Sunday, expect some carol-singing from the local Korean choir!

Korea Kimchi Festival 2022

Date: Saturday 26 November 2022, 11:30am - 3pm
Venue:
All Saints Church | 14-16 Market Place | Kingston upon Thames KT1 1JP | | [Map]

Tickets: Free | Link to event notice on All Saints website

The superfood kimchi appears on tables all over the world!

Kimchi Festival poster

2022 Korea Kimchi Festival, a global project to promote kimchi from Korea, the origin of kimchi, to the world and to put superfood kimchi on the table of the world, special event for the world will be held in 4 countries including Korea, UK, Vietnam and the US in November.

Our goal is to Let people experience Kimchi on site freshly and make our special Only One Kimchi in the world. This event will make us harmonize to one and the Warmth will be shared with everyone to prepare the winter with our specially made Kimchi and Kimchi making activities.

Kimchi is a uniquely Korean dish made by washing, draining, salting, seasoning, and fermenting vegetables. Kimjang: make kimchi for the winter as traditional Korean event. The whole family sit down together and mix the seasoning with the cabbage, preparing kimchi for the winter and next whole year.

The festival will have four main activities:

  • Kimchi making Show
  • DIY Kimchi Salad Bar
  • Kimchi cuisine tasting in K-drama
  • K-pop performance

Organised by the Korean Culture and Arts Centre, UK (KCA)

Project Partners: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Kingston city, North Korean Residents Society in UK, Korean Senior Citizens UK, K-Café, London Korean Hankyoreh school, H Mart, Azit, YouME. Korean Friends of Kingston Hospital, kimchi Mama, Malden Camera Club, OKTA, SBS Broadcasting Center, Pulmuone, KKF Foundation + ADD

Provisional timetable (subject to change)

  • Kimchi Demonstrations: 11:30 / 12:30 / 13:30 / 14:30
  • Taste of Kimchi: 12:00 to 15:00
  • Korean Choir Christmas Carol Service: 12:20 to 12:50
  • K-Pop Random Play Dance Party: 13:00 to 15:00

The “2022 Korea Kimchi Festival”, which marks its 5th anniversary this year, will be held in New Malden, a popular residence of Koreans in the UK. Thanks to the active cooperation of Kingston City, a South Korean group and a North Korean defector’s group work together to hold the event. Under the name/theme of “unification kitchen,” Kimchi from Hamgyeong-do, Pyongyang from North Korea, as well as Kimchi from Jeolla-do and Jeju-do in South Korea, will be on display. This will be the remarkable moment which shows the harmony between 2 divided countries. Special event in Special Place, right now.

The main event in program will be ‘Kimchi Making Experience Together’. In Korea, it is called ‘kimjang’ where several people gather in one place and mix the seasoning with cabbage. ‘Kimjang’ was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013 as a community culture that gathers together to make a large amount of kimchi in late autumn. The experienced Korean chefs will teach attendees how to mix seasonings on the spot. Each participant can take the kimchi mixed with them home, and this will be free of charge. The participants for ‘Kimchi making experience’ is scheduled to be recruited through SNS in advance, and on the day of the event on November 26, participation is also possible through on-site registration on a first-come, first-served basis. We Make it tasty and freely together.

Another event in program will be is the ‘DIY Kimchi Salad Bar’. Normally, kimchi is seasoned for 3-4 days after seasoning cabbage and cooked. On the other hand, kimchi that is eaten fresh on the spot is called Geotjeori and it has a texture similar to that of a Western salad. At the ‘DIY Kimchi Salad Bar’ booth, you can pick up shredded cabbage, seasoning for kimchi, and other ingredients (fruits such as apples and pears, seafood such as boiled pork and poached shrimp) and put them in your own DIY KIMCHI and eat them in raw on site. There is no same Kimchi in the world

In addition to programs related to kimchi, you can see K-pop performances and Korean traditional music performances as side events. We also prepare special events: ‘K-pop idol’s favorite kimchi dish tasting’ for K-pop and Korea culture fans. From BTS’ Jimin’s favorite ‘kimchi stew’, EXO member ‘Sehun’s ‘steamed Kimchi’, and all Seventeen members’ favorite ‘kimchi fried rice’ those can also be found.
Beyond Kimchi, Interactive Korean cultural experience on site.

About 4 kg of kimchi made through this event will be distributed in boxes and delivered directly to neighbors in need in New Malden. In late autumn, if you want to taste Korean kimchi and share some warmth, please visit Kingston Market Place Square on November 26th.

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