LA Korean Festival: how the 51st went, and the 2026 dates

The 51st Los Angeles Korean Festival ran from 26 to 29 September 2024 at Seoul International Park in Koreatown, under the theme Celebrating Diversity. It had 291 booths, about fifty stage performances and 70 security staff, and drew bigger crowds than the organisers expected, along with complaints about food prices. The next edition, the 53rd, opens on 1 October 2026.

The 53rd festival: dates, hours and lineup

The 53rd festival runs from Thursday 1 October to Sunday 4 October 2026, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, at Seoul International Park on Normandie Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. The park’s street address is 3250 San Marino Street, Los Angeles 90006. Entry is free and open to anyone during festival hours.

The foundation has so far announced the opening-day stage: Uzuhan, Evan Pak, Greg, Dumbfounded and Killagramz. Killagramz also played the 51st.

Three editions side by side

All three were held at the same park. The 52nd had roughly 300 booths.

What the 51st festival had

Of the 291 booths, 169 belonged to the Korean agricultural and fisheries products expo, and 56 Korean local governments took part. Visitors could try on hanbok, make paper art or have a go at calligraphy, and there was a food market and a Korean toys and premium products expo.

The main stage carried Killagramz, Justin Park, As One, Hohyun, Kevin Chung, Suran, Kim Woo Jin, Hong Kyung Min and Kim Hyun Jung, alongside local acts such as UCLA Music of Korea, Team M TKD and an LAPD brass quintet. The LAPD’s Olympic Division stepped up patrols around the park, and free shuttle buses ran from parking lots on Wilshire Boulevard.

Why visitors complained

Food prices came first. Kimbap sold for $13, and a bowl of tteokbokki or two fish cake skewers for $15, while the few booths selling hot dogs and chicken skewers at $5 drew the crowds.

The stage schedule was not publicised well in advance, and some visitors said they missed the acts they had come for. At the opening ceremony, visiting politicians from Korea were given more prominence than local elected officials, which drew criticism in the Korean-American press. Expo vendors said sales were weaker than in earlier years even though the grounds were busy.

The Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation

The festival is run by the Los Angeles Korean Festival Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that accepts donations. Alex Cha was its chairman for the 2024 festival.

Questions people ask

Do you need tickets for the LA Korean Festival? No. The foundation lists the festival as free to visit and open to the public during festival hours.

How many people went to the 51st festival? No attendance figure was published by the organisers. Reports described crowds larger than expected without giving a number.

Why is the festival in October now? The 51st was held in late September. The 52nd moved to mid-October, and the 53rd sits at the start of October.