Put it on your calendars: Korean Festival Houston is returning to Discovery Green on October 22.
Once again, the Korean American Society of Houston (KASH) has partnered with dozens of sponsors – from local mom-and-pop restaurants to the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston – to bring the best of Korean culture to downtown Houston. That includes the food, games, traditional performances, clothing, martial arts, K-beauty, K-pop, and much more.
And according to KASH’s president, Janet Hong, and marketing director, Kimmy Gaskins, that’s no easy feat.
“I think one of the misconceptions people have is that we have a huge, full-time paid staff,” says Gaskins. “We plan the festival 100 percent with volunteers. Sometimes there are years that I just – afterwards, I’m like how the heck did we do this.”
It’s “a small, brave band of people,” Gaskins says, that are responsible for bringing the right experience to the 40-45,000 people that will converge on Discovery Green for the festival.
“It’s a sacrifice to put in the time, but it’s a sacrifice we’re totally fine with making because we know that the Korean community in Houston is really loved by Houstonians,” explains Gaskins. “And it’s actually small compared to some of the other cultural communities in Houston, so being able to feature them once a year is really awesome.”
Because there’s much to do and see at the all-day festival, which culminates with a sunset performance from K-pop acts Triger and Asome.D, we asked Gaskins and Hong for some advice on how to approach the festival.
They agree on one thing: Start with a stop in the Korean Village, or K-Village.
“It is centered towards activities that children can do, but it’s really for any age,” says Gaskins of the mini cultural experiences you can find throughout K-Village, experiences that include traditional games you might not encounter anywhere else.
“People might not necessarily sit down at home and go, ‘Oh, I should Google how to play a Korean game today,’” says Gaskins. “But [in K-Village] you get to experience things like playing the traditional games and going home with gonggi.”
K-Village will also be the site of a kimchi eating contest, and if Instagram is any indication, you can expect intense competition. “When we announced we were doing the kimchi eating contest our Instagram blew up,” says Gaskins. “So that will be really fun.”
In addition to the kimchi eating contest, there will be a chopstick eating contest with a twist – giant chopsticks.
“We’re making it difficult because we know people know how to use chopsticks,” says Gaskins. “And, of course, if you’re not the participant then at least you get to scream and have fun.”
After stopping by K-Village, Hong recommends taking in the traditional performances, especially if you’re a first timer who’s never been to the festival before. “I think that’s a very important part, to share true roots of Korean culture,” says Hong.
“I know a lot of the K-pop fans just want to show up to see the K-pop cover bands and our headliners, of course, but we have some amazing traditional performers,” adds Gaskins. “They’re doing dances that have been passed down for generations upon generations … Those people are amazing, and they are a special part of the entertainment for most of the day.”
“They are definitely an integral part of our Korean community in Houston,” agrees Hong. “We love that they are able to come and be a part of what we want to showcase to the greater Houston area, so that would be my [recommendation] – next to food!”
“Everyone’s drawn to the food vendors,” says Gaskins.
And just to name a few, this year festival-goers will find traditional Korean dishes from Jumma Food and St. Andrew Kim Catholic Church, boba tea from the festival’s official drink vendor Royal Tea Bubble, and “amazing Korean fried chicken” from Seoulside Wings, which Gaskins says is one of the festival’s “biggest supporters.”
Gaskins also points out that Seoulside Wings has a food truck that travels all throughout Houston so they, like many of the vendors and organizations that will be present at the festival, are around all year long.
“It’s not like a carnival vendor where they’re just here for a carnival but then pack up and leave,” says Gaskins. “These are people who truly live in our community every day.”
Because the festival may introduce guests to aspects of Korean culture they didn’t even know were so close, Gaskins hopes that people leave with an interest in learning more about what goes on in Houston’s Korean community throughout the year – and that’s not limited to just finding new hot spots to dine.
If you do find yourself hungry to learn more about Korean culture, Hong and Gaskins recommend checking out the KASH, Asia Society Texas Center, and the Korean Community Center.
And on that note, the last tip from Hong and Gaskins is pretty simple: Just go ahead and hit up all the booths you can.
“[Some booths] might not have the same glitz and glam as Eve Pink, but at the same time you can find some real gems and meet some people that work every day in our Houston community,” says Gaskins.
In addition to these less glitzy community partners – another draw of which, Gaskins adds, is that “a lot of times they’re giving away free stuff, and people like free stuff” – there will be a free COVID vaccine clinic for anyone who hasn’t yet received their vaccine.
After spending the day “behind the scenes, running around getting things done and making sure that the festival is running as it should,” Hong says that seeing the festival come to life, and “seeing the sense of community” and “all of the guests come and enjoy their time,” is the best part of the day for her.
Gaskins says the best part of the day for her is “the golden hour.”
“No one else calls it that, it’s just me, but there’s a golden hour that happens at every festival that I’ve worked at Discovery Green. This happens when the headliners first get on stage and because of the timing and the time of year, the sun is just starting to go down and the lighting is perfect, and you look out over the lawn and there’s just people packed like all the way to the back,” says Gaskins. “It gives you the warm fuzzies, so you’re ready to clean up after the festival is over!”
Korean Festival Houston is scheduled for Saturday, October 22, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney. For information, please visit kfesthouston.com. Free.
For festival-goers who can’t get enough of K-pop idols Triger and Asome.D, the Korean American Society of Houston will host a fan meet with the artists at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 23, at Tom N Toms Coffee Galleria. Tickets can be purchased for the KFest Houston: Triger & Asome.D Fan Meet here for $139.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
