Your Ultimate Guide to March 2026 Food Festivals: Strawberries, Crabs, and More!

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Spring’s arrival means the food scene gets juicier. As temperatures rise, towns across the country are buzzing with festival prep.

Local food festivals are your best bet for tasting seasonal farm and seafood right at the source. Plus, you can score top-quality local products without breaking the bank.

Nonsan Strawberry Festival / Photo: Mun Seoyeon, Travel+ reporter

In March, strawberries, snow crab and gorosoe sap hit peak season and festivals celebrating them pop up across the map. If you’re planning a spring foodie getaway, here are the regional specialty festivals to mark on your calendar.

The flagship Nonsan Strawberry Festival returns with a strawberry buffet and an avalanche of strawberry desserts.

The Nonsan Strawberry Festival runs March 26–29 at Nonsan Citizens & Families Park in Chungcheongnam-do. It’s a one-stop celebration for strawberry desserts and hands-on experiences.

Nonsan supplies more than 20% of South Korea’s strawberries and is the country’s largest strawberry-growing region. Its berries—marketed as ‘K-strawberries’—are also popular overseas.

This year’s festival acts as a prelude to the 2027 Nonsan World Strawberry Industry Expo. Expect an exhibition highlighting the industry’s present and future, including tech showcases like robotic harvesters.

Highlights include a themed exhibition hall, strawberry-picking experiences and a strawberry market. Organizers put together 40 programs across eight areas: Theme, Global, Defense Industry, Performing Arts, Interactive Play, Local Culture, and Photo Zones.

A helicopter-ride experience nods to Nonsan’s identity as a defense and military supply city and gives families a memorable activity. There will also be global parades and arts projects that lend an international festival vibe.

Daejeon’s famed bakery Seongsimdang and food companies like Ottogi and Crown Haitai will participate, serving creative desserts made with Nonsan strawberries. Last year, a ‘strawberry open run’—where people lined up before dawn for sweets—made headlines.

The city aims to grow the festival into an event that supports local farms. Officials plan to expand strawberry experiences and harvest-season promotions so visitor spending directly benefits growers. They’re also broadening food programs featuring the ‘Nonsan Five Products’ to boost participation from local small businesses.

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Head to Yeongdeok to feast on snow crab with real ocean flavor.

Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province hosts its signature food event, the Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival, running March 26–29 at Ganggu Haeporang Park.

Yeongdeok snow crab is a flagship East Coast seafood. Raised in deep waters, it offers firm, sweet meat. During the festival, visitors can taste fresh snow crab and take part in a variety of hands-on programs.

This year the festival has expanded its hands-on offerings, focusing on activities that get visitors actively involved.

Signature experiences include snow-crab fishing and trap-pulling, where participants haul up traps and catch crabs themselves. You’ll also find playful events like crab-suit soccer and crab tug-of-war.

The festival will also host ceremonies tied to its purpose. On opening day, organizers hold a safety ritual praying for marine resource protection and local well-being. On the 28th, they’ll present ‘Yeongdeok: Time Stayed in the Sea,’ a performance using AI-generated imagery.

On the final day, the 29th, a ‘Please Take Care of Yeongdeok Snow Crab!’ crab-prep contest lets contestants showcase their crab-cleaning skills and cooking tips. There will be on-site tastings too.

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If ‘health is everything’ is your motto, don’t miss the Gorosoe Festival.

Jinan County will host the 22nd Jinan Plateau Unjangsan Gorosoe Festival March 14–15 around the Unilam-Banilam Samgeo Plaza area in Jucheon-myeon.

Gorosoe sap, prized as a springtime tonic similar to birch sap, is harvested from the pristine forests of Unjangsan. The annual festival promotes the sap’s value and helps boost local tourism.

This year’s event centers on nature, hands-on experiences and wellness. It opens with a pre-show on day one, followed by a roster of interactive programs.

‘Gorosoe Forest Expedition’ and ‘Gorosoe Plateau Walk’ let attendees follow Unjangsan trails and witness sap-harvesting sites up close.

Family-friendly activities include making gorosoe gochujang (red pepper paste), a gorosoe stamp tour, and gorosoe dalgona (sugar candy) workshops. Stage shows—dance, bands, magic and bubble acts—round out the program.

Visitors can sample fresh gorosoe sap throughout the festival. Outdoor barbecue areas featuring Jinan livestock and booths selling local produce will also be on offer. It’s a perfect way to welcome spring in pristine nature.

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Mun Seoyeon, Travel+ reporter

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