Korean culture festival takes over Langley this weekend
Two-day celebration of food, performance, and tradition at Willoughby Community Park draws 20,000+ expected visitors.
The first Korean culture festival south of the Fraser River lands this weekend at Willoughby Community Park beside the Langley Events Centre, June 6–7, bringing traditional performances, contemporary dance, martial arts, live music, and food that'll make you stay all day.
The Korean Society of BC, partnering with World-OKTA Vancouver and the Korean Cultural Heritage Society, is hosting the free-admission festival for all ages and backgrounds. It runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Organizers are expecting more than 20,000 visitors across the two days.
**What to see:** ARIA Gayageum Ensemble performing traditional Korean instruments, Canada Chung-Ang Dance Society, Kyunghee Taekwondo Demo Team, Now or Never Crew (Canada's well-known breaking crew), Yunik Dance, K-pop dancers, jazz, funk, and brass bands. Thaiyo Seo, a Korean-born internationally recognized dancer and Team Canada Breaking coach for Paris 2024, is helping bring the breaking program.
**What to eat:** Korean fried chicken, kimbap, tteokbokki, ramyun, Korean waffles and pancakes, tanghulu, baked goods, coffee, Korean-style drinks, churros, and snacks from food trucks, restaurant-style booths, dessert vendors, and beverage vendors. Local businesses and commercial operators are running the food side.
**What to do:** Try on a hanbok (traditional Korean outfit), shop retail vendors selling handmade goods, accessories, Korean bronzeware and tableware, packaged snacks, teas, and freeze-dried fruits. World-OKTA Vancouver will showcase imported specialty products—kimchi, traditional snacks, sesame oil, perilla oil, dried yellow corvina, and regional products brought directly from Korea.
As one organizer put it: "Food has a way of crossing language barriers. Anyone who enjoys Korean food or is curious about Korean culture is welcome to join."
This is the kind of weekend festival that doesn't need a passport.