ACC Asia Culture Week to Showcase Food and Tradition
- The annual Asian Culture Week hosted by the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju will explore regional life and culinary traditions under the theme "The Asian Table" from October...
- The festival highlights cross-cultural culinary traditions through hands-on cooking and beverage sessions.
- Alongside food and beverage programs, the event features an art market with handcrafted goods from 15 participating countries.
The annual Asian Culture Week hosted by the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju will explore regional life and culinary traditions under the theme “The Asian Table” from October 8 to 11, 2026. The four-day cultural exchange event brings together chefs, artists, and musicians from roughly 15 countries at the Asian Culture Square to present traditional foods, beverages, and performances.
Culinary Collaborations and Public Workshops
The festival highlights cross-cultural culinary traditions through hands-on cooking and beverage sessions. Chef Pacharapan Kittikorn, who runs the restaurant Akatroi Hang Dong in Chiang Mai, Thailand, will prepare northern Thai home-style dishes utilizing seasonal ingredients and traditional spice-grinding tools known as kroks. Local collaboration features chef Daheon Kong of Gwangju’s modern French fine-dining establishment Aleng, who will design accompanying desserts. Traditional beverages will be supplied by Dream Brewery, a Gwangju-based brewery producing traditional rice-nuruk alcohol. Beverage education forms another component of the festival schedule. Mikael Jasin, an Indonesian barista who won the 2024 World Barista Championship in Busan as the first Indonesian champion, will lead two coffee masterclasses. Meanwhile, Thai wild tea research collective Miang Craft will host workshops exploring contemporary interpretations of traditional Thai tea production and craft methods.
Traditional Music and Craft Markets
Alongside food and beverage programs, the event features an art market with handcrafted goods from 15 participating countries. Stage performances will highlight traditional Asian music styles, including a presentation by Goseongnongyo, a designated national intangible heritage centering on traditional rice-planting songs, dances, and theatrical performances from Gyeongnam Province. Admission and participation in the main programs are free of charge. Registration for the Asian Table workshops opens on October 2, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. via the official Asia Culture Center website, with capacity capped at 80 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.