Awh mannn, I had been looking forward to the Korean Fest. In short, it was very mediocre. Entertainment: The highlight of the festival and included a karaoke competition, rap group (Elephant Rebellion), raffle ($5/ticket), and some games. Food: They had pork bulgogi, spicy rice cake, fish cake, buns. Almost everything else was fried: fried squid, veggies, dumplings ... oh, aaaaand Mexican food! (Whaa? Hah.) Many selections were $8-10! One of the cheaper things were the veggie dumplings (3 for $5, 7 for $10). Those were very doughy, not many vegs (mostly onion and cabbage). Drink: $1 canned pop, non-alcoholic piña colada pineapples, beer, soju. Alcohol runs $6-7. Overall: This fest has SO MUCH POTENTIAL, especially in terms of food. There are so many authentic fresh dishes that could be offered! It just falls SO short of what it could be. Sad face. :( read more

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This year marks the 14th annual event. Luckily it seems to be getting bigger and finally the Chicago Korean American chamber of commerce has taken to doing more advertising on-line and on social networking websites. Still, there is a lack of sufficient advertising in the neighborhood, so marketing opportunities and money potential is lost. Back to the festival; this year they have far more tents with greatly more tables and free seats for public use. Many more garbage cans to keep garbage under control, although I wish there were recycling bins, another missed opportunity. Two stages on opposite sides of the festival with an array of exciting shows. Saturday night on one stage was some kind of modeling show and the opposite hosted a karaoke contest of popular Korean and American songs. Later this night they had a comedy show mainly in Korean but with English thrown in and a rock band with a Korean lead singer. Food was just... OK. People at the festival seemed to really love it. I'm a bit more critical of the Korean food I devour. At the festival there are probably about four to five food vendors offering mostly Korean and some random Asian food. Restaurants on Bryn Mawr open their bay windows and sell food right on the sidewalk. Korean BBQ aka Kalbi ranges from $7-$10 dollars. Most of what I saw on plates, mostly just a sampling approx 3 pieces for that $7-$10 cost. Which means 2 mostly bones and 1 of ample meat. It's a festival right? they want you to visit their restaurant instead of eating it at a fest. Couple beer tents offering Amber Boch and Bud light products served in Hite cups (?) Why not serve Hite(Korean beer) right? That's what I thought also. Beer runs about $3-$5, other beverages $1-$2. This year they have a Pina Colada stand (no alc seen) and the drink is served out of a cored pineapple. Another wow of the festival is the large sand pit found in the middle of the fest around Spaulding and Bryn Mawr. Here is where two men will duke it out, sumo style under the baking sun as crowds cheer on. Afterwards find kids playing in the sand. Good times, another opportunity to be eating and drinking in Chicago without the use of a brown bag. Parking isn't hard to find just look along the outskirts, major streets like Kimball, Kedzie, Bryn Mawr. If parking within the neighborhood read the signs, most may warn about possible towing if without numbered stickers, but they allow weekend parking. The festival does not use tickets ! Yay! Cash is accepted and restaurants take anything. read more

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Wow! So much more lack-luster than its been in other years. I've gone to Korean fest 2 other years previously... and it's been getting smaller and less impressive with each year. Personally, I feel like Korean food is steadiliy on the rise, with appearances of fusion items like Kalbi tacos, and kalbi-filled fries. Kimchi. Bibimbops. Fried egg on everything! Stone pots. Tofu soups. With the increased hype of ramen noodles, and sushi... I think K-food in general is becoming popular the way K-pop is. There were so few foodie stands. In fact, there were two stands that sold essentially the same items; spicy sticky rice, and a fried tempura medley. For the person not as familiar with Korean food, coming to this fest can be very culture-shock-intimidating. Unless manned by English speaking, friendly faces, it can be daunting to ask for service. Generally, I felt like I received a bonanza of fried foods. Fried vegetables, squid, shrimp. Fried fish balls. Fried chicken. There was one american stand with cheese fries, corn dogs, hot dogs, and funnels. Fried oreos and snickers and churros. But ich.. Essentially, this was heart attack highway. Other vendors passed out religious pamphlets and sold some other fare. There was a random carnival trailer that offered a game of darts where you pop the balloons. It seemed like a whole lot of an identity crisis. It's really sad cuz i love this strip. I LOVE outdoors cafe. And Midori. And the Tofu house. but I'm so surprised San Soo Gab San was not part of this fest. There was no korean bbq at these table-tent spots. You'd have to walk inside some of the restaurants, which may or may not have had specials. In past fests, I'd seen ring-side fights. Much more colorful fare. This fest was so lackluster. Some friends asked me if it was worth it, and I had to say, don't bother. read more

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The Chicago Korean Festival offers a great glimpse of Korean culture. I come here every year to eat well, meet friends I haven't seen in a while, and celebrate my Korean culture. It's a great festival that's not crowded, full of interesting entertainment (esp. Ssireum, or Korean traditional wresting), and good eats. I partake year after year in the Korean wrestling tournament and it is always a fan-favorite. I've done well for the past few years in the lighter weight division (they even have my picture on the banner!), but watching the big Mongolians duke it out is awe-inspiring. Winners get bags of rice and other goodies. I will be back to take the crown! This year's festival was interrupted by showers and it was not as filled as previous years (may have something to do with the economy?), but I expect the festival to only get bigger. I noticed a number of non-traditional vendors (cocunat pina coladas, that's more tropical and a generic Chinese food stand). I hope the festival stays as authentic as it can, because that's what the people come for. Some tips from Mikey: -Park at the nearby Northside Prep parking lot (lots of spaces and very close) -Bring your own beverages (ex: gatorade, water) -Volunteer for a bit at the fest (you get lots of free gear/water/food) -If stay towards the end of the festival, you will get a DEAL on food. Seriously, I got 3 different enormous dishes for $7 total. Excellent. read more

I went to K-fest maybe a few years ago and didn't think it was great; however, an opportunity presented itself for me to go again this year because my friend entered the singing contest....I still did not think the Korean Festival was great at all and just went to support a friend....definitely wouldn't go for food for sure... The fair consisted of advertising, fried food, alcoholic beverages, overpriced food (as any food fair you go to)... Foods I've tried: -ddukboKi (spicy rice cakes): it tasted burnt, I'm assuming the bottom of the pan was burnt so it gave the ddukboki a burnt taste.. -mixed fried combo: consisted of fried octopus, fried veggies, and friend shrimp (i think)..nothing soo great about it.. I think you can go to any Korean restaurant or make that at home.. bulggogi hotdog: my friend had this and was disappointed..because it did not have any bulgogi in it.. rather, it's just a regular hotdog with lettuce on top and bulggogi sauce (probably soy sauce and seasoning??).. are you serious?! why is it called bulggogi hotdog when there's no bulggogi in it? doesn't make any sense to me... on day 2 of the fair...yes I went 2 days in a row, not because I enjoyed my first time but just to support my friend...my friends and I went to a Korean restaurant instead of buying the street food and yet again I was disappointed at the food & service..my friend and I ordered nangmyun (cold noodles) and it simply tasted like water and noodles.. I think anyone (excluding the restaurant cooks obviously) can make better nangmyun at home and not pay $10 for a bowl of flavorless nangmyun.. entertainment: ehh.. not that great... only exciting if you have a friend singing up there... would I go again?..probably not unless my friend enters the singing competition again...i'll go to support.. but definitely not to eat food... might as well yelp Korean restaurants and eat before I go to K-Fest if I went again... yes it's that bad...or maybe just not worth the money for the food... read more

In some ways, it's really great that Korean culture is so readily embraced in this country and around the world. Would've been nice to seen this love and attention ten years ago, but whatever. On the other hand, the festival has fallen into the hands of the youth, and while their passion and energy is infectious, their direction is lacking. The participation of the older generation of vendors and sponsors has seemed to wane over the years, and it's finally become apparent that this is affecting the festival's reach and influence. The food selection this year was sparse and overpriced, and while I did enjoy the music and dance competitions, it'd be nice to get back to more of what traditional Korean culture is about. read more

Sigh. I don't know what happened to this festival, or really the strip of Bryn Mawr between Kedzie and Kimball. It's not what it used to be just a few years ago. Granted, I haven't been to the festival since 2007. I went by myself and had a really good time. There were lots of stands and what seemed to be a good range of ages amongst the attendees. There was a nice variety of food being sold and decent prices. Every year since then, I kept missing the festival, but was looking forward to being able to make it this year. Then, I saw they had a new (or new to me) $5 suggested donation for entry to the fest. Umm... I was like, Ok, it's a small fest. I'll support. I had such a good time last time. After walking around a bit, I felt like I paid to get into a high school's fair or a block party. I'll say 90% of the people at this festival were teenagers. That includes the people selling the food, handling the entertainment, and even trying to get people to buy tickets to spas. If the teens have taken over, there REALLY shouldn't be any donation being suggested. And the way they had the entrance set up (very narrow), along with the way the kids working the fest were lined up on either side, you didn't feel like $5 was being suggested at all. My Kalbi was fatty. My kimchi, flavorless, yet still spicy. My bubble tea was thin with already soggy bubbles (tapioca balls). I got bumped into so many times when there was more than enough to room to move about without touching. When I got there, the terribly organized dance battle was happening on one stage with a young male duo on the other stage doing popular song covers. Both areas, filled to the brim with teens. There weren't many food stands, and many seemed to be selling the same thing give or take a dollar in price difference. Lame. I could have just gotten way better Korean food for less money by my home, and more of it. I don't know if 2007 was just a good year for this festival, or it's actually gone way down since. Given the decrease in businesses on that strip, I think the festival may be mirroring that. Whatever the cause, I know I could have done without going and don't see any reason for me to go back in the future. read more

I've been going to the Festival for years and was a little apprehensive when they moved it to Bryn Mawr and Central Park to take advantage of the NEIU parking lot. It's gotten very popular over the years so I understand. One thing I always enjoyed was the random discounts on food and bubble tea that the restaurants along the festival route had. It was quite nice. There are always plenty of tables to sit and eat the copious amounts of food, which sets it apart from other fests. Not a fan of the new ticket system they implemented this year. I got scolded by the first vendor I went to for using cash! Sorry I didn't know! They need to make this more known next year. It was difficult to find where they were selling the tickets. It's nice to enjoy my secret K-Pop fascination proud and in public here. And one day I'll enter the BBoy breakdancing contest and embarrass myself. Here's a little tip - Don't go crazy on the fried food options. There are plenty of great steamed items and rice dishes. You can sample more that way. And kimchi is everywhere. My second pro tip to you guys is this - on Sundays lots of the food prices are slashed b/c they're trying to get rid of the it. You know that's when I do work! read more

I go to a lot of festivals during the summer, jazz, African, festival of life, Chinatown summer festival, old town school square roots, Caribbean fest, Puerto Rican fest etc I could go on but the point is during the summer there is like always a festival going on during the weekends. I went for the first time last year I thought it was one of the best festivals I have been too I like square roots a lot the crowd here is more diverse though. They always have something going on at different ends of the festival so it isn't overly crowded where the only thing to do is go for food. Between traditional korean performances, modern bands, korean wrestling, kpop dancing and singing contest, to b-boy contest there is something for everyone you should be guaranteed to have a good time. I saw some people posting the food wasn't good I had a bibimbap and kimbap last time. Which tasted as it should, no one complaining had either, so there exotic taste could have gotten the better of them it is a festival after all. I go for the performances and atmosphere not 5 star restaurant dishes at a festival. read more

Went to support a friend who was competing in the K-Fest singing competition. The festival itself was not bad as far as fests go. Plenty of food and drink to go around, and entertainment in the form of singing & dancing. A lot of the restaurants that line the fest also serve from special "festival menus" so you even more options than just the food outside in the actual festival! A notice though, I found some of the service to be a little bit lacking. Although they may have been a little overwhelmed with the business from the festival. Definitely would suggest going into Outdoor Cafe which had Potbingsoo to go! read more

When I first went to the festival a few years ago, I wasn't certain if I would be ok going there, not having any asian history in my family (that I know of) and especially with my mother going with me. But it was so awesome! My mom enjoyed herself. I had just got out of the hospital the day before and The festival really raised my sprit! The next year I took my father and he had fun too. He looking forward to this year festival as well; recommending it to his boss and co-workers. Though my dad is a vegetarian, he loves ramen and so I worked hard to win him some black ramen last year. he loved it. I'm hoping to show him new things this year that I tried last year. The flash mob is always a surprise. It was very cool. my dad enjoyed watching it. However, his favorite thing about the korean festival is the wrestling, which is were he spend most of his time when he comes. My aunt has been into korean dramas recently so she looking forward to coming for the first time this year. The kpop dance contest was an awesome edition last year and I can't wait to see the group competing this year. But I really can't wait for the singing competition. Last year was too good. I had to friends who competed last year, and their were so many good singers. I can't wait to see this years singers!! In other words, Its a awesome event that not just only koreans can go too. I look forward to it every year read more

I went on Sunday (8/15) to watch the kpop performance featuring Apollo and Gemini, underground artists who I only found out about today (Official Gemini on Youtube). I also went for the kpop dancing/singing competition. The performance was great albeit short, but the competition was just okay. Some people were good, but others really shouldn't have competed. To be fair, the organizers wanted to make money off the $25 entry fee since the grand prize is a trip to Korea. The competition is supposed to last about 4 hours, but I had to leave after one hour. Overall, it was a lot of fun and there was a large and energetic crowd. The food vendors didn't have many choices, most of them were just fried food (aside from beef, dumplings, pork buns, and spicy rice cake) that I didn't touch. Instead, I went to a korean restaurant on the street (I believe it was called Tofu House) and ordered a bibimbap for $9, to-go, which tasted decent and only took about 5 minutes. I also got patbingsoo from a cafe that was on the same street for $7. I'd recommend checking out the nearby restaurants instead of the vendors. Overall I enjoyed the experience, but I wouldn't go again because it only spans one street and lacks variety, unless there was a kpop performance with idols I've heard about (probably not gonna happen though). However, I'd definitely recommend it to first timers. I can't say if Saturday was better or worse because I didn't go to see their events, but make sure to go on the day of the performance and competition! read more

Chicago Korean Festival - Apollo and Gemini performance - Festivals Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I grew up here and I been coming to K fest every year since I could walk. Bottom line , if you wanna get wasted and have a good time while enjoying Korean food, this place is where you want to be. The environment is friendly and there are no shootings or anything like that. I recommend every body to come out. read more

I came to watch my friend's band (The Hemmingbirds) perform at K-Fest this year. There was good food, good music, and a good time for all things Korean. I'm not Korean myself but have many Korean friends -- so it was really cool to immerse myself in their culture a bit more. I've got to check it out again next year for the wrestling competition and more awesome korean food. read more

Chicago Korean Festival - The Hemmingbirds at Korean Fest - Festivals Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It has always (or I've tried to always) make it a tradition to come here every year since I do live near by and I am Korean. I came here to watch a few bands, the Hemmingbirds and Two Bored Dorks, and it was great. It's nice to see the Korean community get together, so it exudes a great feeling. The food is definitely overpriced but I guess that's the same for all festivals. I would recommend just going into the restaurants on the street if you're hungry, but if you're in the festival mood of walking and munching, then go ahead and buy the tent food. read more

As a kpop fan, this festival is a MUST. Not only will you find great food and different things from the korean culture, but you will find a great atmosphere of kpop fans doing kpop dances together and just having a good time. At the kfest there is a kpop singing contest and dancing contest. Both are fun experiences whether you are watching or competing. There is a ton of crowd interaction and prizes given out. Being one of the past winners of the singing contest, I can tell you that the energy there is just amazing. I could go on with the great things about Kfest , but one must experience it themselves. Stop by, you won't be dissapointed. read more

I've both volunteered and attended Korean fest for three years. There is no better place to not only experience Korean culture but Chicago Korean American Culture in the city. Eighteen years and running, the festival is a bastion of Korean culture in Chicago with delicious food and traditional events. With the inclusion of MLE and the International Federation of Competitive Eating this year as well as a change of location, experience korean culture without the costly flight directly to Incheon and the bus ride to Jongno. Come for the outdoor makgeolli, stay for Sonya Thomas the Black Widow. read more

50% OFF Korean Food and Drinks! http://www.groupon.com/deals/chicago-korean-festival The Korean Festival is going on to its 18th Annual Celebration!!! This year the Festival had to change its location because of its popularity and number of visitors. Major League Eating Contest of KIMCHI Celebrity Eater Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas will be on board. Don't let us Koreans down! I'm also excited to make my own hand crafted KIMCHI and to take home a batch. New to this year is the line-up of the Contemporary stage. Lydia Paek is flying in from Korea to sing and we have Youtube HOT sensation JReyez! See you all August 10-11th at KFEST 2013!! There is so much going on!!! read more

This years korean fest was sad. Been coming here since the start of the korean fest cause I live in the neighborhood. Alway had my Kalbi and chap chae and kalbi fix. This year No Kalbi! Everyone I've talked to was looking for Kalbi and there was none to be found. They had less korean food choices. Ended up just drinking a beer and leaving. read more

I was looking forward to Korean Fest all year. I was unable to go last year due to my sister's bachelorette party so I cleared my weekend for this. I think my anticipation was greater than the actual fest. There were a few food stands compared to a ton two years ago. The prices were higher and you got a lot less food. I probably should inform you that I come here for the food. We got a plate of fried vegetables, dumplings and shrimp for $10. My husband didn't eat the veggies because they contained sweet potato and he is not a fan. We then got a plate of kalbi with a little rice and kimchi for $12. There were two pieces of kalbi. I guess the economy is just hurting everyone, including the vendors that would normally be present. We did enjoy the entertainment. We watched a group of young kids perform tae kwon do, drummers and of course Ssireum. That is always our favorite to watch. We did spend 3 hours there but since I was so disappointed with the food we ended up going to Cho Sun Ok for Korean BBQ. I hope that the festival is better next year. But to be honest, I will still go. No matter what. read more

I went with a friend, didn't get to catch any of the actions. Pretty much ended at 9p so everything was closing. Don't think I'll be back next year though. read more

I make it a point to come here annually. A great way to celebrate loan culture while eating some delicious food and watching wrestling!

I've attend plenty of festivals, and Chicago Korean festival is one of the best festival that I keep coming to every year! Plenty of food and Different kind of foods there. Its like Korea but in Chicago! A lot of Entertainment and Fun through out the whole day. No matter where you are at the Festival, You are never bored! There's MANY things to do at the Chicago Korean festival. I advise you to attend it and experience it yourself to get the full effect. read more

The Chicago Korean Festival has declined in recent years. This is mostly due to the resistance of the Chicago Korean American Chamber of Commerce to modernizing the festival and opening up the planning and organization of the festival to younger 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean Americans and non-Koreans. There was a lot of discussion within the Chicagoland Korean community about how to move forward with the festival and this all came to a head during the planning for the 2014 festival. The size of the festival has dropped significantly in recent years and attendance has also declined. This was especially disappointing in 2015 which was the 20th anniversary of the festival. I did not attend the festival at all in 2016, especially due to the attitude within the festival committee against non-Korean involvement in the planning committee. This is a Korean festival but considering the size of the Korean community in Chicagoland and the rise of interest in Korean culture among non-Korean Americans it is important and just makes sense to welcome non-Koreans in the planning and running of the festival. The festival grew from a small street festival to a substantial Korean traditional culture, pop culture, and food festival in 2013. It is true that the Chamber took a financial hit from the 2013 festival but rather than reaching out for help and trying to learn from the successes and failures of the past, they instead decided to contract and do things without outside involvement. I don't know how this year's festival is going to turn out but I would recommend that people check out the new suburban Korean festival that is celebrating it's first annual year in the Old Orchard Shopping Center parking lot. Taste of Korea Chicago has some of the same organizers as past Chicago Korean Festivals and will feature not only Korean food and traditional culture but also the return of the K-Pop Dance Contest and the B-Boy Battle. read more

This festival is not what it used to be. I used to work for them but it has gone to the dumps. I once loved this festival and the ones that worked for it. The day they told one of my friends that they only wanted to work with Koreans that was the day i decided to leave that place. Sorry Korean festival read more

Speaking as a Korean myself who knows the language, culture, and traditions... This is supposedly a festival of "Korean" culture gone wrong. The focus should be on spreading, and informing the community about the culture, obviously having fun, and enjoying the food as well, since that is what this is all about. BUT... the festival is all about hatred/rivalry between food vendors, and money than a display of what KOREA is really about: love that people have for each other. Overpriced food? Are you kidding me? That's called greed. I guess they are still there to make profit, that still makes sense but... 10 bucks for a tiny bowl of ddeokbokki (rice cakes with sauce), or 3 slices of kalbi (ribs) is just too ridiculous to pass by. Going even further, vendors complaining to the administration about other vendors "supposedly" going against sanitarial... protocols(rules?), selling more "stuff" than themselves, and "stealing" customers away from the vendor next to theirs in front of their sight? This ain't love, that's just jealousy, rivalry, selfishness, and GREED. I have yet to see a vendor that were generous with the amount of food they sell at a reasonable price, but one or two since 11 years ago... and trust me, those few that did... have restaurants with long-time customers; not like those greedy Korean places that have their waiters/waitresses run out the door, chasing you, yelling at your face for not leaving enough tip money. Well, at least then... instead of having a BUNCH of food vendors that sell the same thing all over the street, the administration should have divided them up evenly, OR they should have more of a "cultural" item shop instead... (at least just ONE for goodness sake) like a souvenir shop that sells Korean dolls, key chains, tea cups/sets, or even K-pop albums or something. Now that's old-school and contemporary Korean culture in co-existence. B-Boy competition? Ok, that's cool, it draws people to the event, and Korea has one of the top world-class B-Boy dancers, that makes sense, but what does that really have to do with the very core of Korean culture? Nothing, really, even though I'm not against this that much... since this is more like a small mini-event kinda thing for entertainment. However, instead, there should be more of a cultural thing like a taekwondo contest. That's still something cool that EVERYONE, I think, will like to watch. It's one of the Olympic games afterall. Beer... not even "Korean" brand beer... wait, is beer a Korean thing? Well... that doesn't matter that much... a little alcohol adds a little more fun... ok. But shouldn't the vendors promote/sell rice wine, or even soju instead? Now that's REAL Korean. Now, where's all those cultural games? Ssireum (Korean wrestling), ok that's good.. but that's it? Where's the Korean see-saw thing (can't remember)? Too-gu (throwing arrows to a vase-like bottle)? Nope, they're not there. Now onto the cultural food... Kimchi eating contest? Rice cake making? They're all good... VERY cultural too. But guess what... happens only once throughout the whole 2 day period... even worse, they don't take place every year. The only good thing I can see about this event since 11 years ago that I've been to it is that... it has a singing contest and you get to see older Korean people singing Korean songs that they once loved to listen to... I mean, it's still popular... even kids like it too although not all of them. You also get to see non-Koreans who are so passionate about Korean culture, and they sing Korean songs SO WELL!!! Oh, by the way... the other good thing is... that it brings back people together... those who you haven't seen for a while WILL BE THERE. It' provides a good opportunity to keep in touch with others, and socialize. . I guess this is really a biased opinion, but speaking of this after 11 years of visit, I know many people will agree to this one thing: the event is more about money. Please take this with a grain of salt if you did not like reading to my review, but I tried to be as honest as possible, and took others' opinion into account. However, there is still some good things about it, so don't be so sad! It'll hopefully... get better in the future. read more

This was the first time I ever heard of this fest. We got there as they opened and left at 5:00 as I made plans later in the evening. Wish I would of known how long it was going to last as I was really enjoying myself. The BBDance was great.. wasn't really into it before this but it was great.. They had a lot of great food.. Price were reasonable and portions were small to try more.I tried alot of different things I wouldn't try.The stage was full of exciting things. Wish I would of went Saturday so I could spend the evening also. This fest was awesome and so glad I went. I learned alot about Korean that I didn't know since we have no Asian in my family. Wish it wasn't a hour from home but like I said GLAD I WENT! read more

Glad we went but loud and very minimal. Lots of food, a few vendors, one stage. We ate and left.

I went to the festival last year and I had a blast! I enjoyed it so much that I decided to volunteer this year too!!! This year is going to be bigger which means even more awesome is coming this year. What could be any more better than that... =DDD CAN'T WAIT!!! XDDD read more

First, the festival was very nice. The food selection consisted mainly of Korean snacks and some meals. The prices were okay. If you wanted a sit down meal restaurants were open. I was hoping for more cultural presentations and artists from Korea. The Korean drum set was excellent, but sadly to short. As someone else stated music and entertainment was geared for a younger crowd. This is the second year we have attended. The five stars are for the food which allowed us to try and explore! read more