Danyang's traditional market embraces Dracula theme to pitch local garlic
Summary
Danyang Gugyeong Market in North Chungcheong Province will host the 2026 Danyang Garlic Festival Season 2: Count Dracula’s Secret Shop from Friday to Saturday. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, the event combines local six-clove garlic with a gothic fantasy theme. Visitors can explore decorated shops, sample garlic-focused food and drinks, and attend parades and performances. The market is also promoting transparent pricing, card payments, clean facilities and friendly service.
Key Facts
- Last year’s Dracula Garlic Night drew nearly 8,900 visitors.
- The Secret Banquet is a prebooked four-course dining experience featuring local garlic and regional delicacies.
- The Secret Potion booth will serve custom mocktails made with Narangd Cider, alongside a traditional liquor cocktail bar.
- The entertainment program includes an Immortal Parade, street jazz performances with the Chungbuk Cultural Foundation, and the Alchemist’s Brewery & Secret Party.
- Visitors who spend more than 20,000 won can spin a prize wheel for a chance to win market vouchers.
Danyang Gugyeong Market in North Chungcheong Province / Korea Times file
Count Dracula might want to reconsider his weekend travel plans.
Danyang Gugyeong Market in North Chungcheong Province is turning into a garlic lover’s paradise — and a vampire’s worst nightmare — from Friday to Saturday for the 2026 Danyang Garlic Festival Season 2: Count Dracula’s Secret Shop, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) said Thursday.
Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the KTO, the event fuses local six-clove garlic with gothic fantasy to create an unforgettable traditional market experience.
Last year’s Dracula Garlic Night drew nearly 8,900 brave souls, but this year's sequel promises to raise the stakes. Local shopkeepers are dressing up as immortal shopmasters, offering rich culinary delights while turning the market aisles into a haunted gauntlet. Visitors can embark on a ghostly stamp tour, creeping through secret shops decorated with cobwebs and bats to claim exclusive souvenirs.
For foodies dying to satisfy their appetite, the festival features the Secret Banquet, a prebooked four-course fine dining experience showcasing local garlic paired with regional delicacies.
Need something to wash down all those cloves? Head over to the Secret Potion booth for custom mocktails crafted with Narangd Cider, or stop by the traditional liquor cocktail bar for a spirits-raising drink.
The entertainment lineup is equally spellbinding.
The market will host an Immortal Parade marching through the alleys, street jazz performances in collaboration with the Chungbuk Cultural Foundation and an evening bash dubbed the Alchemist's Brewery & Secret Party.
Beyond the festivities, the market is also casting a spell of customer satisfaction. Through the K-Tourism Market Smile Campaign, vendors are committing to transparent pricing, card payments, clean facilities and friendly service. Anyone spending over 20,000 won ($14) can spin a prize wheel for a shot at winning market vouchers.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
Explore More
- Q.
- Q.
- Q.