No need to prepare anything for the festival outside of tickets! As for making makeolli, you will need to prepare the ingredients as well as sanitized supplies.

BUS, SUBWAY, TRAIN, CAR, WALK, BICYCLE

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the Korea sool grand festival. This annual festival hosted in Yangjae makes for the perfect opportunity to try award winning liquor, as well as learning more about Korean history, culture, and traditional alcohol. I decided to go with my friend to celebrate passing our final exams. From the moment I entered the event, I could feel the welcoming atmosphere and passion of each vendor. I was greeted with the first drink of the day - a Highball made from only Korean ingredients. A great way to start this festival. The festival was organized based on the main product each company produced. From makeolli, to soju, to wine, there was nothing you would not be able to find. A few products that stood out to me were as follows: - A vendor selling Korean limonchello. As a European living in Korea, I had not realized how much I missed limonchello! - A vendor selling Paju soju. As someone who spends a lot of time in Paju, I never realized this fresh and light soju was produced right next to me! - Andong soju. This product stood out due to its beautiful packaging and representation of Andongs culture! - Makeolli jam. Made with the left overs from makeolli, it was created as a circular option to reduce waste. If you are interested in Korean alcohol, this festival is truly the best place to further explore this interest! As for the moment that helped me connect to Korean culture even more, the organizers of this festival also hosted a makeolli course! And compared to my expectations, it was pretty easy and fun to make. It all starts with rice. The rice is the base of this Korean rice wine and should neither be too dry or too wet. Following the rice, you will need up to 1 liter of water; the more water you add, the lower the alcohol percentage and the weaker the flavour. Lastly you must add the Nuruk. This ingredient makes the rice ferment into alcohol! After all ingredients are added into a big bowl, kneed the mixture with enough strength to make the rice absorb the water. Once it looks like oatmeal, transfer it to a container and keep it in a cool and dark place. Make sure to stir it once or twice a day for 10 days to encourage fermentation. After 10 ~ 20 days the wine will be ready to be strained and enjoyed. This process is easy enough to the point where I think anyone would be able to enjoy it. It also gave me a deeper understanding of the drinks that I have enjoyed so much in the past. Lastly, I even managed to meet some friends during the process, making the activity even more fun! 10/10 would recommend.