K-Fest Houston: A two-day celebration of culture, music & cuisine
Written by: Julieta Torres | October 20, 2026
The Korean festival in Houston has been the center of all things Korea for over 17 years. Starting out in Houston's Community College parking lot, the festival has now expanded to Discovery Green, drawing a large audience to Houston's downtown.
This year was no different, the green space downtown was bustling with many festival goers as they lined up to get a taste of Korean specialty dishes such as bulgogi and Korean corn dogs. The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade made an appearance as well, bringing many popular snacks and drinks for the public to enjoy. Brands such as the soju brand Jinro, Orion famous for Turtle Chips and Nongshim ramen promoted their products and encouraged attendees to participate in activities with free samples provided.
Photographed by Julieta Torres
As the day went on the main stage saw many fans waiting patiently for the highlight of the festival, the music groups Re:Wind & Big Ocean. Re:Wind, a global K-pop group based in the US, made their debut in 2025 with their song FOREVER. The group consists of Eddie, Elaya & Lei, who currently live in different parts of the US but aim to blend both K-pop & Western music influences into their sound. Many fans connected with that aspect as their sound blended the distinct 2000s boy band sound with the modern day K-pop sound.
The headliner of the night was Big Ocean, the first hard of hearing K-pop group. They made their debut in 2024 with their song Glow. The group consists of Chanyeon, PJ & Jiseok, all three are hard of hearing and wear hearing aids and or have cochlear implants. Their choreographies incorporate Korean Sign Language (KSL), American Sign Language (ASL) and International Sign (IS) to create their own genre of music as they call S-pop (Sign Language Pop). Many fans followed along as the group taught them how to sign and dance along to their song Love Sign. The interactions between the fans, especially those who were also hard of hearing, really made the concert special. Prior to the concert, the group visited a cupsleeve event that fans were hosting near the festival. The members posed with drinks from the cafe and interacted with fans making their visit extra special.
The Korean Festival has become a staple of Houston's events that bring its diverse community together to celebrate one of the many cultures that make the city thrive.
