Pepero Day _ November 11, Website, App, Game - Discussions

Pepero Day is a gifting day in South Korea that falls on November 11 every year. On this day, people give boxes of Pepero — thin biscuit sticks coated in chocolate — to the people they care about. It started with school students in Busan in the 1990s and grew into one of the biggest gifting days on the Korean calendar, close to a second Valentine's Day. The next Pepero Day is Tuesday, November 11, 2027.

Quick facts

• Date: November 11, every year
• Country: South Korea
• The snack: Pepero, thin chocolate-coated biscuit sticks made by Lotte Wellfood
• Who gives: Couples, friends, classmates and coworkers
• Why November 11: The date 11/11 looks like four Pepero sticks standing in a row
• Next Pepero Day: November 11, 2027

What is Pepero?

Pepero is a slim biscuit stick dipped in chocolate. Lotte Wellfood has made it in South Korea since 1983, and it comes in many flavours now — chocolate, almond, strawberry, white cookie, peanut and more. A single stick is light and crunchy, and a box is cheap, small and easy to hand to someone. That simple mix is a big reason the snack became a gift. You don't need a special reason or a big budget. You just hand over a box, and the message lands.

How Pepero Day started in Busan

The story most Koreans know begins in the mid-1990s at a girls' school in Busan. Students started giving each other Pepero on November 11, wishing each other luck to grow tall and slim like the sticks. The date helped the idea spread, because 11/11 looks like four Pepero sticks side by side. Word travelled from school to school, then across the country. Lotte picked up on the trend, shops joined in, and within a few years the whole country was doing it. You can read the full story in our post on how Pepero Day began with schoolgirls in Busan.

Why November 11?

It's the look of the date. Written as 11/11, November 11 is four ones in a row — and four ones look exactly like four Pepero sticks standing upright. No other date on the calendar matches the snack so well. Some fans even mark 11:11 on the clock that day for photos and messages. The shape of the date turned a normal school tradition into a national day that nobody forgets, because the date itself is the reminder.

How people celebrate Pepero Day

Most of the day is about small, sweet exchanges. Couples swap decorated boxes, sometimes with handwritten notes tucked inside. Friends at school trade sticks between classes. Offices join in too — it's normal to find a box of Pepero on your desk from a coworker on November 11. Convenience stores and supermarkets build big Pepero displays near the door in the weeks before, and bakeries and gift shops sell ready-made bundles with ribbons, plush toys and flowers.

Lotte releases special edition boxes for the season, with new designs and gift sets that only show up around November. Some people go further and make their own — hand-dipped sticks with custom toppings, packed in boxes they decorated themselves. The day isn't a public holiday, and there's no big ceremony. It's just millions of small gifts changing hands on the same day.

Popular Pepero flavours and gift boxes

The original chocolate Pepero is still the best seller, but the range is wide now. Almond Chocolate coats the stick in chocolate and crushed almonds. White Cookie uses a cookies-and-cream style coating. Strawberry brings a pink, fruity shell, and there are also peanut, green tea and crunchy filled versions. For the day itself, most people skip the single small packs and buy the decorated gift boxes and multi-pack sets made for giving. Our breakdown of the best Pepero flavours and gift boxes to give walks through the favourites and who each one suits.

Pepero Day vs Valentine's Day

The two days feel similar, but they work differently. Valentine's Day in Korea is mainly for couples, and tradition says women give chocolate to men on February 14, with White Day on March 14 flipping the direction. Pepero Day is wider than that. Anyone can give to anyone — friends, family, teachers, coworkers — and it's the one specific snack, not chocolate in general. It's also more playful and less formal. A box of Pepero costs very little, so the day stays light. Nobody stresses over the perfect gift.

Pepero Day vs Pocky Day

Japan has its own stick-snack day on the same date. Pocky Day, run by Glico in Japan, also falls on November 11, because Pocky sticks look like ones too. The two days grew up separately in neighbouring countries around near-identical snacks, and Koreans and Japanese fans love comparing them. We put the two side by side in Pepero Day vs Pocky Day, from the snacks themselves to how each country celebrates.

Pepero Day FAQ

When is Pepero Day?

Pepero Day is on November 11 every year. The next one is November 11, 2027.

Who makes Pepero?

Pepero is made by Lotte Wellfood, part of the Lotte group in South Korea. It launched in 1983.

Why do people give Pepero on November 11?

The date 11/11 looks like four Pepero sticks. Students in Busan started exchanging Pepero on that date in the 1990s, wishing each other to grow tall and slim like the sticks, and the custom spread nationwide.

Is Pepero Day only for couples?

No. Couples take part, but so do friends, classmates, family members and coworkers. It's a general gifting day, not a couples-only one.

Is Pepero Day a public holiday in Korea?

No, it's a commercial and cultural gifting day. Schools and offices run as normal — the boxes just travel with people.

Mark the date

If you have Korean friends, a partner, or coworkers, November 11 is your day to show up with a small box and a big smile. Pepero Day asks for almost nothing — one snack, one date that looks like four sticks — and it turns an ordinary Tuesday into the sweetest day of the Korean autumn. Next stop: November 11, 2027. If you came here looking for an app or a download, there isn't one — Pepero Day is a real-world gifting day, and our download page explains why and points you to the official Lotte Wellfood site.