Come to Gwangyang Seomjingang Mangdeok Port for an 'Autumn Welcome'

Published 21 Aug.2024 10:48(KST)

Gwangyang Jeoneo Festival Starts from the 23rd

As Malbok has passed and Cheoseo is just two days away, Gwangyang City is attracting attention by suggesting a farewell to autumn at Mangdeok Port on the Seomjin River.

Mangdeok Port is where the Seomjin River meets the sea, a historic site that once housed a shipyard where boats were built for the Jeolla Left Naval Command. It is also renowned as a literary sanctuary that preserved poet Yun Dong-ju’s handwritten manuscript, "Sky, Wind, Stars, and Poetry."

Night View of Mangdeok Port, Seomjin River, Gwangyang [Photo by Gwangyang City]

When the thick-bodied gizzard shad with shimmering silver scales start to gather here, the autumn of Gwangyang begins.

The autumn gizzard shad caught at Mangdeok Port boast firm flesh and rich flavor due to their active lifestyle in fast currents. They are also rich in calcium, minerals, and unsaturated fatty acids, benefiting everyone from children’s bone growth to seniors’ vascular health.

At the 23rd Gwangyang Gizzard Shad Festival, held on the 23rd at Mangdeok Port, visitors can enjoy various gizzard shad dishes such as fresh gizzard shad sashimi splashing in water, sweet and sour gizzard shad sashimi salad, and gizzard shad grilled to a golden crisp with coarse salt.

If you think the festival only offers gizzard shad dishes, think again. Over three days, the festival features a wide range of programs for all generations, including gizzard shad fishing experiences, a gizzard shad song contest, Jinwol gizzard shad fishing sound demonstrations, children’s pungmul performances, and youth dance competitions, raising expectations.

Jeoneo Full Course Table Setting [Photo by Gwangyang City]

After participating in the programs and having dinner, walking along the curved port leads visitors to Baealdo Island Garden, which connects the Byeolhaenda Bridge and the Sunrise Bridge, both shaped like gizzard shad.

Baealdo Island Garden boasts a starlike sparkling night view and beautiful sunrises and sunsets, making it a romantic spot that always refreshes the senses no matter the time of day.

Kim Seong-su, Director of Tourism, said, “Mangdeok Port is a rich space where the Gwangyang Gizzard Shad Festival, the curtain-raiser of autumn festivals, is held, flowing with poetry and romance. We hope visitors come to Mangdeok Port, filled with the joy of the festival at the end of a summer marked by record-breaking heatwaves and tropical nights, to fully enjoy the taste and atmosphere of autumn and the beautiful night views.”