Naju-si to Host 'Yeongsanpo Honggeo Festival' from 5th to 7th Next Month

Naju City in Jeollanam-do will hold the ‘19th Yeongsanpo Skate Festival’ from the 5th to the 7th of next month in the Yeongsanpo Skate Street area.

According to the city on the 26th, the Yeongsanpo Skate Festival, held for the first time in three years due to the prolonged impact of COVID-19, is the longest-running food culture festival in the Naju region.

Poster of the 19th Yeongsanpo Honggeo Festival.
[Photo by Naju City]

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The Festival Promotion Committee (Chairman Yang Chikwon) will showcase the ‘aesthetic of fermentation’ unique to the 600-year tradition of Yeongsanpo skate over three days under the theme of the warm local dialect phrase, ‘Come taste the skate~’.

This year, the main stage has been moved from the Yeongsangang Riverside Park area to Skate Street, where skate restaurants and shops are lined up. Merchants, residents, and tourists can come together in one place to enjoy a more diverse range of food, sights, and experiences.

The opening ceremony will begin at 6:30 PM with poet Jeon Sook’s recital of skate-themed poetry and lively traditional Korean percussion performances, followed by a three-act opening show at the outdoor stage on Skate Street.

The ‘Skate Grandmother,’ known as the mother of the sea, will appear and warmly share stories about the 600-year tradition of Yeongsanpo skate with the audience.

During the performance, a unique act is planned where Chef Jeon Junhan, famous as a cooking opera singer, and local women will prepare skate salad on the spot to offer the audience a taste, drawing attention.

Especially to celebrate Children’s Day on May 5th, a hot air balloon ride experience overlooking the Yeongsangang River and the festival site will be held on the first day of the festival, creating unforgettable memories for young visitors.

Before the opening ceremony, a book signing and talk concert with writer Moon Sun-tae, who recently published the poetry collection ‘Skate,’ will take place from 2 PM to 5 PM on the first day at the Skate Exhibition Hall.

Writer Moon uses skate, the subject of his work, as a metaphor for the pain, tears, and various insights into the lives of common people. He reinterprets skate, which was once used as a derogatory term for the region, from a new perspective and sensuously depicts the taste of skate, a representative dish of the southern provinces.

On the second and third days of the festival, starting at 4:30 PM each day, a ‘Skate Cooking Class’ will be held where tourists can taste various skate dishes.

Visitors can experience and taste unique K-FOOD dishes never seen before, such as ramen, dumplings, fish cake sandwiches, and coffee made with skate as the main ingredient.

Tourist-centered experience programs such as ‘Find the Skate King,’ selecting skate enthusiasts by generation, ‘Surprise Skate Auction’ where skate can be purchased at special prices, ‘Beautiful Skate Slicing,’ and ‘Skate Tower Building’ will be held on-site throughout the three days of the festival.

Food booths will sell various skate dishes including skate samhap paired with Makgeolli, skate sashimi, steamed skate, and skate aekguk.

For family tourists with children, there will be experience booths for ‘Making Skate Kites,’ ‘Natural Dyeing,’ and a ‘Skate History Promotion Hall.’

Night stage performances to enhance the festival atmosphere are also highly anticipated.

Especially on the second day from 6 PM, exciting singer performances (Hong Jinju, Yang Jinwon) and the ‘5060 K-POP Skate Disco Party’ are scheduled to help visitors blow away stress with lively music.

The semi-finals and finals of the Naju citizens’ singing contest, combining vocal skills with enthusiasm and talent, will be held on the 5th and 7th, respectively.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae said, “Even at a feast with countless dishes, it is said that ‘a feast without skate is not a feast,’ as fermented skate is a representative food of Jeolla Province. We hope many tourists will visit this festival to enjoy the diverse flavors of Yeongsanpo fermented skate dishes, which are not only rich in taste but also excellent for health.”

Naju = Kim Yukbong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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