Chungcheongnam-do

▲ Experiencing catching jumbo shrimps

□ Boryoung Muchangpo Harbor Jumbo Shrimp?Gizzard Shad Festival(9.24~10.9)

2016 Muchangpo King Prawn?Gizzard Shad Festival will be held in Muchangpo harbor area in Boryoung where famous for a miracle sea route. This festival is hosted by Muchangpo Festival Committee and supervised by Boryoung-si and has many kinds of events and activities like tasting a gizzard shad and jumbo shrimp, and picking a jumbo shrimp and clam at a mudflat.

There will be a lot of activities in a festival period like bare hands fishing, short neck clam picking, miracle sea route and Doksal fishing(one of traditional methods to catch fish. Usually, use the ebb and flow). Also, at 5P.M. every day, a singing contest and Pumba performance(Korean gypsy performance) will be held, so visitors and locals can have a lot of fun in the festival.

There is a Korean proverb that describes a taste of gizzard shad, ‘The smell of grilling gizzard shad makes a comeback of a daughter in law who left from home’. Gizzard shad is super famous for its savory taste. Especially, gizzard shad saves fats inside of their body to prepare winter, so it has a great taste from middle of September to beginning of October.

Usually, people cook this fish as sashimi, grill with salt or seasoned. It has many fine bones so it could bother you when you eat the fish, however, the more you chew, the more flavor you get. And its fine bones contain much calcium, so it’s good for your health.

And jumbo shrimps are as famous as gizzard shad. Its size is around 20 ? 27㎝ and the biggest and most tasty shrimp around 80 species so many gourmets enjoy eating the shrimp in every fall.

□ Seochun Hongwon Harbor Gizzard Shad and Blue Crab Festival(Nov. 24th~Oct. 9th )

 ‘The 16th Seochun Hongwon Harbor Natural Gizzard shad?  Festival’(Hongwon Harbor Festival) will be held in near the Hongwon Harbor area, Seo-myeon, Seochun-gun.

In this year, there will be a lot of activities in the festival for visitors like the guest singers’ stage, bare hands gizzard shad fishing, traditional play experience, treasure hunt and bubble play. Especially, visitors can have a big fun with attractions, food and entertainments in the festival like special product stores and an amateur singing contest.

From the middle to last part of September, the fine bones of gizzard shad are being tender with a lot of fat, so people can have an original taste of gizzard shad in this period. And blue crabs, especially male blue crabs have an amazing taste in this period and spring season.

The representative of the Festival Committee of Hongwon Harbor Kim Sang Tae said, “The haul of gizzard shad and blue crabs was huge this year, so come enjoy the taste of gizzard shad with your folks. Beautiful seascape is additional.”

There is a pavilion named ‘DongbaekJung’ which famous for amazing glow of the setting sun of the west coast. And at the broad sea, there are Wolhaseong(Wolha castle) and Biinsundori Wetland Experience Cennter, so people can experience shell gathering. This place is becoming a famous family weekend trip course.  

□ Hongsung Namdang Harbor Jumbo Shrimp Festival

 ‘Hongsung Namdang Harbor Jumbo Shrimp Festival’ will be open in a Namdang harbor area, seobu-myeon, Hongsung-gun.

Namdang harbor is a class 1 seaport that is famous for beautiful seascape, and the harbor is a clean seaport so many kinds of sea lives are captured in this harbor like blue crabs, cockles and webfoot octopuses.

From the beginning of September to the middle of October, many gourmets visit the harbor to eat jumbo shrimps because as the autumn advanced, jumbo shrimps get bigger and its taste becomes rich.

There will be many sorts of activities like an amateur signing contest, kite-flying and custom play. Especially, ‘Bare Hands Jumbo Shrimp Fishing’ is the most famous one because people can feel thills by catching jumbo shrimps on their hands. Also, they can eat jumbo shrimps right away which they catch in the event. Children can enjoy this event for free.

On the main stage of the festival, there will be an amateur singing festival, guest singers’ stages and many kinds of performances. And don’t forget to buy delicious blue crabs at cheap price in special product stores.