Sacheon-si Samcheonpo Port Wild Gizzard Shad Festival
🗓️ 2026.08.20 ~ 2026.08.23
The Sacheon-si Samcheonpo Port Wild Gizzard Shad Festival is a food festival centered on gizzard shad, a representative seafood item of Samcheonpo Port in Sacheon-si. What started as a local event has grown into a nationwide food festival, drawing continued interest from citizens and foreign tourists. The 2026 festival, now in its 23rd year, will be held from August 20 to 23 and is timed to coincide with the peak gizzard shad season.
The festival has a dual purpose: to introduce the taste of Sacheon-si gizzard shad to a wider audience and to support the local fishing industry. It aims to increase the income of local fishermen and residents working in fisheries-related businesses, while also highlighting the clean waters and seafood products of Sacheon-si. For visitors, the result is a festival that combines eating, performances, and hands-on activities.
Festival Programs
Main Programs
- Eve festival celebratory performance
- Opening ceremony
- Fireworks
- Celebratory performances
Side Programs
- Gizzard shad dish sales
- Invited performance by the Gyeongsangnam-do Intangible Cultural Heritage Mado Galbang-asori
- Folk market and Pumba performances
Consumer Participation Programs
- Bare-handed gizzard shad catching experience
- Free gizzard shad tasting event
- “I am a Singer” on-site karaoke
- Etc.
The program list gives visitors several ways to take part. In addition to watching performances and fireworks, attendees can buy gizzard shad dishes, watch the Mado Galbang-asori performance, and browse a folk market. Those looking for a more active experience can try catching gizzard shad with their bare hands, join the free tasting session, or sing at the on-site karaoke stage.
Practical Information
📍 Address: 56-35 Palpo 3-gil, Sacheon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do (Donggeum-dong)
🛏️ Accommodations near the event
💰 Fee: Free
📞 Inquiry: 055-832-8565
🖥️ Homepage: http://www.3004palpo.co.kr
Wild gizzard shad is a small, silver-skinned fish in the herring family. It is migratory and usually travels in large schools through shallow coastal waters, occasionally entering the brackish zones where rivers meet the sea. Wild-caught shad feed on natural plankton and tiny crustaceans, and this diet gives the meat a firmer texture and a more concentrated flavor than farmed fish.
The fish is modest in size—typically twenty to thirty centimeters long—but its flavor is substantial. The meat is rich, slightly oily, and mildly sweet, with a clean finish. In Korean coastal cuisine, wild gizzard shad has long been a seasonal staple. It is often salted and grilled whole, or sliced thin and served raw with sesame oil and a little salt. The fish also has fine, soft bones that turn crisp and fully edible when cooked properly. For that reason it can be eaten whole, and it is a common item at seaside festivals and harborside restaurants.
Because the fish is wild, its availability changes with the seasons and the tides. The best-known season is early autumn, when the fish have fattened before spawning. At this time the flesh is more tender and juicy, and grilling whole over a flame is the most common preparation. The skin crisps up well, and the bones become part of the dish rather than an obstacle. Local cooking styles vary: some ports simply salt the fish and cook it over charcoal, while others slice it raw and serve it with sesame oil. For anyone visiting a coastal market during the autumn season, wild gizzard shad is a straightforward regional specialty.
