Board a Fishing Boat and Catch Fish Barehanded... 'Autumn Sea Festival' at Siheung Wolgot Port

Siheung to Host Festival from October 9 to 11 at Marine Waterfront Park
A Celebration Created by Residents, Merchants, and Fishers
From Making Salted Shrimp and Catching King Prawns
To Performances by Soyou and Jeongin, and Even Fireworks
A Feast for the Senses: Eat, Watch, Experience, and Enjoy

A festival will be held at a West Sea port, where visitors can enjoy a ride on a fishing boat and taste fish caught with their bare hands, all in the crisp autumn breeze.

2025 Fishing Boat Boarding Experience. Provided by Siheung City

On October 6, the city of Siheung announced that it will host the 13th Siheung Wolgot Port Festival from October 9 to 11 at Wolgot Marine Waterfront Park and surrounding coastal areas. The festival, organized collaboratively by residents, merchants, and fishers, will feature experience programs, food, and performances that reflect the everyday life and culture of the port.

The Wolgot Port Festival, one of the region’s signature events along with the Siheung Gaetgol Festival, attracted about 90,000 visitors over three days last year. Thanks to content that leverages the port’s ecological environment, local culture, and tourism resources, it was also selected as one of Gyeonggi Province’s representative festivals.

Wolgot Port, only about a 10-minute walk from Wolgot Station on the Suin–Bundang Line, draws visitors with its tranquil seascape and moored fishing boats. This year’s festival offers hands-on programs where participants can experience everyday life in a fishing village, including boarding a fishing boat, barehanded fishing, catching king prawns, and making salted shrimp.

The flagship fishing boat boarding experience invites participants to ride a real fishing vessel, sailing from Wolgot to the waters off Oido and back. This program will run from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 10 and 11, with 200 participants each day, allowing a total of 400 people to take part.

Barehanded Fishing. Provided by Siheung City

The barehanded fishing experience will also take place on October 10 and 11, with 150 participants per day. Here, participants can catch live fish such as flatfish and gizzard shad themselves and enjoy them as sashimi on site. The king prawn catching event, especially popular among children, will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on October 11, and guests can enjoy grilled prawns seasoned with salt after catching them with a net.

In front of the dock, there will be a hands-on program for making salted shrimp, using fresh shrimp caught by local fishers. Each day, 100 people can participate on October 10 and 11, and participants can take home the salted shrimp they made themselves. There will also be a market selling pickled seafood from the local fish market at wholesale prices, as well as a fishing gear exhibition guided by local fishers.

The route from Wolgot Station to the festival venue will feature the ‘Wolgot Moonlight Flea Market,’ showcasing regional specialties and crafts made by local residents. At the food fair organized by the Wolgot Merchants’ Association, the Resident Council, and the Fishing Village Association, visitors can sample dishes prepared with agricultural and marine products from Siheung.

Urban Agriculture Festival, Rice Harvesting Experience. Provided by Siheung City

In addition to marine experiences, there will be opportunities to enjoy the rural atmosphere. At the ‘Urban Agriculture Festival,’ held at Wolgot Public Allotment Garden on October 10 and 11, visitors can take part in rice harvesting, threshing, rice milling, straw craft, and making injeolmi (rice cake), offering distinctive agricultural experiences. Over 40 booths will run eco-friendly environmental experience programs responding to the climate crisis, as well as fire safety training sessions.

As night falls, performances and fireworks will brighten the autumn evenings. Firework displays will be held at both the opening ceremony on October 10 and the closing ceremony on October 11, with hundreds of drones illuminating the night sky on the evening of October 10.

On October 10 and 11, trot singers including Jinuq, Lee Sona, Heo Chanmi, Shim Yooseon, Shin Seungtae, and Binyeseo will perform on stage. Soyou, from SISTAR and now a solo artist, will add emotional vocals to the autumn night, and Jeong-in is expected to comfort festival visitors with her deep tone and vocals.

Drone Show. Provided by Siheung City

Jeongbu Gwi, Chairperson of the Siheung Wolgot Port Festival Organizing Committee, said, "Because this is a festival created by the residents, we are preparing with our utmost effort," and added, "We aim to promote the identity of Siheung City and Wolgot through this event and create a festival that leaves all visitors satisfied."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.