Incheon Soraepogu Festival Strengthens Local Identity with Salt and Mudflat Experiences

This year, a special experience program utilizing salt and mudflats will be introduced for the first time at the Incheon Sorae Port Festival.

Namdong-gu announced on the 19th that it will operate experience programs reflecting the local identity at the 24th Sorae Port Festival, held from the 27th to the 29th in the Sorae Port area.

First, reflecting the identity of Sorae Port as a former salt production site, a "Sorae Salt Farm Salt Playground" where visitors can play with salt toys will be installed. Additionally, symbolizing the Sorae Port mudflats, a "Sorae Mudflat Mud Playground" will be set up where visitors can enjoy various activities in an air bounce filled with mud.

These programs, operated for the first time this year, are all free of charge. The district office noted that since the existing fishing and hunting type experience programs are common at festivals in other regions, they have limitations in representing the Sorae Port Festival, so they designed specialized programs emphasizing local identity.

Scenes from the 2023 Soraepogu Festival held around Soraepogu, Namdong-gu, Incheon
[Photo provided by Namdong-gu, Incheon]

Along with this, the Sorae Fish Market Street experience, which received great responses from tourists as a new program last year, will be strengthened, and historical experiences will be conducted at Jangdo Battery, a cultural heritage site of Incheon.

In addition, various cultural and artistic experience booths will be operated where visitors can make and fly kites shaped like crabs and shrimp, and participate in art, crafts, and design activities.

Namdong-gu decided to change the classification of the Sorae Port Festival from "Local Specialty Type," which was under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's festival classification, to "Ecological Resource Type" starting this year.

The festival site will be divided into 10 zones, including experience zones and art zones, featuring regionally specialized performances such as the West Coast Bountiful Fish Festival, Sorae National Singing Contest, and Sorae Food Video Festival, as well as congratulatory performances by famous singers like Park Jeong-hyun, Hong Jin-young, and Ulala Session.

Furthermore, the "Sorae Drone Light Show," which expresses Sorae Port symbols using drones, and the "Sorae Marine Fireworks Show" will beautifully illuminate the night sky over the area.

Park Jong-hyo, mayor of Namdong-gu, said, "Sorae not only has the uniqueness of a traditional fishing port but also various tourist resources such as mudflats, a treasure trove of marine ecology, and salt with historical significance. We hope that this festival will help turn Sorae's ecological resources into tourist attractions and contribute to revitalizing the local economy."