A sweet scent of strawberries is spreading in Samnye, Wanju County, North Jeolla. Spring strawberries are at their peak in flavor and nutrition, with the highest levels of anthocyanins, an antioxidant, and vitamin C. The Wanju Samnye Strawberry Grand Festival, where visitors can enjoy Samnye strawberries in season all in one place, will be held for three days starting on the 6th.
Wanju County said on the 25th that it will hold the 24th Wanju Samnye Strawberry Grand Festival from Mar. 6 to 8 in and around the public parking lot behind the Samnye Nonghyup. This year's festival will be organized as a hands-on event linking production, distribution, experience, and tourism around strawberries, the signature agricultural product of the Samnye area.
The highlight of the festival is the in-season strawberry experience. At the venue, visitors can taste processed strawberry foods and various desserts, and there will also be a program to harvest strawberries firsthand. The harvest experience will run twice on the 7th and 8th at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the fee is 15,000 won per person. Infants under 12 months are free. A direct-sale market will also operate, offering fresh Samnye strawberries at reasonable prices.
The event will kick off at 2 p.m. on the 6th with a farmers' band street parade. That will be followed by cultural and arts performances, including the Phil Saxophone Ensemble and dance acts.
At 4 p.m. the same day, preliminaries for the Strawberry Bud Talent Contest, open to children ages 5 to 18, will be held. Participants can choose any theme, including singing, dancing, and performances, and the finals will take place on the 8th. One grand prize team will be honored, along with top excellence, excellence, and encouragement awards.
The festival atmosphere will reach its peak at the opening ceremony on the 7th. Starting at 2 p.m. with performances and a flash mob, the stage will feature Kim Yeon-ja, well known for Amor Fati, and Kim Wan-jun, the winner of Hidden Singer Jinseong, among others, to liven up the mood. A golden strawberry hunt and a prize drawing will follow. On the afternoon of the 8th, a magic show for family visitors is planned.
Shuttle buses will run during the festival (7–8). They will shuttle between the Wanju County Public Stadium, the main building of Woosuk University, and the venue, operating every 20 minutes from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Beyond the strawberry festival, Samnye is drawing attention as a space where modern history and culture coexist. Representative sites include the Samnye Culture and Arts Village and Samnye Book Village, which repurposed former grain warehouses into cultural spaces, as well as the Picture Book Art Museum. A place that holds the painful history of rice exploitation during the Japanese colonial period has now transformed into a hub for exhibitions, performances, and reading culture, attracting tourists.
Wanju County Governor Yoo Hee-tae said, "The Wanju Samnye Strawberry Grand Festival is an occasion to reexamine the value of local agriculture and to help boost farm income and revitalize the local economy," adding, "We hope you make happy memories with your family in Samnye, filled with the sweet scent of spring."