It’s a morning at -15°C. Thousands of holes have been punched into a frozen river, and people crouch in front of them, jigging their lines up and down. Someone shouts “Got one!” and a silver fish flips out onto the ice. A little later, that same fish comes back from the riverside grill, golden and crisp. This is January in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province.

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is one of Korea’s signature winter festivals, once named both a ‘Representative Festival’ and a ‘Global Festival’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2026 it drew about 1.59 million visitors over 23 days, including roughly 114,000 from overseas. It’s about three hours from Seoul by bus, so a day trip is completely doable. Below you’ll find the 2027 dates and the new fee structure, the foreigner-only fishing area, how to get there and how to survive the cold, plus other winter festivals worth considering if Hwacheon doesn’t fit your plans.

The short answer

  • Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2027: January 9 (Sat) – 31 (Sun), 23 days. If the ice freezes late, the opening can be postponed.
  • Fees (2026 official): foreigner-only fishing area ₩10,000, with ₩5,000 refunded in gift certificates. The standard adult fee is set to change to ₩25,000 (₩15,000 refunded) in 2027.
  • Getting there: intercity bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Hwacheon, about 3 hours, ₩14,400. Rods are sold on site from ₩6,000; insulated boots, gloves and hand warmers are a must.
1.59M
Visitors to the 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (23 days)
114K
Of whom were foreign visitors
30cm+
Average ice thickness during the 2026 festival (max 45cm)
23 days
Length of the 2027 festival (1/9–1/31)

What Is the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival?

It’s a festival where you fish for trout through the ice of a frozen river and grill your catch right there. Sancheoneo (mountain trout, also called cherry salmon) is a member of the trout family that lives in clear mountain streams. Every January, once the Hwacheoncheon Stream freezes more than 30cm thick, Hwacheon County opens huge ice fishing grounds on top of it and releases sancheoneo beneath the ice. True to its nickname, ‘Hwacheon, the Ice Kingdom,’ this small county turns into one big festival ground for nearly a month.

It’s surprisingly well known abroad, too. In 2011, a Lonely Planet piece published in CNN’s travel section, “7 wonders of winter,” featured ‘Korea’s ice festival’ and described Hwacheon’s ice fishing and the bare-hand catch done in short sleeves. Korean media still quote it whenever they introduce Hwacheon. In 2025 the festival set an all-time record with 1.86 million visitors.

Good to know before you go

Hwacheon is a small county close to the DMZ, so the festival is a major pillar of the local economy. In 2026, sales of local farm and specialty products at the festival grounds alone came close to ₩1 billion (Asia Economy). That's where the unusual system of refunding part of the activity fee as Hwacheon Love Gift Certificates or farm-product vouchers comes from. The certificates you get back work like cash at restaurants and shops in Hwacheon town. On the other hand, animal welfare groups have staged protests against activities such as the bare-hand catch (2024, reported by Maeil Business), so it's worth keeping in mind that these experiences involve live animals.

What Are the 2027 Dates and Fees?

The 2027 festival runs for 23 days, from January 9 to 31. The Korea Tourism Organization’s festival listing and Hwacheon County’s announcement (reported by Aju Business Daily) give the same dates. The fees, though, are changing after more than a decade. From 2027, Hwacheon County will raise the adult activity fee from ₩15,000 to ₩25,000, but it will also increase the gift certificates and vouchers it hands back from ₩5,000 to ₩15,000, so what you actually pay stays at ₩10,000, according to the county’s announcement.

💳 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival adult fees (2026 official / 2027 as announced by Hwacheon County; official 2027 price list not yet posted)

Category2026 (official)2027 (announced)
Standard adult activity fee₩15,000₩25,000
Amount refunded₩5,000 (farm-product voucher)₩15,000 (voucher + Hwacheon Love Gift Certificate)
What you actually pay₩10,000₩10,000
Foreigner discount rate₩10,000 (with passport)Not announced
Foreigner-only fishing area (independent travelers)₩10,000 (₩5,000 refunded in gift certificates)Not announced

Hwacheon County says it’s also looking at new programs for 2027, such as a laser and drone night show and a Finnish-style sauna (Kangwon Ilbo, Gangwon Domin Ilbo). We’ll add the confirmed lineup to this guide as soon as the official site posts its 2027 information.

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What's Different About the Foreigner-Only Ice Fishing Area?

It’s less crowded, and it comes with its own facilities for international visitors. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival has a dedicated ice fishing area that only foreigners can use. According to the official English page for 2026, it sat downstream of the suspension bridge, could hold up to 1,300 people fishing at once, and was open 9:00–18:00 (ticket sales closing at 17:00).

🎣
₩10,000 entry
Rate for independent foreign travelers (2026). ₩5,000 of it comes back as Hwacheon Love Gift Certificates, which can go toward lunch. Free for children under 4.
🕌
Rest area & prayer room
A foreigner-only rest area, a Muslim prayer room and a dedicated grilling station sit right next to the fishing area.
🚐
Festival shuttle
A free electric shuttle runs 9:00–18:00 between the foreigner fishing area and the reserved fishing area.
🐟
3 fish per person
As in the general fishing areas, you can take home up to 3 sancheoneo per person.

Here’s the interesting part: this foreigner rate is listed only on the English pages. If you browse the Korean pages, you won’t find the foreigner fishing area fee anywhere, so if a Korean friend is helping you plan, point them to the official English page (narafestival.com/ice_en). Don’t forget your passport. It’s how staff confirm you’re a foreign visitor, both at the foreigner fishing area and for the discounted rate at the general fishing areas.

What Can You Do at the Festival?

Ice fishing is the main event, but there’s enough going on to fill a whole day. Here are the main programs, based on the official 2026 site.

❄️ Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival main programs (2026 official; 2027 fees will change)

ProgramHoursFee (standard / discount & foreigners)Notes
Walk-in ice fishingWeekdays 9:00–18:00, weekends 8:30–18:00₩15,000 / ₩10,000First come, first served. On weekends it often sells out by late morning
Reserved ice fishingSame as above₩15,000 / ₩10,000Book online via NOL Interpark; date changes not allowed
Foreigner-only ice fishing9:00–18:00₩10,000 (independent foreign travelers)₩5,000 refunded in gift certificates
Bare-hand trout catchEvery hour on the hour, 10:00–16:00₩15,000 / ₩10,000Ages 14+. Short-sleeve shirts and shorts provided; up to 3 fish in 3 minutes
Night fishing19:00–21:00₩15,000 / ₩10,000Free pass if you have a Hwacheon accommodation receipt
Ice sledding & snow sleddingDaytime₩5,000–10,000Partial gift certificate refund
Indoor Ice Sculpture PlazaLong run, including before and after the festival₩5,000 / ₩3,000Free for preschoolers
Grilled & raw sancheoneoAll day₩3,000 per fishOnly fish you caught yourself; grilling takes 15–20 minutes

And it’s not all about the ice. In the evening, the Lantern Street in downtown Hwacheon lights up with lanterns shaped like sancheoneo, and on weekends there’s a car-free street event. In 2026 there was also a huge Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza created with ice sculptors from Harbin, a Santa post office, and a zipline off the Sancheoneo Tower. In 2026, the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza and Lantern Street ran well beyond the main festival dates on both ends (December 20, 2025 – February 8, 2026).

How Do You Get from Seoul to Hwacheon?

The easiest way is the intercity bus to Hwacheon from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. The terminal is attached to Gangbyeon Station (Line 2), so it’s easy to find. Here’s the transport info listed on the festival’s official site.

🚌 Seoul → Hwacheon transport (Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival official 'Directions' page, as posted in 2026)

ModeRouteTime & scheduleFare (adult)
Intercity busDong Seoul Bus Terminal → HwacheonAbout 2 hr 55 min, first 6:45 / last 18:10₩14,400
Intercity bus (return)Hwacheon → Dong Seoul Bus TerminalAbout 2 hr 35 min, first 6:40 / last 21:00₩14,400
ITX-CheongchunCheongnyangni → Chuncheon / NamchuncheonAbout 55 min – 1 hr₩8,300–9,600
ITX-CheongchunYongsan → Chuncheon / NamchuncheonAbout 1 hr 15 min₩8,600–9,800
Intercity busChuncheon → HwacheonEvery 30 min – 1 hr, 7:00–21:00₩5,800

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Getting-there tips

  • On weekends, aim for the first bus. The walk-in fishing areas are first come, first served, and on weekends they often sell out by late morning. If you think you'll arrive late, book a reserved fishing spot on NOL Interpark ahead of time.
  • The Hwacheon bus from Chuncheon Station gets packed. The official site warns that during the festival, seats can run short at the 'Hwacheon·Yanggu' stop in front of Chuncheon Station.
  • If you're driving, check your navigation route. Some navigation apps route you from Gapyeong over a mountain road through Owol-ri, Seo-myeon, Chuncheon, where parts may not be fully cleared of snow. The official site recommends adding 'Gangchon' or 'Uiam Dam' as a waypoint. Bring winter tires or chains, too.
  • Tours are an option. Day shuttle tours for foreign visitors departing from Hongdae, Myeongdong and other areas show up on various travel platforms every year. The festival's official facility list also included a 'foreigner shuttle bus,' but no 2027 schedule has been released yet.

First Time Ice Fishing? Here’s How It Works

Buy your gear on site, use artificial bait only, and leave your food off the ice. Know those three things and you’ll be fine, even as a total beginner. Each fishing area also has fishing guides on hand to show you the ropes.

How Cold Is It, and What Should You Wear?

Much colder than Seoul. Be ready for wind chills down to -20°C. Hwacheon has no weather station with official climate normals, so look at nearby Chuncheon instead: its January normals (1991–2020) are an average temperature of -4.1°C and an average low of -9.3°C. During the 2026 festival, a cold snap pushed the wind chill to -20°C, and Hwacheon County temporarily halted the bare-hand catch and limited the number of people allowed onto the ice (Aju Business Daily).

Sit on the ice for a few hours and your feet are the first thing to go numb. The official site itself urges visitors to “arm yourself head to toe with winter clothing, insulated boots, gloves and hand warmers.” Do what the locals do: a long padded coat that reaches below the knee, fur-lined winter boots, two layers of gloves, and stick-on toe warmers inside your shoes. The tackle shops on site also sell hand warmers for ₩2,000. For where to buy a long padded coat, see our guide to shopping for long padded coats and winter clothes in Korea.

Does the Festival Get Canceled Because of the Weather?

Yes. If the ice doesn’t freeze thick enough, the opening gets pushed back or the festival is canceled outright. With warm winters becoming more common due to climate change, Gangwon’s ice festivals wrestle with this problem every year.

⚠️ Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival cancellations and delays (official festival history and media reports)

YearWhat happened
2011Canceled due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
2020Rain melted the ice just before opening; postponed twice, from January 4 to January 27. Visitors plunged to about 430,000
2021·2022Not held due to COVID-19
2023Returned after three years
2025Opening delayed a week by mild weather; opened January 11 (reported by Kukmin Ilbo)
2026Held as normal. Some programs were halted and entry was limited on extreme-cold days

There are even more extreme cases. The Inje Bingeo (smelt) Festival couldn’t be held three years in a row, from 2024 to 2026, because of the Soyang River Dam’s water level and warm winters. So if you’re building a winter festival into your itinerary, check the official site’s notices a day or two before you leave, and have a backup plan in Seoul (see below) in case it’s called off.

What Other Winter Festivals Are There Near Seoul Besides Hwacheon?

The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is easy to reach by KTX, while Pocheon and Yangpyeong are the closest to Seoul. The table below uses actual dates from the 2025-26 season. Apart from Hwacheon, no 2026-27 dates have been announced yet.

🧊 Winter festivals worth the trip from Seoul (2025-26 season; official sites, Korea Tourism Organization, media reports)

FestivalLocation2025-26 datesHighlightsAdult feeFrom Seoul
Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice FestivalHwacheon, Gangwon2026.1.10–2.1 (2027: 1.9–1.31)Ice fishing, bare-hand catch, foreigner-only fishing area₩15,000 (foreigners ₩10,000)Bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, about 3 hr
Pyeongchang Trout FestivalJinbu, Pyeongchang, Gangwon2026.1.9–2.9Ice, tent and indoor trout fishing, bare-hand catchIce fishing ₩25,000KTX Seoul Station → Jinbu Station, about 1 hr 40 min
Hongcheon River Frozen FestivalHongcheon, Gangwon2026.1.9–1.25Fishing for ‘ginseng trout’ raised on ginseng feed₩15,000–20,000 (₩5,000 refunded, per reports)In 2026, a train from Cheongnyangni plus a city tour was offered
Cheorwon Hantan River Ice TrekkingCheorwon, Gangwon2026.1.17–1.258.5km trek across the frozen river₩10,000 (₩5,000 in gift certificates)Northern Gangwon
Pocheon Baegun Valley Dongjanggun FestivalPocheon, Gyeonggi2025.12.20–2026.2.22Snow and ice sledding, indoor trout and smelt fishing₩3,000 (includes ₩2,000 food & drink voucher)Northern Gyeonggi, longest-running
Yangpyeong Ice Trout FestivalYangpyeong, Gyeonggi2025.12.6–2026.3.2Smelt scoop-netting, bare-hand trout catch₩10,000–17,000Eastern Gyeonggi
Daegwallyeong Snow Flower FestivalPyeongchang, Gangwon2026.2.13–2.22Snow sculptures, snow sledding₩5,000–10,000 (per reports)KTX Jinbu Station
Inje Bingeo (smelt) FestivalInje, GangwonCanceled 3 years in a row——Check for an announcement

The Pyeongchang Trout Festival drew about 250,000 visitors in 2026. It’s close to KTX Jinbu Station and offers ‘tent fishing’ (from ₩39,000), where you fish from inside a tent, which is great if you don’t handle the cold well. The official site says foreign visitors can make inquiries by phone in English (+82-33-336-4000). Cheorwon Hantan River Ice Trekking swaps the fishing rod for something different: a walk across a frozen canyon.

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Can’t Make It Out of Seoul?

You can still get plenty of winter fun right in the middle of the city. Here’s what Seoul Metropolitan Government ran in the 2025-26 season.

For more winter day-trip ideas, see Korea winter day trips; if you love skiing, check out Gangwon ski resort day trips; for places to stay warm indoors, see Seoul winter indoor activities; and for the city after dark, there’s Seoul winter illuminations. Curious about food you can only get in winter? Take a look at Korean winter seasonal foods too.

Sources