A globally renowned winter ice-fishing celebration began on Saturday in Hwacheon, a secluded mountain town in Gangwon Province in northeastern South Korea, launching several weeks of cold-season attractions and outdoor fun.
The 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival will continue until February 1. Hwacheon lies about 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border and roughly 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
The festival takes its name from the sancheoneo, a type of trout that inhabits only exceptionally clean freshwater environments.
From early morning, visitors from across the country gathered at the expansive festival site, which covers approximately 300,000 square meters—comparable in size to nearly 40 football fields.
At the opening ceremony, Hwacheon Governor Choi Moon-soon emphasized safety and inclusivity, stating that organizers aim to make the Sancheoneo Ice Festival a winter event enjoyed by people worldwide, not just within South Korea.
Organizers anticipate that more than 100,000 international tourists will attend this year, effectively transforming the town—home to just over 22,000 residents—into a globally recognized winter festival destination.
First introduced in 2003, the festival was named South Korea’s top festival by the Ministry of Culture in 2010. It attracted over one million visitors annually for 13 consecutive years between 2006 and 2019.
Last year’s event set a new attendance record with more than 1.86 million visitors, surpassing the previous high of 1.84 million in 2019. Of those attendees, around 122,000 came from overseas, a sharp increase from the 85,000 foreign visitors recorded the year before.
The winter festival has long captured international attention, drawing thousands of tourists eager to catch sancheoneo through holes drilled into a frozen river, as well as to participate in bare-hand fishing, sledding, ice soccer, and other seasonal activities.
This year’s lineup also includes interactive snow-and-ice experiences such as sledding down a 40-meter incline and a 60-meter stretch of frozen river, riding a family-friendly “ice bobsleigh” designed by the Hwacheon County Office through a spiral tube, and trying curling and figure skating.
Another major attraction, the Seohwasan Multipurpose Indoor Plaza, will host a scaled-down replica of China’s famous Harbin Ice and Snow World. Additionally, about 30 ice lantern artisans from Harbin will display their craftsmanship at the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza, highlighting the artistry of ice carving.
The 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival will continue until February 1. Hwacheon lies about 25 kilometers south of the inter-Korean border and roughly 90 kilometers northeast of Seoul.
The festival takes its name from the sancheoneo, a type of trout that inhabits only exceptionally clean freshwater environments.
From early morning, visitors from across the country gathered at the expansive festival site, which covers approximately 300,000 square meters—comparable in size to nearly 40 football fields.
At the opening ceremony, Hwacheon Governor Choi Moon-soon emphasized safety and inclusivity, stating that organizers aim to make the Sancheoneo Ice Festival a winter event enjoyed by people worldwide, not just within South Korea.
Organizers anticipate that more than 100,000 international tourists will attend this year, effectively transforming the town—home to just over 22,000 residents—into a globally recognized winter festival destination.
First introduced in 2003, the festival was named South Korea’s top festival by the Ministry of Culture in 2010. It attracted over one million visitors annually for 13 consecutive years between 2006 and 2019.
Last year’s event set a new attendance record with more than 1.86 million visitors, surpassing the previous high of 1.84 million in 2019. Of those attendees, around 122,000 came from overseas, a sharp increase from the 85,000 foreign visitors recorded the year before.
The winter festival has long captured international attention, drawing thousands of tourists eager to catch sancheoneo through holes drilled into a frozen river, as well as to participate in bare-hand fishing, sledding, ice soccer, and other seasonal activities.
This year’s lineup also includes interactive snow-and-ice experiences such as sledding down a 40-meter incline and a 60-meter stretch of frozen river, riding a family-friendly “ice bobsleigh” designed by the Hwacheon County Office through a spiral tube, and trying curling and figure skating.
Another major attraction, the Seohwasan Multipurpose Indoor Plaza, will host a scaled-down replica of China’s famous Harbin Ice and Snow World. Additionally, about 30 ice lantern artisans from Harbin will display their craftsmanship at the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza, highlighting the artistry of ice carving.