Gyeongsangbuk-do has one festival on record in January: Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival, expected Dec/Jan 2026–27, free entry. The Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival (호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전) is Pohang's free all-night New Year's Eve festival at Homigot Haemaji Plaza, the cape at the eastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, where crowds watch the year's first sunrise beside the bronze Hand of Harmony rising from the sea. The 2026–27 edition is expected on 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 (not yet announced as of 19 October 2026), with sunrise at about 07:33. Entry, the shows and the New Year tteokguk are free: 3,000 meal kits were handed out from 07:30 on 1 January 2026.
| Festival | Dates | Admission | Nearest station | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전 | Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27 | Free entry | Pohang Station (KTX) | Expected |
Dates marked “expected” follow the organizer's usual pattern and are replaced when the official announcement comes. Each festival page lists the sources.
The Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival (호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전) is Pohang's free all-night New Year's Eve festival at Homigot Haemaji Plaza, the cape at the eastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, where crowds watch the year's first sunrise beside the bronze Hand of Harmony rising from the sea. The 2026–27 edition is expected on 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 (not yet announced as of 19 October 2026), with sunrise at about 07:33.
January is ice season. It opens with sunrise festivals on the east coast, at Jeongdongjin in Gangneung and Homigot in Pohang, where crowds stay up on New Year's Eve for the year's first sunrise. Then the rivers freeze: Hwacheon cuts thousands of holes in its frozen stream for the mountain-trout festival, Hongcheon holds an ice-fishing festival on the frozen Hongcheon River, and Pyeongchang runs a trout festival beside the KTX line to Gangneung. Up in the Daegwallyeong highlands of the same county, the snow festival of sculptures and sled runs is planned to open on 30 January in 2027, and Taebaek builds snow sculptures in Taebaeksan National Park in late January or early February. In Cheongyang, the Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival runs through the month. Seoul's lanterns along Cheonggyecheon usually stay lit into mid-January, Busan's Haeundae Light Festival and Gwangbok-ro light trees into January or February, and the Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong until March; the ASSITEJ children's theatre festival in Daehak-ro runs into the first weekend.
Tip. Daytime temperatures in Hwacheon sit around −5 °C; ice-fishing slots sell out on weekends, so book the weekday session.
Gyeongsangbuk-do has one festival on record in January: Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival, expected Dec/Jan 2026–27, free entry. The Homigot New Year Sunrise Festival (호미곶 한민족 해맞이축전) is Pohang's free all-night New Year's Eve festival at Homigot Haemaji Plaza, the cape at the eastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, where crowds watch the year's first sunrise beside the bronze Hand of Harmony rising from the sea. The 2026–27 edition is expected on 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 (not yet announced as of 19 October 2026), with sunrise at about 07:33. Entry, the shows and the New Year tteokguk are free: 3,000 meal kits were handed out from 07:30 on 1 January 2026.
Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27. Expected. Free entry. Nearest station: Pohang Station (KTX). The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.
KTX-Eum from Cheongnyangni Station to Andong in about 2 hours.
17 festivals across Korea fall in January, including ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival, Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival, Daegwallyeong Snow Festival. Daytime temperatures in Hwacheon sit around −5 °C; ice-fishing slots sell out on weekends, so book the weekday session.