| Dates | 10 Jan – 1 Feb 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours | 09:00–18:00 weekdays (last entry 17:30), 08:30–18:00 weekends; night fishing 18:00–21:00 per KTO (blogs report sessions from 19:00) |
| Weather | January average 2/−9 °C (35/15 °F), 19 mm of rain February average 5/−7 °C (42/20 °F), 28 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Chuncheon station, about 25 km away. |
| Venue | Hwacheon stream festival grounds, Hwacheon-eup강원특별자치도 화천군 화천읍 산천어길 137 |
| Admission | Ice fishing session, general (middle school and up): ₩15,000 · Ice fishing session, discounted: ₩10,000 |
| Previous edition | 2025: 11 Jan – 2 Feb 2025 |
| Next edition | 2027: 9–31 January 2027 is the window shown on KTO's listing, which carries a disclaimer that details are based on 2026 and will be updated; it matches the pattern of 23 days from the second Saturday of January. Hwacheon County confirmed in August and October 2026 that it is preparing the 2027 festival (155 tons of trout, a 'local-economy' redesign, possible rise of the fishing fee to about ₩25,000 with about ₩15,000 refunded in vouchers). Expect official dates in November or December 2026. |
Program
- 20 Dec 2025 18:00Seondeung-geori lantern street lighting ceremony in Hwacheon town; indoor ice sculpture plaza opens (runs to 8 Feb 2026)
- 10 Janfestival opens; ice fishing, foreigner fishing zone, lure fishing, night fishing
- Dailybare-handed catching, 140 m snow sled, ice bobsleigh, skating, ice park golf, Santa Post Office
- 1 Feb 18:00closing ceremony on the special stage
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ice fishing session, general (middle school and up) | ₩15,000 | Reserved tickets sold on NOL (Yanolja); ₩5,000 of the fee is a local-produce exchange voucher |
| Ice fishing session, discounted | ₩10,000 | Elementary students, seniors 65+, foreign passport holders, registered disabled, veterans, conscripts; ID checked at pickup |
| Ice fishing, under elementary age | Free | With a guardian |
| Indoor ice sculpture plaza | ₩5,000 | ₩3,000 for elementary students, seniors 65+, multi-child families and some other groups; every paying visitor, at either price, received a ₩3,000 Hwacheon Love gift certificate (local currency) |
| Ice sled (per ride) | ₩5,000 | Blog-reported |
| Night fishing for guests of local lodging | Free | With a lodging receipt; over 60% of night anglers used this in the first eight days |
Notes on the 2026 edition
574,000 visitors in the first eight days; organizers projected the cumulative total would pass 1.6 million by the closing day; 106,412 foreign visitors by 31 January (86,615 by 20 January).
About the festival
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (얼음나라화천 산천어축제) is Korea's largest winter festival: three weeks of ice fishing for mountain trout through holes in the frozen Hwacheon stream in Hwacheon, Gangwon, about 3 h 30 m by direct bus from Seoul. The 2026 edition ran 10 January–1 February; 2027 is expected 9–31 January. Ice fishing cost ₩15,000 in 2026 (₩10,000 for foreign passport holders), ₩5,000 of it returned as a voucher for local farm products.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
21 October 2026, against the sources listed below.