| Dates | Evening of Thursday 31 December 2026 to the sunrise on Friday 1 January 2027. The event is tied to the calendar (programme on New Year's Eve, hourglass rotation at midnight, sunrise session on 1 January), but Gangneung City had not announced a 2026–27 programme as of 19 October 2026; KTO's listing for 2025–26 was last updated on 24 December 2025. |
|---|---|
| Weather | December average 8/0 °C (46/31 °F), 37 mm of rain January average 5/−3 °C (42/27 °F), 48 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Gangneung station, about 15 km away. |
| Venue | Jeongdongjin Sandglass Park and beach (beside Jeongdongjin Station)강원특별자치도 강릉시 강동면 정동역길 17 (정동진역 일원) |
| Admission | Free; the evening programme, the hourglass rotation and the sunrise need no ticket (KTO lists admission as free). |
| Previous edition | 2025: 31 Dec – 1 Jan 2026 |
Prices
| Item | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | — | Free in 2025–26; no change announced |
Notes on the 2026 edition
The sunrise time for 1 January 2027 was not checked; KASI gave 07:39 for Jeongdongjin on 1 January 2026.
About the festival
The Jeongdongjin New Year Sunrise Festival is Gangneung City's free New Year's Eve and first-sunrise event at Sandglass Park beside Jeongdongjin Station on Korea's east coast, where an 8 m hourglass is turned over at midnight. In 2025–26 it ran 20:00–00:30 on 31 December and 06:00–08:00 on 1 January, with sunrise at 07:39; the 2026–27 edition is expected on the night of 31 December 2026 but had not been announced by 19 October 2026. Jeongdongjin is about 2 h 10 m from Seoul Station by KTX-Eum (₩28,300), but in the timetables checked no regular train arrived before sunrise, so arrive on the 31st or take a special New Year train.
Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Jeongdongjin New Year Sunrise Festival page, which covers every edition.
Source
Facts checked
21 October 2026, against the sources listed below.