The ice and snow festivals run into the first days of February: the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival in Pyeongchang is planned to run until 9 February in 2027, Taebaeksan's snow festival in Taebaek usually falls in late January or early February, and the Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival in Cheongyang keeps its ice fountains and sledding going into mid or late February. On Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the lunar year (expected on 21 February in 2027), the Haeundae Dalmaji Hot Spring Festival sets a pine moon house hung with wishes alight on Haeundae Beach in Busan at moonrise. In the second half of the month Gangjin opens its celadon festival around the Goryeo Celadon Museum, running to around the 1 March holiday. Busan's Gwangbok-ro light trees have stayed lit into February in recent winters, and the Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong keeps its lights on until mid-March. Seollal, the lunar new year, usually falls in late January or February; most organized festivals pause for it, and intercity trains sell out weeks ahead.
Tip. If you are in Korea over Seollal, book KTX seats the day Korail opens its holiday sale (a few weeks ahead) or plan to stay in one city.
In February, 10 of the festivals on this site take place in Korea: Daegwallyeong Snow Festival (30 Jan – 9 Feb 2027), Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival (expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27), Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival (expected Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27), Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm (expected Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar 2026–27), Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (expected Jan/Feb 2027), Pyeongchang Trout Festival (expected Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27) and 4 more. 5 of them are free to enter, some with paid activities. The next to start is Daegwallyeong Snow Festival (30 Jan – 9 Feb 2027).
All checked on or after 18 October 2026. “Expected” dates follow the organizer's usual pattern.
| Festival | Where | Usually | Next dates | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegwallyeong Snow Festival | Pyeongchang, Gangwon State | Jan/Feb | 30 Jan – 9 Feb 2027 | Paid admission |
| Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival | Busan | Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb | Expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27 | Free entry |
| Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival | Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do | Dec/Jan/Feb | Expected Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27 | Paid admission |
| Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm | Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do | Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar | Expected Dec/Jan/Feb/Mar 2026–27 | Paid admission |
| Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival | Hwacheon, Gangwon State | Jan/Feb | Expected Jan/Feb 2027 | Paid admission |
| Pyeongchang Trout Festival | Pyeongchang, Gangwon State | Dec/Jan/Feb | Expected Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27 | Paid admission |
| Taebaeksan Snow Festival | Taebaek, Gangwon State | Jan/Feb | Expected Jan/Feb 2027 | Free entry |
| Gangjin Celadon Festival | Gangjin, Jeollanam-do | Feb/Mar | Expected Feb/Mar 2027 | Free entry |
| Haeundae Dalmaji Hot Spring Festival | Busan | Feb/Mar | Expected Feb/Mar 2027 | Free entry |
| Inje Icefish Festival | Inje, Gangwon State | Jan/Feb | 2026 edition cancelled | Free + paid activities |
On now, coming up and expected
The Haeundae Light Festival (해운대 빛축제) is Haeundae-gu's free winter illumination along Gunam-ro, the street from Haeundae Station down to the sea, and on the sand of Haeundae Beach in Busan, held every winter since 2014. The 13th edition runs 28 November 2026–10 January 2027, as listed in Haeundae-gu Office's 2026 events calendar, which notes that dates may change; lighting hours and the programme are not yet published.
The Daegwallyeong Snow Festival (대관령눈꽃축제) is a ten-day snow-sculpture and sledding festival run by local residents beside the Songcheon stream in Hoenggye, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, about 2 h 10 min by direct bus from Dong Seoul. Held since 1993, it last ran 13–22 February 2026, and the 35th edition is planned for 30 January–9 February 2027, 09:30–17:30.
The Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival (광복로 겨울빛 트리축제), held since 2009 and long known as the Busan Christmas Tree Festival, lights about 1.1 km of Gwangbok-ro, the shopping street of Busan's old downtown in Nampo-dong, with a large media tree and light sculptures for about 80 nights each winter. The 2025 edition ran 5 December 2025–22 February 2026, lit 17:30–22:00 daily; 2026 dates are not announced yet, but the lights usually go on between mid-November and early December and stay up into February.
The Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival (칠갑산 얼음분수축제) is a village-run winter festival at Alps Village (Cheonjang-ri) below Chilgapsan in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do, where about 90 giant ice fountains, snow sculptures of cartoon characters and snow and ice sledding make a family day out, about three hours from Seoul by bus. The 2025–26 season, its 18th, ran 24 December 2025–22 February 2026; the 2026–27 season is expected from late December 2026 (in past years the full programme opened on 1 January) to mid or late February 2027, with dates not yet announced.
The Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm (아침고요수목원 오색별빛정원전) fills a 100,000-pyeong private arboretum in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do, about 65 km north-east of Seoul, with LED light displays every winter, lit from sunset (about 17:00) to 21:00 and to 23:00 on Saturdays. The 19th edition ran 5 December 2025–15 March 2026; 2026–27 dates are not announced, but recent editions opened on the first Friday of December and closed on a Sunday in mid-March.
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.
The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is a month-long ice-fishing event on the frozen Odaecheon stream at Jinbu, Pyeongchang, Gangwon, about 1 h 40 min from Seoul by KTX. The 17th edition ran 9 January–9 February 2026, 09:00–17:00; ice fishing cost ₩25,000, tent fishing ₩39,000 and bare-hand catching ₩20,000.
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The Taebaeksan Snow Festival (태백산눈축제) is a free winter festival of large snow sculptures, sledding and a snow-flower hike, held since 1994 around Dangol Plaza in Taebaeksan National Park, Taebaek, Gangwon, about 2 h 50 m by bus from Dong Seoul. The 33rd edition ran 31 January–8 February 2026, 10:00–17:00, with the sculptures lit until 22:00.
The Gangjin Celadon Festival (강진청자축제) is a ten-day pottery festival around the Goryeo Celadon Museum in Daegu-myeon, Gangjin, Jeollanam-do, the heartland of Goryeo-era celadon kilns. Held since 1973 and once a summer event, it has run in late February since 2023: the 54th edition was 21 February–2 March 2026, 10:00–18:00, and the 55th is expected in late February 2027 (dates not yet announced).
The Haeundae Dalmaji Hot Spring Festival (해운대달맞이온천축제) is Haeundae's Jeongwol Daeboreum festival: on the first full moon of the lunar year, a large pine moon house (daljip) hung with people's wishes is set alight on Haeundae Beach in Busan at the minute of moonrise, after an afternoon of folk dance and rituals. The 41st edition was on 3 March 2026, with the burning at 18:11.
Past editions, next dates not yet announced
The Inje Icefish Festival (인제빙어축제) is a free ice-fishing festival for bingeo, a small icefish, on Bingeoho, a dammed arm of upper Soyang Lake at Bupyeong-ri, Nam-myeon, Inje, Gangwon, about 1 h 45 min by bus from Dong Seoul. Held since 1998, it last ran 20–29 January 2023 and was cancelled in 2024, 2025 and 2026 because Soyang Dam's water was too high for safe ice.
These come straight from the Korea Tourism Organization’s public festival database. We have not checked them against the organizer, so dates and details can be wrong or out of date. Confirm on the official page before you book.