Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: Ice Fishing, Booking & Foreigner Zone
목차
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival is one of Korea’s signature winter events. The 2026 edition ran for 23 days, from January 10 to February 1, and has already wrapped up — an estimated 1.59 million people attended, including 122,000 international visitors, a big jump from the roughly 85,000 of the previous year. This guide is built on the actual 2026 attendance data and is aimed at international travelers planning for the next edition (expected January 2027). From transport and reservations to on-site activities and cold-weather gear, you can plan your whole trip with this one article. If you’re curious about Korea’s other seasonal festivals, take a look at 6 hands-on festivals across Korea’s four seasons as well.
Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: The Essentials
Here are the key details, summarized in a table based on the 2026 edition. The 2027 schedule has not been announced yet, but based on past patterns it opens on a Saturday in early January and runs for about three weeks. Confirmed dates are usually posted on the official site sometime between autumn and December.
| Item | Details (based on the 2026 edition) |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Ice Country Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival (Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival) |
| 2026 Results | January 10 (Sat) – February 1 (Sun), 2026, 23 days. An estimated 1.59 million visitors, 122,000 of them international |
| Next Edition | Expected January 2027 (typically opens early January, runs about 3 weeks). Dates not yet announced — check the official site |
| Location | 137 Sancheoneo-gil, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon State, along Hwacheoncheon Stream |
| Main Activities | Ice fishing, bare-hand catching, snow sledding, ice sledding |
| Operating Hours | Weekdays 09:00–18:00 (registration from 08:30), weekends 08:30–18:00 (registration from 07:00) |
| Ice Fishing Admission | 15,000 KRW for middle school age and up, 10,000 KRW concession, free for children under elementary age (with a guardian) |
| Admission Perk | One 5,000 KRW Hwacheon local-produce voucher per admission ticket |
| Online Booking | NOL Interpark Ticket (tickets.interpark.com). Up to 10 people can be booked per account |
| Foreigner Facilities | Foreigner-only fishing zone (downstream of the suspension bridge), foreigner lounge, Muslim prayer room. Inquiries 033-440-2328 (Hwacheon-gun Global Marketing Team) |
| Official Website | narafestival.com / Main inquiries 1688-3005 |
What Is Sancheoneo?
Sancheoneo (Korean masu trout) is a freshwater fish in the salmon family that lives only in clean, cold, top-grade water. It usually grows to 20–40 cm, has firm flesh and a clean, delicate flavor, and is popular both as raw fish (hoe) and grilled. Hwacheon-gun, a pristine area in the upper reaches of the Bukhan River, offers an ideal habitat for the fish. The sancheoneo used for the festival are farm-raised individuals weighing 200–250 g, grown for a year under contract with fisheries across the country — roughly 800,000 fish (200 tons) are released into the Hwacheoncheon Stream fishing area in stages during the festival.
The Main Program: Ice Fishing
The festival’s centerpiece is ice fishing on the Hwacheoncheon Stream, which freezes to a thickness of 40 cm or more. The grounds are divided into several zones, including reservation-only, walk-in, and foreigner-only fishing areas.
Foreigner-Only Ice Fishing Zone
A separate fishing area is operated for international visitors (confirmed in operation during the 2026 edition). It’s less crowded than the general zones and comes with its own dedicated facilities. Fees and conditions can change from year to year, so check the official site before your visit or contact the Hwacheon-gun Global Marketing Team (033-440-2328).
- Who can use it: Overseas tour groups, free independent travelers (FIT), and general international visitors — a valid passport is required
- Location: The area downstream of the festival’s suspension bridge
- Hours: 09:00–18:00 (ticketing 09:00–17:00, based on the 2026 edition)
- Facilities: Foreigner lounge, Muslim prayer room, dedicated grilling area
- Catch limit: Up to 3 fish per person
Online Booking and On-Site Ticketing
You can join the ice fishing either by booking online in advance or by buying a ticket on-site.
- Online Booking:
- Where: NOL Interpark Ticket (tickets.interpark.com). Booking usually opens about a month before the festival starts, with up to 10 people per account.
- How: Choose your date, pay, then collect your ticket at the on-site box office on the day to enter. Some overseas-issued credit cards may be blocked, so check in advance — if it doesn’t work, on-site ticketing is perfectly fine.
- Note: Weekend slots sell out very quickly. In 2026, the main weekend sessions were sold out before opening day. Once your visit date is set, book right away.
- On-Site Ticketing:
- How: Buy a same-day ticket at the festival box office. Registration begins at 08:30 on weekdays and 07:00 on weekends, so arriving early in the morning is safest on weekends.
- For foreigners: Using the foreigner-only fishing zone’s box office means shorter wait times. Be sure to bring your passport.
How to Fish and the Rules
Ice fishing requires almost no skill, so anyone can enjoy it with ease.
- Gear: A small plastic rod and artificial bait. You can buy these at shops in and around the festival grounds for 5,000–10,000 KRW.
- Technique: Lower the line into the ice hole and gently jig the rod up and down so the bait looks alive. When you feel a bite, reel it in quickly.
- Rules: One fishing hole per person. Each paying visitor may take home up to 3 sancheoneo. Stay within the designated zone.
- Prohibited items: No outside food, coolers, tents and windbreaks, or open-flame items such as heaters. The entire fishing area is non-smoking, and pets are not allowed (based on the 2026 edition).
Cooking Your Catch
You can cook and eat the sancheoneo you caught right there at the festival — one of its biggest pleasures.
Grill Center
The most popular option. Bring your catch to the grill center, where staff will clean it, wrap it in cooking foil, and sprinkle it with salt. You then take it to a designated grill and cook it yourself.
- Location: Near the fishing area exit. The foreigner-only fishing zone has its own dedicated grill area
- Cost: 3,000 KRW per fish (based on the 2026 edition; check posted prices on-site)
- Time needed: About 15–20 minutes to grill
Sashimi Center
You can also enjoy fresh sancheoneo as sashimi. Bring it to the sashimi center, and an expert will slice it on the spot and arrange it on a plate.
- Location: The food area near the fishing zone
- Cost: A separate preparation fee per fish (check posted prices on-site)
- Good to know: Farm-raised sancheoneo grown in top-grade water carry virtually no risk of parasitic infection and are considered safe to eat raw. If raw fish is new to you, starting with the grilled version is more than enough
Editor’s Tip: How to Use the Local-Produce Voucher
When you buy an ice-fishing ticket (15,000 KRW), you receive a 5,000 KRW local-produce voucher. It works like cash at the festival’s local-produce stalls and at designated partner shops within Hwacheon-gun. You can use it to buy Hwacheon specialties such as rice and pine nuts, or put it toward part of your food bill. Note that it can’t be exchanged for cash and may not be accepted at some partner shops. In effect, your real admission price is just 10,000 KRW — so don’t forget to use the voucher.
Beyond Ice Fishing
Even if you don’t fish, the festival grounds offer a variety of winter activities.
Catching Sancheoneo Bare-Handed
You change into a short-sleeve T-shirt and shorts uniform, wade into the cold water, and catch sancheoneo with your bare hands. It’s the festival’s most photographed signature experience.
- Fee: 15,000 KRW (includes a 5,000 KRW local-produce voucher, based on the 2026 edition)
- Schedule: 7 times a day, on the hour from 10:00 to 16:00 (based on the 2026 edition)
- Requirements: Age 14 and up, a 3-minute time limit, up to 3 fish per person
- What’s provided and on-site facilities: A uniform (short sleeves, shorts), changing rooms and lockers, and a foot-bath to warm up after the experience
- What to bring: A change of underwear and spare clothes, plus a towel
- Make the most of it: You can take your catch straight to the grill center or sashimi center to eat
Snow Sledding, Ice Sledding, and Bobsled
One side of the festival grounds features a large snow-sledding hill and ice slides. Everyone from children to adults can enjoy them, with a range of options including tube sleds and traditional ice sleds.
- Fees: A separate fee may apply per facility (check the on-site box office)
- Safety: Follow the instructions of the safety staff and stay orderly
Getting There: How to Reach Hwacheon
Hwacheon has no train station. Here are four ways to get there: bus, train + bus transfer, private car, and tour packages (fares and timetables are as of June 2026 — please re-check before departure).
Option 1: Direct Intercity Bus (from Dong Seoul)
A direct option from Seoul with no transfers.
- Departure: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal — right in front of Gangbyeon Station on Subway Line 2 (50 Gangbyeon-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul)
- Arrival: Hwacheon Bus Terminal — 40 Jungang-ro, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon
- Service: 8 times a day, first bus 06:45, last bus 18:10
- Fare: 14,400 KRW for adults
- Travel time: Roughly 3 hours (varies with the number of stops)
- From the terminal to the festival: About a 10–15 minute walk. By taxi it’s around the base fare
Option 2: ITX-Cheongchun Train + Transfer at Chuncheon (Recommended for Foreigners)
Bus booking apps (TmoneyGO, Bustago) often require Korean phone verification, so the train route is actually more convenient for foreigners. Korail train tickets can be easily bought with overseas cards on the English site and app (Korail Talk).
- Board the ITX-Cheongchun at Yongsan Station or Cheongnyangni Station → get off at Namchuncheon Station. About 70–80 minutes, up to 9,800 KRW
- From Namchuncheon Station, it’s about a 10-minute walk to the Chuncheon Intercity Bus Terminal
- Catch an intercity bus to Hwacheon at the Chuncheon terminal. About 16 times a day (roughly every 30 minutes to an hour), first bus 07:30, about 1 hour, fare 4,000 KRW
On weekends the direct Dong Seoul service sometimes sells out, and this transfer route — with its frequent departures — makes a useful alternative.
Private Car
It’s about 2 hours 30 minutes from Seoul, but on festival weekends traffic can make it longer.
- Main route: Seoul–Yangyang Expressway or Jungang Expressway → Chuncheon IC → National Route 5 toward Hwacheon
- Navigation address: 137 Sancheoneo-gil, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon (view festival map)
- Parking: Areas around the Hwacheon-gun office and school grounds open as temporary parking lots, and a free shuttle runs between the main lots and the festival grounds (check each year’s announcement). On weekends the nearest lots fill up around 10 a.m., so arriving early is recommended
- Note for foreign drivers: To drive in Korea, you must carry a valid International Driving Permit (IDP). You cannot drive on your home country’s license alone
Day Tours and Shuttles for Foreigners
Taking a day tour for foreigners departing from major points in Seoul (Myeongdong, Hongdae, etc.) may be the easiest option. Search “Hwacheon Ice Festival” on travel platforms like Klook, Trazy, or KKday, and during the festival you’ll find packages that include round-trip transport, admission, and a guide. Many ran during the 2026 edition, and packages for the next festival usually go on sale from December.
What to Pack and Wear
Hwacheon is one of the coldest places in Korea. In January it stays below freezing even at midday, and morning lows commonly drop to between -10 and -20°C. During the 2026 festival, a cold-wave advisory lasted more than ten days. Thorough cold-weather preparation is essential.
Essential Clothing
- Top: Thermal underwear (such as Heattech), a fleece or sweater, and a thick down parka with waterproof, windproof features
- Bottom: Thermal underwear, fleece-lined pants, and waterproof ski pants or over-trousers
- Footwear: Two layers of thick socks, and waterproof anti-slip boots (no sneakers — you’ll be standing on ice for hours)
- Accessories: A warm hat, ear muffs, a neck warmer or scarf, and waterproof gloves (we recommend layering ski gloves over thin touchscreen gloves)
Other Items to Bring
- Hand warmers: Bring plenty for your pockets, shoes, and elsewhere. They’re sold on-site too
- Thermos: Filling one with hot water or tea helps you stay warm
- Sunglasses: The glare off the snow and ice is strong, so you’ll want them to protect your eyes
- Portable power bank: Smartphone batteries drain very fast in the cold
- Some cash: Card payment may be difficult at some street stalls
Accommodation
Hwacheon doesn’t have many lodging facilities, so booking is very difficult during the festival. If you plan to stay overnight, finish your reservation by early December at the latest.
- Lodging in Hwacheon-eup: Mostly pensions and motels. They’re conveniently close to the festival grounds, but many are dated
- Alternative city, Chuncheon: Chuncheon, about an hour by bus from Hwacheon, offers far more options including hotels and guesthouses. Since the first bus to Hwacheon leaves Chuncheon Intercity Bus Terminal at 07:30, an early start gets you there in plenty of time for the early weekend registration window (from 07:00), making a day trip easy
Other Useful Information
- 1330 Travel Hotline: A 24-hour tourist information line run by the Korea Tourism Organization. It supports foreign languages including English, Japanese, and Chinese, and can help with festival inquiries and transport guidance. Just dial 1330 from a phone in Korea to connect
- Taxi apps: Kakao T supports registering overseas-issued cards, and the foreigner-only app K.Ride (k.ride) lets you hail rides and pay automatically using just email verification and an overseas card. That said, a small town like Hwacheon simply has few taxis, so it’s often faster to grab one directly at the stands near the festival grounds and the terminal
- Check the weather: Be sure to check the Hwacheon-area forecast before your visit. Heavy snow or unusually warm temperatures can change program operations depending on the ice conditions
The 2027 festival schedule and fees may change once announced, so re-checking the official website (narafestival.com) before you set off is the most reliable approach. The fares and timetables here are based on the 2026 festival and June 2026 transport information.
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