How to Visit Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival in 2027: Dates, Access and Where to Stay

The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2027 runs from Saturday 9 January to Sunday 31 January 2027, for 23 days, in Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon County. ² The organiser, the Nara Foundation, posts these dates on its official homepage, and the Visit Korea listing shows the same period. ^{2 14} Both note that the detailed programme pages still describe the 2026 edition while the 2027 content is being prepared. ^{1 14}

For anyone searching for the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2026: that edition ran from Saturday 10 January to Sunday 1 February 2026, also for 23 days. ¹ The pattern is consistent. The festival opens on a Saturday in early to mid January, when the Hwacheoncheon is reliably frozen, and closes on a Sunday three weeks later.

The ice decides the details. In late January 2026, the ice reached up to 38 cm thick, and organisers count on that cold to keep thousands of people safely on the stream. ¹⁶ Programmes such as sledding and fishing areas can change day to day depending on site conditions, and the official pages state that operating hours may change with the state of the ice. ⁴

• Opening day: Saturday 9 January 2027 ²

• Closing day: Sunday 31 January 2027 ²

• Weekends inside the run: 9 to 10, 16 to 17, 23 to 24 and 30 to 31 January 2027 ²

The indoor ice sculpture plaza and the lantern street usually open earlier and stay later than the fishing. In the 2025 to 2026 season, both ran from 20 December 2025 to 8 February 2026. ¹

Tip: Midweek days in the second and third weeks are the calmest. Weekends sell out the walk-in fishing areas fastest, so plan Seoul transport around a Tuesday to Thursday visit if your dates allow.

Hwacheon charges per activity rather than selling one festival pass, and in 2026 the core sancheoneo pass cost 15,000 won for anyone of middle school age or older. ³ That price covered on-site ice fishing, reserved ice fishing, lure fishing and bare-hand catching, and each pass came with a 5,000 won farm product exchange coupon for Hwacheon produce. ³ Each paid entry lets you keep up to 3 fish. ⁴

Foreign visitors get a real break. Foreign passport holders were listed among the eligible groups paying 10,000 won rather than 15,000 won in 2026, with the same 5,000 won coupon. ³ Children below elementary school age fished free with a guardian. ³ Independent foreign travellers using the foreigners' fishing area paid 10,000 won and received a 5,000 won Hwacheon gift certificate. ⁶

• Unreserved ice fishing: buy on site, first come, first served ⁴

• Reserved ice fishing: online pre-sale through NOL Interpark, up to 10 people per account ⁵

• Night fishing: 15,000 won with a 5,000 won Hwacheon gift certificate in 2026 ⁷

• Snow sleigh: 5,000 won per tube in 2026 ³

• Haneulgareugi zip line from Sancheoneo Tower: 12,000 won for adults in 2026 ³

• Indoor ice sculpture plaza: 5,000 won for adults in 2026 ¹²

Prices for 2027 may change. In October 2026, Hwacheon County said it was reviewing an increase in the adult experience fee to about 25,000 won, while raising the rebate from about 5,000 won to about 15,000 won. ¹⁷ No decision had been published at that point, so check the official fee page before you budget. ¹⁷

Tip: Bring your passport even if you have a booking. The foreign-visitor rate is checked against ID at the booth, and discounts cannot be combined. ³

From Seoul, most independent visitors take an intercity bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal straight to Hwacheon Bus Terminal, a trip route planners estimate at about 2 h 55 min. ¹⁹ The festival address is 137 Sancheoneo-gil in Hwacheon-eup. ¹⁴ Hwacheon lies about 90 km northeast of Seoul as the crow flies. ¹⁵

There are three realistic public routes, plus the shuttle tours that most foreign visitors use.

• Direct bus: Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Hwacheon Bus Terminal, about 2 h 55 min ¹⁹

• Bus via Chuncheon: Dong Seoul to Chuncheon Intercity Bus Terminal, then a local bus to Hwacheon, about 2 h 32 min in total ¹⁹

• Train and bus: ITX-Cheongchun from Yongsan Station to Namchuncheon Station, then a bus from Chuncheon to Hwacheon, about 2 h 47 min ¹⁹

• Car: about 112 km, roughly 1 h 52 min without festival traffic ¹⁹

The shuttle is the easiest option for a single day. For January 2027, Trazy lists round-trip day tours from Seoul every day from 9 to 31 January, leaving Hongik University Station Exit 4 at 06:30, Myeongdong at 06:50 and Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station Exit 10 at 07:00, arriving at the festival at around 09:00. ¹⁸ The bus leaves the festival at 16:00 and is back in Dongdaemun at around 18:30, with rod and metal bait rental and an English or Chinese speaking guide included. ¹⁸ Bookings close at 11:00 Korean time the day before. ¹⁸

Inside Hwacheon-eup, a free weekend loop shuttle ran every 20 minutes from 09:00 to 18:00 in 2026, linking Hwacheon Gymnasium, the Intercity Bus Terminal and other stops in town. ¹¹ The festival tourist information centre inside the Hwacheon Intercity Bus Terminal opened from 09:00 to 18:00 in 2026 and is the place to ask for a map on arrival. ¹³

Note: Buy the return ticket to Seoul when you arrive in Hwacheon rather than when you are ready to leave, especially on a Sunday.

A festival day in Hwacheon starts with the fishing ticket booths, which opened at 08:00 at weekends and 08:30 on weekdays in 2026, and ends with night fishing until 21:00. ^{4 7} Between those, the stream and its banks hold several separate zones, each with its own ticket.

Fishing sits on two stretches of the Hwacheoncheon. The unreserved area runs along the lower part of the festival site, with room for up to 8,000 people at once, while the reserved area sits upstream under Baemeori Bridge with room for 3,000. ^{4 5} The foreigners' fishing area is below the Chulleong suspension bridge and holds 1,300 people. ⁶

Away from the holes, Eolgomi Castle, named after the festival's bear mascot, anchors the snow-and-ice zone with its snow sculptures. ¹⁶ Sledding runs down a 40 m slope and onto a 60 m frozen section of river, a family ice bobsleigh drops through a spiral tube, and the ice also hosts curling and figure skating. ¹⁵

The 2026 programme followed a weekly rhythm that is useful for planning 2027.

• Opening day, Saturday 10 January 2026: opening ceremony at 17:20 in front of Eolgomi Castle ⁹

• Saturdays from 18:00 to 21:00: Seondeung Street Festival in town ⁹

• 17 to 24 January 2026: visits from the Real Santa on most days ⁹

• 19 to 23 January 2026: the II Corps Commander's ice soccer tournament ⁹

• Closing day, Sunday 1 February 2026: raffle and closing ceremony at 18:00 ⁹

Seondeung Street is the town-centre lantern route lit with handmade sancheoneo lanterns and LED lights, inspired by the Quebec Winter Carnival. ¹⁵ For 2027, the official homepage promises a real Santa and elves from Rovaniemi in Finland. ²

Tip: Do the fishing in the morning and save the sleds and Eolgomi Castle for the afternoon, when the walk-in fishing queues are already closed for the day.

You catch a sancheoneo by jigging a short rod or hand line through a pre-drilled hole and holding the lure just above the riverbed. ¹⁶ In January 2026, anglers on the Hwacheoncheon used rods of about 1 m, and the fish bit best when the bait sat 10 to 20 cm above the bottom. ¹⁶ Sancheoneo is the Korean name for the mountain trout the whole festival is built around. ¹⁴

The rules matter more than technique. Live bait is banned to protect the water, food cannot be taken into the fishing areas, and coolers, tents, windbreaks and gas stoves are not allowed. ⁴ The whole fishing area is non-smoking and pets are not allowed. ⁴ Staff hand out plastic bags for your catch at the booth. ⁴

• Bring: a small rod or troll, an artificial lure and a folding chair ⁴

• On site: an ice chisel is available if you need to clear a hole ⁴

• Not allowed: live bait, ice boxes, tents, stoves and pets ⁴

• Limit: 3 fish per paid entry ⁴

If you would rather not sit still in the cold, bare-hand catching is the fast version. In 2026, sessions started every hour from 10:00 to 16:00 under Baemeori Bridge, lasting 3 minutes, with a uniform provided and a warm foot bath afterwards. ¹⁰ It is open only to people aged 14 and over. ¹⁰

Whatever you catch, take it to a grill centre or sashimi centre beside the fishing areas. In 2026, both charged 3,000 won per fish, and they do not sell extra trout, only what visitors have caught. ³

Tip: Patience beats movement. Pick a hole, keep the lure low and twitch it gently; people who keep switching holes catch less.

January in Hwacheon is properly cold: the average high is about 1 C and the average low about -9 C, with roughly 9.9 hours of daylight. ²⁰ During the 2026 festival, temperatures dropped to minus 12 C, and that cold is what thickened the ice to 38 cm. ¹⁶ Snowfall is light, about 2.2 inches across the month, and the wind blows mostly from the west across the open stream. ²⁰

Crowds follow the calendar. On a single Saturday in January 2026, 127,089 people came through, and the cumulative count reached 1,072,997 about three weeks after opening. ¹⁶ Rate Saturdays as crowd level 5 out of 5 and weekdays in the middle of the run as about 3 out of 5, based on those counts. ¹⁶ The walk-in fishing area can stop selling before noon at weekends. ⁴

• Arrive for the first ticket sales: 08:00 at weekends and 08:30 on weekdays in 2026 ⁴

• Avoid: Saturday midday, when the queues and the cold are both at their worst ¹⁶

• Best balance: a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday in the second or third week ⁴

What to wear and pack matters as much as timing. The official guidance asks visitors to dress warmly, since you sit still on ice for hours. ⁴

• Thermal base layer, fleece and a long padded coat

• Insulated waterproof boots with thick socks; your feet sit on the ice all day

• Thin liner gloves under warmer mittens, so you can handle the line

• Disposable hand warmers and a hat that covers your ears

• A cushion for the folding chair ⁴

Tip: Keep your phone in an inside pocket close to your body. At minus 12 C, a phone in a jacket's outer pocket can shut down while showing plenty of charge. ¹⁶

Staying in Hwacheon County itself pays back in fishing tickets, because the festival gives free fishing to guests who show a receipt from a registered local accommodation. ⁸ In 2026, a receipt under 100,000 won earned up to 2 fishing tickets, 100,000 to 150,000 won earned up to 4, and more than 150,000 won earned up to 6. ⁸ From Monday to Friday you could use them for day or night fishing, while at weekends they were valid for night fishing only. ⁸

The rules are strict. The accommodation must be registered in Hwacheon County with an address inside the county, and a screenshot of a text-message booking is not accepted as proof. ⁸ If you booked online and have no paper receipt, the general information centre on the festival site can issue a lodging certificate before you go to the fishing desk. ⁸

There are three practical bases.

• Hwacheon-eup: walkable to the ice, Seondeung Street and the bus terminal; the only option that qualifies for the free tickets ⁸

• Chuncheon: a bigger city with more rooms and the ITX-Cheongchun rail link, about a bus ride from Hwacheon ¹⁹

• Seoul: no hotel change, but you spend about five hours on the road in a day ¹⁸

Hwacheon-eup has limited rooms, and weekend nights near the festival go first, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. Night fishing ran from 19:00 to 21:00 in 2026, with the ticket booth at the second unreserved fishing area open from 18:30 to 20:00. ⁷

Tip: Ask for a card or cash receipt at check-in, not a booking email. That piece of paper is your fishing ticket. ⁸

Your phone will work at the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, but cold, crowds and gloves all fight against it, so treat connectivity as part of your kit. ¹⁶ On a peak Saturday, more than 127,000 people share the same stretch of stream, and public Wi-Fi is the first thing to struggle when that many phones upload photos at once. ¹⁶

What you use the phone for here is specific. The Interpark booking for reserved fishing, the Seoul shuttle confirmation, the walk between the foreigners' area and the grill centres, and a translation app for Korean signs and the gift certificate rules all need data. ^{5 18} Photos and short videos of the catch are what eat the most.

A tourist eSIM for South Korea installed at home lets you land with data running, which matters when your first job in Korea is finding a 06:30 pickup in Hongik. ¹⁸

• Download an offline map of Hwacheon-eup before you leave Seoul

• Screenshot the Interpark and shuttle confirmations in case signal drops on the ice

• Carry a power bank in an inside pocket; cold empties a battery faster

• Use touchscreen gloves or liner gloves so you are not baring your hands at minus 12 C ¹⁶

• Save the Korea Travel Hotline, 1330, for help in English ¹

Tip: Agree a meeting point, such as the front of Eolgomi Castle, before you split up. Everyone on the ice wears the same dark padded coat.