Korea Winter Festivals 2026–27: Hwacheon, Pyeongchang Trout, Taebaek Snow and Seoul Winter Festa — Dates, Fees and Which One to Pick
Last updated: 4 November 2026. Each date below is marked as confirmed (the organiser's own site), planned (a city plan or a press report) or not announced. If a festival has not announced, we show the 2025–26 dates and label them. Fees come from the organisers' fee pages as they stood on 4 November 2026. Some of those pages still carry last season's prices, and we say so where they do. Dollar figures use ₩1,334 = US$1 (Federal Reserve, 30 October 2026) and are rounded.
Of Korea's five best-known winter festivals, only two had 2026–27 dates on 4 November 2026. The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (화천산천어축제) is confirmed for 9–31 January 2027. Seoul Winter Festa (서울윈터페스타) is planned for 11 December 2026 to 31 January 2027. The Pyeongchang Trout Festival (평창송어축제) and the Taebaeksan Snow Festival (태백산눈축제) have not announced. Their organisers' sites still show the 2025–26 season. The Inje Icefish Festival (인제빙어축제) has not been held since January 2023. The ice on its reservoir failed three winters in a row.
So the honest answer to "which Korea winter festival should I go to" starts with a calendar. Then it becomes a question of distance, money and how much you trust the ice.
Three of these festivals happen on river ice. Koreans bring a box of INLIFE hand warmers, made in KoreaAffiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Korea winter festivals 2026–27: the decision table
| Festival | Place | 2026–27 dates and status | Headline activity | Adult fee, and what comes back | From Seoul | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (화천산천어축제) | Hwacheon stream, Hwacheon County, Gangwon | 9–31 Jan 2027, confirmed (official site) | Ice fishing for sancheoneo (cherry salmon), bare-hand catching, sleds, lantern street | ₩15,000 ($11) with ₩5,000 back in a farm-produce voucher (2026). ₩25,000 ($19) with ₩15,000 back is planned, not confirmed. Foreign passport: ₩10,000 ($7.50) in 2026 | ITX to Namchuncheon + bus: ₩14,600 ($11), about 3 hr 15 | The full Korean ice-fishing experience; foreign visitors (it has its own area) |
| Pyeongchang Trout Festival (평창송어축제) | Odaecheon stream, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon | Not announced. 2025–26: 9 Jan – 9 Feb 2026 | Ice fishing and tent fishing for rainbow trout, bare-hand catching, snow rides | Ice fishing ₩25,000 ($19); ₩43,000 ($32) with all rides. The fee page lists no voucher back. Prices are the 2025–26 table | KTX-Eum to Jinbu (Odaesan), about 1 hr 25; check the fare on Korail | The fastest trip from Seoul; a mountain-snow setting; a Gangwon ski weekend |
| Taebaeksan Snow Festival (태백산눈축제) | Danggol Plaza, Taebaeksan National Park, Taebaek, Gangwon | Not announced. 2025–26: 31 Jan – 8 Feb 2026 | Big snow sculptures, snow and ice sleds, night viewing to 22:00 | No entry fee to the national park. We found no official price list for the rides | Train to Taebaek: ₩15,200 ($11), about 3 hr 40. Bus: about 2 hr 50 | Snow scenery and photos; families; people who do not want to fish |
| Inje Icefish Festival (인제빙어축제) | Bingeoho reservoir, Nam-myeon, Inje, Gangwon | Not announced. Cancelled in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Last held 20–29 Jan 2023 | Ice fishing for bingeo (pond smelt) | No 2026–27 fee published | Do not plan a trip until it announces | Nobody this winter, unless Inje announces it is back |
| Seoul Winter Festa (서울윈터페스타) | Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, DDP and other central Seoul sites | 11 Dec 2026 – 31 Jan 2027, planned (Seoul festival portal) | Seoul Lantern Festival on Cheonggyecheon, Christmas market, skating rink, New Year's Eve bell | Free. The Seoul Plaza rink cost ₩1,000 ($0.75) in 2025 | Subway, in the city centre | Short trips, Christmas and New Year, travellers who hate the cold |
Our quick pick. If you have one day and want ice fishing, go to Pyeongchang if it opens as usual. It is the quickest by train, and you get the same frozen-stream day as Hwacheon. Pick Hwacheon if you want the biggest and most international version, with a foreigners' area and a lantern street. Its dates are already confirmed, so you can book now. Pick Taebaek for snow rather than fish. Pick Seoul Winter Festa if you are in Seoul anyway, or have only an evening.
Pyeongchang stays on Agoda — one base for the trout festival, the ski slopes and the KTX Jinbu (진부) is the festival town, and Jinbu (Odaesan) Station is on the Seoul–Gangneung KTX line. Staying the night lets you fish on a weekday morning, when the ice is quietest, and ski or go on to the coast the next day. Search Jinbu-myeon or the Odaesan area; Pyeongchang County is large, and some "Pyeongchang" hotels sit 30 minutes away at the ski resorts. EpicKor may earn a commission if you book through this Agoda link, at no extra cost to you. Confirm dates, taxes, cancellation terms and the final price on Agoda before booking.
Compare Pyeongchang stays on AgodaYou might like: Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival 2027: 9–31 January, the ₩25,000 Fee Plan and How to Book, for tickets, the foreigners' area and a timed day plan.
Why most 2027 dates are missing in November
Korean winter festivals announce late, and the reason is the ice. On 11 January 2026, Gangwon Province listed its six major winter festivals for that season. All six were on ice or snow, and the province announced joint safety checks with police and fire services and required warming shelters at every site. Most organisers wait for the long-range forecast, and some wait for the ice itself, before fixing a date. Hwacheon is the exception. Its organiser, the Nara foundation (재단법인 나라), put "2027.1.9(토) ~ 1.31(일)" on its front page by early October.
Here is what that means for you. If you have to book flights now, build the trip around Hwacheon or Seoul. Treat Pyeongchang and Taebaek as likely but unconfirmed. Do not trust an English site that gives a firm 2027 date for either. The ones we found label their dates as tentative or come from tour sellers. For example, Trazy sells a "2027 Pyeongchang Trout Festival" tour for 9 January to 9 February. That copies last season's dates, and the festival committee has not published them.
Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: the confirmed one
Hwacheon is Korea's biggest winter festival and one of the culture ministry's "global" festivals. It drew 1,839,105 visitors in 2025 by its own count. Visitors fish through holes drilled in the frozen Hwacheon stream for sancheoneo (산천어), a small cold-water trout, then have the catch grilled or sliced on the spot.
- Dates: 9–31 January 2027, confirmed on the official site.
- Fee: on 4 November 2026 the official fee page still showed the 2026 table: ₩15,000 for anyone from middle school up, with a ₩5,000 farm-produce voucher back, and ₩10,000 for discounted groups. The county has discussed raising the ticket to ₩25,000 with ₩15,000 back. Korean press reported this on 2–5 October 2026, but it is not confirmed. Either way the general ticket's net cost is ₩10,000, if you spend the vouchers in Hwacheon.
- Foreign visitors: in 2026, foreign passport holders paid the ₩10,000 discount rate (with proof). The fee page lists the ₩5,000 farm voucher only against the general ₩15,000 ticket, so we could not confirm that foreigners also get it back. They also had their own fishing area with a rest area and a prayer room. The 2027 foreigner rate has not been announced.
- Catch limit: 3 fish per paying visitor; grilling or slicing costs ₩3,000 a fish (2026).
- Getting there: ITX-Cheongchun from Cheongnyangni to Namchuncheon (₩8,300), then a bus from Chuncheon (₩6,300). Plan on about 3 hours 15 each way. The bus fare is the 1 October rate estimated from terminal data; a direct Dong Seoul bus also runs, but its fare is unconfirmed (see our Hwacheon guide).
Hwacheon has had warm-winter trouble too. In 2020 rain and mild weather pushed the opening back twice, to 27 January. All the detail, from reserved-ticket booking to a timed Saturday plan, is in our Hwacheon 2027 guide.
You might like: Korea Festival Calendar 2026–2027, Month by Month, for every other festival of the year with its status.
Pyeongchang Trout Festival: closest to Seoul, dates not out
The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is run by a residents' committee in Jinbu (진부), a town 700 metres up in the Odaesan mountains. The committee says Pyeongchang was where Korea first farmed trout successfully, in 1963. The first festival came in the winter of 2007–08, after the 2006 floods wrecked the area. The fish here are rainbow trout (송어), larger than Hwacheon's sancheoneo, and fishing is on the frozen Odaecheon stream in the middle of town. On 23 January 2026 the culture ministry named it one of its designated culture and tourism festivals for 2026–2027.
Dates. Not announced for 2026–27. The 2025–26 festival, the 17th, ran from 9 January to 9 February 2026, 32 days, according to the official site and Kukinews. It was meant to open on 1 January and run more than 40 days. Twig24 reported on 7 January 2026 that the Odaecheon froze too slowly, so the opening moved to the 9th.
Fees (the fee page as of 4 November 2026, which still describes the 2025–26 season):
| Ticket | Adult | Elementary pupil | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice fishing (얼음낚시) | ₩25,000 ($19) | ₩20,000 ($15) | One hole; re-entry allowed. Rod and chair not included |
| Ice fishing, all-in (종합권) | ₩43,000 ($32) | ₩35,000 ($26) | Fishing plus every ride |
| Tent fishing (텐트낚시) | ₩39,000 ($29) | ₩30,000 ($22) | A spot in a tent with a chair, booked online; ₩49,000 with rides |
| Indoor fishing (실내낚시) | ₩20,000 ($15) | Rod lent; one fish guaranteed | |
| Bare-hand catching (맨손잡기) | ₩20,000 ($15) | T-shirt, shorts, shoes, towel and locker lent | |
| Rides (snow sled, ice bike, snow rafting and others) | Most rides ₩8,000 ($6) each (Argo ₩15,000, traditional sled ₩5,000) | Or ₩30,000 for all rides |
Children below school age get in free with an adult. The rules on the ice-fishing page: take home at most 2 trout per person per day, no live bait, no snagging, no food or heaters on the ice, and no pets. Fishing runs 09:00–17:00. There were 2,000 places on the general ice in 2025–26, sold at the booth on the day.
What is missing. The fee page lists no voucher refund, which is the big difference from Hwacheon. A notice called "평창송어축제 상품권 사용 안내" (how to use festival vouchers) was posted on 27 November 2025, but it has no text in it. If you want to know whether any part of the ticket comes back, ask the committee on +82-33-336-4000. We found no foreigner discount and no separate foreigners' area. The site does list a phone line for foreign visitors on the same number.
Getting there. The committee says the KTX on the Gangneung line takes about 1 hour 20 from Cheongnyangni and 1 hour 40 from Seoul Station to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station. Timetable data from July 2026 shows 10 trains a day from Cheongnyangni; check the fare on Korail. Buses run from Dong Seoul between 06:40 and 20:20, every 30 to 60 minutes, to Jinbu terminal. The festival address is 하진부리 1289-80 in Jinbu town. The festival does not publish a station shuttle, and its own shuttle page was empty on 4 November, so allow for a taxi from the station.
Crowds. About 250,000 people came in 2025–26, roughly 20,000 more than the year before (Kukinews, 11 February 2026). The committee's own history table counts foreign visitors separately: 2,853 in 2024–25, against a peak of 34,000 in 2014–15. For comparison, Hwacheon counted 106,412 foreign visitors by 31 January 2026. Pyeongchang is the quieter choice for foreigners.
You might like: Korea's First Snow 2026: Official Dates by City, for when the cold usually arrives in Gangwon.
Taebaeksan Snow Festival: snow, not fish
Taebaek is the highest city in South Korea, and its festival is about snow, not fishing. It is held at Danggol Plaza (당골광장), the main entrance to Taebaeksan National Park, and run by the Taebaek City Culture Foundation (태백시문화재단).
Dates. Not announced for 2026–27. The 33rd festival ran from 31 January to 8 February 2026, nine days (Twig24, 29 January 2026; Herald Economy, 4 February 2026). The year before was different. The 2025 edition ran 7–16 February under the name "2025 Taebaek Winter Festival", Pressian reported. So a 2027 festival may not keep the same week. Seollal (Lunar New Year) falls on 7 February 2027, with the holiday running 6 to 9 February including a substitute day. If Taebaek keeps a late-January-to-February slot, it may overlap the holiday weekend, which brings crowds and full trains. See our Seollal 2027 guide.
What you do. In 2026: a snow-sculpture park called "Snow Land", with a red-horse gate for the Year of the Horse and sculptures of Korean heritage and food, plus a large snow-sled run, an ice-sled area, an igloo café and an indoor kids' playground. Daytime hours were 10:00–17:00 (Wikitree, 1 February 2026). The sculptures stayed lit and open until 22:00 every night, the best time for photos. There was also a snow-flower hiking contest on the mountain on 7 February.
Money. Korea's national parks charge no entry fee, and we found no ticket for the sculpture park. The foundation published no price list for the sleds that we could find, so budget for small on-site charges.
An honest note on numbers. Taebaek's visitor figures are disputed. In February 2025, Pressian reported that the national park counted 27,868 visitors over the 10-day festival, about 2,786 a day. The foundation described the festival as well received. Expect a smaller, slower event than Hwacheon. For some people that is the point.
Getting there. Mugunghwa trains run from Cheongnyangni to Taebaek five times a day, about 3 hours 40, for ₩15,200 ($11) (timetable data, July 2026). Buses from Dong Seoul are faster, about 3 hours. The terminal listing updated 1 November 2026 shows ₩38,400 ($29) for the standard express (우등) class. That matches the ₩35,200 shown before the 1 October rise plus about 9%, but we could not confirm it with the terminal. A premium class costs more. Check the fare on the T-money bus site. From Taebaek, take a local bus or taxi to Danggol.
Yaktrax Walk traction cleats — grip for packed snow and icy paths Danggol Plaza and the paths around Taebaeksan are packed snow and ice, and so is the ground around the fishing holes in Pyeongchang. Coil cleats stretch over ordinary shoes, so you do not need hiking boots. They are not crampons, so do not use them for a summit climb. If you already own winter boots with a good sole, skip them. Affiliate link: as an Amazon Associate, EpicKor earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
See the cleats on AmazonInje Icefish Festival: cancelled three winters running
The Inje Icefish Festival (인제빙어축제) was once one of Korea's best-known winter festivals. It had about 200,000 visitors at its peak, Herald Economy reported. People fished for bingeo (빙어), a small smelt, on the frozen Bingeoho reservoir at the top of Soyang Lake. The last one ran from 20 to 29 January 2023 and drew more than 180,000 visitors, Sports Kyunghyang reported.
Since then, it has been cancelled every winter:
- January 2024: cancelled on 27 December 2023. The site needs the Soyang Dam (소양강댐) water level at 183 m or below to build the venue and form ice. It stood at 187.1 m, 3.8 m higher than a year earlier and 9.8 m above normal (Kukinews, 27 December 2023).
- January 2025: not held. Press reports in 2026 count it as the second of three cancelled years.
- January 2026: cancelled. An unusual autumn rainy spell had raised the dam, and the early winter was mild. The Inje County Culture Foundation (인제군문화재단) said the water stood in the high 185 m range when it needed about 183 m, and that forcing the event could cause accidents (Herald Economy, 12 January 2026; Twig24, 7 January 2026).
For 2026–27, nothing has been announced. The foundation also called off its summer festival at the same reservoir in June 2026, citing flood repairs and unstable water levels. Until Inje says otherwise, do not plan around it. Searches for "inje icefish festival 2027" land on old English pages that still describe it as an annual January event.
Seoul Winter Festa: the one with no ice
Seoul Winter Festa (서울윈터페스타) is the city's own winter season. It is planned for 11 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, 52 days, according to the Seoul festival portal on 3 November 2026. The city's March plan had said 4 December. The festival covers the Seoul Lantern Festival along Cheonggyecheon, the Christmas market and lights at Gwanghwamun Square, the skating rink at Seoul Plaza, DDP's light shows and the New Year's Eve bell at Bosingak. Almost all of it is free, and the 2025 rink charged ₩1,000 an hour.
It is the only one on this list that needs no ice and no bus. Seoul nights in December average about −3°C, which is cold but not river cold. The full programme is usually published in late November, and our Seoul Winter Festa guide has the 2025 hours and a walking order. For the weather, see Korea in December.
You might like: Seoul Winter Festa 2026 Dates, Lantern Hours and the ₩1,000 Rink
Which Korea winter festival should I pick?
| If you are… | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Booking flights now and need a fixed date | Hwacheon or Seoul Winter Festa | The only two with 2026–27 dates |
| In Seoul with one free day, set on ice fishing | Pyeongchang (if announced), else Hwacheon | About 1 hr 25 by KTX against about 3 hr 15 by train and bus |
| A foreign first-timer who wants the "real" one | Hwacheon | Foreigners' area, foreigner fee in 2026, the most English help |
| Travelling with small children | Taebaek, or Pyeongchang's indoor fishing | Sleds and sculptures; indoor fishing guarantees one fish |
| Uneasy about fishing live animals for fun | Taebaek or Seoul Winter Festa | No fish involved. Animal groups criticised the Hwacheon format in January 2026 |
| Skiing in Gangwon anyway | Pyeongchang | Jinbu is on the same KTX line as the Pyeongchang ski resorts |
| Short trip, or you hate the cold | Seoul Winter Festa | Central, free and evening-based |
| Hoping for Inje's icefish | Wait | Cancelled 2024–2026; no 2027 notice |
Can you do two in one trip? Yes. Hwacheon and Pyeongchang overlapped for 23 days in 2026, and both are in Gangwon, but there is no direct link between them. The easy pair is Seoul Winter Festa plus one ice festival. Spend the evening on Cheonggyecheon and do a day trip from Seoul. If Taebaek keeps its late-January slot, a Pyeongchang–Taebaek weekend works by car. By public transport it means going back towards Wonju or Jecheon.
When the ice fails: the cancellation record
Every ice festival on this list has lost days or whole seasons to weather, and it is getting more common.
| Festival | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hwacheon | 2020: opening pushed back twice, to 27 Jan, by rain and warmth. 2011: cancelled (foot-and-mouth disease). 2021, 2022: cancelled (Covid-19) | Seoul Shinmun, Kukinews |
| Pyeongchang | 2026: opening moved from 1 to 9 Jan, run cut by about 10 days. No festival in the winters of 2020–21 and 2021–22 (the official history jumps from Feb 2020 to Dec 2022) | Twig24; festival history page |
| Inje | Cancelled 2024, 2025, 2026 (dam level, warm early winters) | Kukinews; Herald Economy |
| Taebaek | 2025: moved to 7–16 Feb and renamed "Taebaek Winter Festival"; only 27,868 park visitors counted | Pressian |
| Andong Amsan Ice Festival (Gyeongbuk) | 2026: cancelled before its 17–25 Jan dates, ice too thin | Twig24; Herald Economy |
What this means for you: book refundable. Keep the festival day flexible and check the organiser's notice board the week before. We found no published refund rule at Hwacheon or Pyeongchang for days when the fishing is closed, so ask before paying for reserved slots or tours. For December's outlook, the Korea Meteorological Administration expects a warmer-than-normal month with sharp cold snaps. Details are in our December weather guide.
Other winter festivals, 2026–27 not announced
Gangwon Province's own list for last winter had six major winter festivals. Three are covered above: Hwacheon, Pyeongchang and Taebaek. None of these had 2026–27 dates on 4 November 2026, so here are their 2025–26 dates as the province listed them:
- Hongcheon River Kkongkkong Festival (홍천강꽁꽁축제): 9–25 January 2026, ice fishing on the Hongcheon River. It went ahead in the warm winter but added a temporary bridge and indoor fishing.
- Cheorwon Hantan River Ice Trekking Festival (철원한탄강얼음트레킹축제): 17–25 January 2026, a walk on the frozen river in a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is one of the ministry's designated festivals for 2026–2027.
- Daegwallyeong Snow Flower Festival (대관령눈꽃축제): 13–22 February 2026, snow sculptures in the Daegwallyeong highlands of Pyeongchang.
We looked for official 2026–27 notices for the Gapyeong (Jaraseom) winter festival and the Boseong tea-field light festival, and found none. We will add them when they announce.
FAQ
Q: What are the main winter festivals in Korea in 2026–27?
A: The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (9–31 January 2027, confirmed), Seoul Winter Festa (11 December 2026 to 31 January 2027, planned), the Pyeongchang Trout Festival and the Taebaeksan Snow Festival (both not yet announced). The Inje Icefish Festival has been cancelled three winters running.
Q: When is the Pyeongchang Trout Festival 2027?
A: Not announced as of 4 November 2026. The 2025–26 festival ran from 9 January to 9 February 2026, after a warm spell pushed the opening back from 1 January. Tour sites listing 9 January to 9 February 2027 are copying last season.
Q: How much is ice fishing at the Pyeongchang Trout Festival?
A: ₩25,000 (about $19) for an adult ice-fishing ticket, or ₩43,000 with all rides, on the fee page as of 4 November 2026. That page describes the 2025–26 season, and it lists no voucher back. Rods and chairs are extra.
Q: When is the Taebaek Snow Festival 2026–27?
A: Not announced. The last one ran from 31 January to 8 February 2026 at Danggol Plaza in Taebaeksan National Park, with snow sculptures open at night until 22:00.
Q: Is the Inje Icefish Festival happening in 2027?
A: Nothing has been announced. It was cancelled in 2024, 2025 and 2026 because the reservoir did not freeze safely, and the last one was in January 2023.
Q: Which Korea ice fishing festival is best for foreigners?
A: Hwacheon. In 2026 it had a foreigners' fishing area, a ₩10,000 passport rate and English help. Pyeongchang is quicker from Seoul and quieter, but it lists no foreigner discount.
Sources
- Hwacheon: official site (재단법인 나라) and fee page, read 4 November 2026; fee plan: Shinailbo, 5 October 2026, MTN, 2 October 2026. Other Hwacheon facts as cited in our Hwacheon guide.
- Pyeongchang: official site, price list, ice fishing, bare-hand catching, directions, festival history and visitor counts, introduction and notices, all read 4 November 2026; Kukinews, 11 February 2026 (2026 visitors); Herald Economy, 6 January 2026 (2026 dates and delay); Trazy tour listing, read 4 November 2026.
- Taebaek: Twig24, 29 January 2026; Herald Economy, 4 February 2026; Wikitree, 1 February 2026; Pressian, 17 February 2025 (2025 dates and visitor count).
- Inje: Kukinews, 27 December 2023; Herald Economy, 12 January 2026; Sports Kyunghyang, 29 January 2023 (2023 festival and visitors).
- Warm-winter changes 2026: Twig24, 7 January 2026; Gangwon Province's six winter festivals and safety plan: Herald Economy, 11 January 2026.
- Seoul Winter Festa: Seoul festival portal, checked 3 November 2026; Seoul Media Hub plan, 16 March 2026. Other details as cited in our Seoul Winter Festa guide.
- Transport: KTX-Eum Cheongnyangni–Jinbu (Odaesan) and Mugunghwa Cheongnyangni–Taebaek, timetable data via train.asamaru.net (July 2026 data); Dong Seoul–Taebaek bus, terminal data via transportation.asamaru.net, updated 1 November 2026; check fares at txbus.t-money.co.kr and Korail.
- Exchange rate: Federal Reserve H.10 (FRED series DEXKOUS), 30 October 2026, ₩1,334 = US$1.
In short, Hwacheon (9–31 January 2027) and Seoul Winter Festa (from 11 December 2026) are the only dates you can book on today. Pyeongchang is the fastest ice-fishing day from Seoul once it announces, Taebaek is for snow, and Inje is on hold.
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