"Ice Won't Freeze"... 'Hot Winter' Regional Festivals Face Difficulties

Postponing Festival Opening Day
Providing Different Content for Festivals Already Started

Since last week, as temperatures have remained above freezing, red lights have been lit for regional festivals centered around snow and ice. Festivals preparing to open have postponed their schedules, and those already underway are considering offering alternative content to visitors or temporarily closing.

Photo by Pyeongchang Trout Festival website

According to local governments and festival organizers on the 11th, the 'Pyeongchang Trout Festival' held in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province, postponed its scheduled opening from the 22nd to the 29th of this month. The organizers announced on their website that "due to warmer weather, the freezing of Odaecheon River has been delayed, so the festival opening date is postponed." The Pyeongchang Trout Festival takes place around Jinbu-myeon in Pyeongchang-gun and features experiential programs such as ice fishing and sledding. More than 200,000 visitors attended in 2019 and last year. Yoon Seung-il, head of the Pyeongchang Trout Festival headquarters, said, "Around this time last year, the ice was frozen over 20 cm thick," adding, "Now, most of the ice has melted, so we had to postpone the schedule."

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the minimum temperatures in Pyeongchang from the 8th to the 10th were 0°C, 4°C, and 5°C, respectively. During the same period, the daytime maximum temperatures were 12°C, 13°C, and 8°C. Summarizing the festival officials' statements, to avoid safety issues caused by melting ice, subzero temperatures need to persist for more than a week. However, recently, even northern Gyeonggi and the mountainous areas of Gangwon have recorded daytime highs above freezing, preventing ice formation. On the same day, the daytime temperature in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, where the 'Bingsong-eo Festival' and 'Sansuyu Village Icefish Festival' are held, and in Wonju-si, Gangwon Province, where the 'Gonigol Light Festival' takes place, also reached 10°C.

Festival organizers in the region expressed frustration ahead of the Christmas and year-end peak seasons. Choi Hyung-gon, who operates the fishing pond where the 'Yangpyeong Sansuyu Village Icefish Festival' is held, said, "We planned to open on the 23rd of this month ahead of Christmas, but since the ice hasn't frozen, it's hard to guarantee that," adding, "Every day the opening is delayed results in significant losses, but visitor safety comes first, so we will check the ice condition and monitor the situation." The Yangpyeong Sansuyu Village Icefish Festival offers icefish fishing, ice sledding, snow sledding, and snowman-making experiences. Also, a representative of the 'Wonju Gonigol Light Festival,' which has been ongoing since the 25th of last month, said, "Last year, we started the snow sledding program in early December, but the above-freezing temperatures and rain melted all the snow," adding, "We are considering whether to close this week." The Gonigol Light Festival features sledding experiences and silkworm thread pulling activities.

The view of Hyangri Fishing Site, where the 'Yangpyeong Sansuyu Village Icefish Festival' is held, last week (left). Although it is scheduled to open at the end of this month, there is no ice formation at all. Visitors to the 'Yangpyeong Bingsongeo Festival' are participating in the icefish catching program (right). Photo by a reader, 'Yangpyeong Bingsongeo Festival' website.

Among festivals already opened, some are providing experiential programs that can be enjoyed without ice or snow. The 'Yangpyeong Bingsong-eo Festival,' which opened on the 9th, is unable to operate its main programs of ice fishing and snow sledding but is conducting icefish scooping, trout catching, and food events. Event manager Lee Chang-kwon said, "Many people inquire if the ice hasn't frozen," adding, "Still, other experiences are ongoing, so a moderate number of visitors have come over the weekend." He also said, "We are just waiting for winter to get colder," adding, "Since it is a seasonal event, winter needs to be cold."