Hwacheon County Embarks on a 23-Day Journey as a "Global Winter Festival"
A Wealth of Global Content: Harbin Ice Lanterns, Finland's Real Santa, and More
Attracting 100,000 International Visitors... A Hub for World Winter Cultures
"Safety First" with Daily Underwater Inspections and CCTV Monitoring
The season of the 2026 Ice Country Sancheoneo Festival has arrived. The "2026 Ice Country Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival," a winter festival that draws attention not only from Korea but also from around the world, will kick off its grand journey on January 10.
Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province and the Nara Foundation will host the 2026 Ice Country Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival for 23 days from January 10 to February 1, centered around Hwacheoncheon and Seondeung Street in Hwacheon-eup.
To heighten the festive atmosphere, Hwacheon County lit up thousands of Sancheoneo lanterns along Seondeung Street on Jungang-ro in Hwacheon-eup on December 20 last year. At the same time, the "Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza" at the Seohwasan Multipurpose Square opened its doors. Here, more than 30 master ice lantern artisans from Harbin, China have been showcasing world-class ice art, already captivating visitors.
Encountering the "Queen of the Valley," the Sancheoneo
The signature attraction of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is the Sancheoneo experience. Visitors can meet the Sancheoneo trout through ice fishing and barehanded catching at the festival grounds.
Sancheoneo ice fishing is available through online reservations, but even without a reservation, visitors can use the on-site fishing areas.
If you miss your chance to catch a Sancheoneo during the day, you can try your luck at night fishing. The "Ihanchi-han Sancheoneo Barehanded Catch" is a unique event that can only be experienced in Hwacheon.
For the more than 100,000 international visitors who attend each year, dedicated fishing sites and rest areas are also provided.
Thrilling Adventures on Snow and Ice
The festival grounds are filled with a wide array of experience programs that let visitors fully enjoy snow and ice.
At the snow sledding hill crossing Hwacheoncheon, you can have an unforgettable ride, speeding down a 40-meter-long slope and a 60-meter-long ice track on special tube sleds.
In the ice sledding experience zone, you can try traditional Korean ice sleds as well as family-style ice sleds crafted by Hwacheon County.
Hwacheon County conducts nightly ice maintenance to ensure the best ice quality.
The "Ice Bobsleigh" offers a refreshing rush of speed as you ride down a swirling tube slide.
The winter sports zone features exciting ice soccer and curling programs, and visitors can also try figure skating.
Additionally, the zipline experience across the festival grounds promises a unique thrill you won't find anywhere else.
Attracting Tourists with Winter Cultures from Around the World
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is a sensation among both domestic and international visitors, offering vivid experiences of globally renowned winter cultures.
First, a miniature version of the world-famous Harbin Ice and Snow World is recreated at the Seohwasan Multipurpose Indoor Plaza in Hwacheon-eup.
More than 30 master ice lantern artisans from Harbin, renowned for their world-class skills, bring the pinnacle of ice art to the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza.
The dazzling snow sculptures around Eolgomi Castle evoke the grand installations of the Sapporo Snow Festival.
The Santa Post Office at Eolgomi Castle is a faithful reproduction of the Santa Post Office from Santa Claus Village in Finland.
This year, the "real Santa" from Rovaniemi's Santa Claus Village in Finland will once again visit Hwacheon with his elf, bringing joy and hope to children.
The weekend night festival on Seondeung Street is inspired by the Winter Carnival held in Quebec, Canada.
Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival: The Icon of K-Festivals
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is a global festival designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
It is also the festival that receives the most attention from foreign media. Hwacheon County holds an annual briefing session for foreign correspondents at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club to introduce the festival.
In 2011, the American news channel CNN, citing the world-renowned travel magazine Lonely Planet, introduced the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival as one of the "7 wonders of winter," significantly raising its profile.
Currently, more than 500 festival-related reports are broadcast by foreign media each year, spreading across Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe.
Hwacheon County has been highly successful in attracting overseas tourists through "reverse marketing."
By promoting the Sancheoneo Festival intensively in Southeast Asian countries where snow and ice are rare, local travel agencies have been sending large group tours to Hwacheon every year.
As a result, the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival attracts around 100,000 international tourists annually.
A Festival That Never Compromises on Safety
At the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, tens of thousands of people walk on the vast ice sheet at the same time every day.
For this reason, Hwacheon County and the Nara Foundation do not tolerate even the slightest risk when it comes to the condition of the ice.
Hwacheon County and the Nara Foundation control the water flow and volume through the upstream spillway of Hwacheoncheon while continuously monitoring the ice thickness to ensure perfect ice conditions.
Every day, an underwater inspection team checks the ice, and the festival's control room is equipped with CCTV monitors that provide real-time views of the pump facilities, spillways, and drainage systems.
The Best Festival Made by Residents: Everyone Is the Star
The Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is created by the active participation of local residents.
This is not just symbolic participation; there is a strong sense of ownership, affection, and solidarity embodied in the idea of "my festival, our festival."
The success of the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival has been driven by the involvement and dedication of everyone, from police officers and firefighters responsible for safety and security, to volunteers maintaining cleanliness, to university students working part-time in their respective roles.
Hwacheon County Mayor Choi Moonsun stated, "We are staying vigilant to ensure a safe and enjoyable festival," adding, "We will do our utmost to repay the tourists who have waited for the past year with the best festival possible."
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