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The 2025 Sancheoneo Ice Festival: Korea’s Premier Winter Wonderland
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The 2025 Sancheoneo Ice Festival:
Korea’s Premier Winter Wonderland
Every winter, the small border town of Hwacheon in Gangwon Province, South Korea, transforms into a bustling global festival destination.
From January 11 to February 2, 2025, the 23-day Sancheoneo Ice Festival will welcome visitors from all over the world, offering an unforgettable winter experience filled with activities, food, and breathtaking scenery.
A Festival Born from Challenges
Hwacheon County is home to only 23,000 residents and is located near South Korea’s northern border.
The region is characterized by its mountainous terrain and frozen rivers, making it difficult to develop industrially or economically. With military personnel often outnumbering civilians, the local economy has long been limited.
To address these challenges, Hwacheon’s residents and local government launched the Sancheoneo Ice Festival in 2003.
The festival aimed to breathe new life into the community by leveraging its natural winter landscape.
What began as a modest event with 220,000 visitors in its first year quickly grew into an internationally acclaimed winter festival.
By 2006, the festival attracted over a million visitors, and this milestone has been repeated annually since.
The Sancheoneo Ice Festival has also gained global recognition. In 2009, Time magazine featured an aerial photograph of the festival as "Photo of the Week," and in 2011, CNN listed it as one of the "7 Wonders of Winter."
The festival’s reputation was further bolstered in 2024 when it was designated South Korea’s first global winter festival.
Unique Winter Activities
The festival’s main attraction is ice fishing for sancheoneo, a species of mountain trout.
Visitors drill holes in the thick ice covering Hwacheoncheon (Hwacheon Stream) and patiently wait to catch the fish.
For those seeking a more thrilling experience, the festival offers a barehanded fishing competition, where participants, dressed in shorts and t-shirts, brave icy waters to catch fish with their hands.
Other popular activities include traditional ice sledding, a 100-meter-long snow sledding hill, curling, ice soccer, and the "Ice Ball Sleigh," which offers a high-speed tubing experience.
A range of winter sports, such as figure skating and zip-lining across the festival grounds, also draw large crowds.
At night, visitors can enjoy vibrant performances inspired by the Quebec Winter Carnival.
These take place on Hwacheon’s Seondeung Street (Lantern Street), which is illuminated with dazzling lights and decorations, creating a magical atmosphere.
A Celebration of Art and Culture
The festival isn’t just about activities—it’s also a visual feast.
The Ice Sculpture Plaza, a highlight of the event, features intricate ice carvings inspired by Harbin's famous Ice and Snow World in China.
Nearby, the "Santa Post Office" delights children and adults alike, recreating a Christmas wonderland in January.
Guests can also meet Santa Claus and elves from Finland’s Rovaniemi Village, who participate in creating a festive and family-friendly atmosphere.
Boosting the Local Economy
One of the festival’s unique aspects is its contribution to Hwacheon’s economy.
Half of the participation fees for activities like ice fishing are returned to visitors in the form of vouchers that can be used at local shops to purchase agricultural products and other goods.
Each year, more than 1 billion KRW worth of these vouchers are circulated, directly supporting the region’s businesses.
The festival’s economic impact is significant, generating over 100 billion KRW annually.
During the event, local hotels and restaurants are fully booked, with some businesses reporting their busiest season of the year.
A Commitment to Safety
Ensuring visitor safety is a top priority for the festival organizers.
Every day, Hwacheon’s disaster response teams inspect the ice to ensure it remains thick and stable enough to support the thousands of visitors fishing on the frozen river.
Surveillance systems, including CCTV cameras, are also used to monitor conditions and prevent accidents.
A Community Effort
The Sancheoneo Ice Festival is a labor of love for the people of Hwacheon.
Over 1,000 locals, including university students and volunteers, participate each year in staffing and organizing the event. Their dedication is the backbone of the festival’s success.
Hwacheon’s mayor, Choi Moon-soon, emphasized the festival’s significance, saying, “The Sancheoneo Ice Festival is not just a local event but a celebration that showcases Korea’s beauty to the world. We are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors.”
A Must-Visit Winter Festival
Thanks to its rich array of activities, cultural experiences, and economic benefits, the Sancheoneo Ice Festival has become a shining example of how a small town can leverage its unique resources to create a world-class event.
For anyone seeking a magical winter adventure, Hwacheon’s Sancheoneo Ice Festival is not to be missed.
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