Hwacheon: A world-renowned ice fishing festival is set to open in Hwacheon, a mountain town in South Korea's Gangwon Province, this Saturday, promising a 23-day celebration of winter activities and cultural showcases.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 2026 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival will run until February 1, offering a range of activities centered around the "sancheoneo," a trout species native to clean freshwater environments.

The event aims to attract over 100,000 foreign visitors, transforming the small town of Hwacheon, which has a population of 22,370, into a hub of winter festivities. Since its inception in 2003, the festival has been recognized as South Korea's best festival by the culture ministry in 2010, consistently drawing over a million visitors annually from 2006 to 2019.

Last year, the festival broke attendance records with over 1.86 million visitors, including 122,000 foreigners, significantly surpassing the previous foreign attendance record of 85,000. The festival has gained international attention for its unique activities, such as fishing for sancheoneo through ice holes, bare-hand fishing, sledding, and ice soccer.

Festival organizers have arranged for night fishing and designated foreigner-only areas to enhance the experience for international visitors. The highlight for many will be the opportunity to catch sancheoneo with bare hands, a distinctive event unique to Hwacheon.

In addition to fishing, attendees can enjoy sledding on a 40-meter slope or a 60-meter section of the frozen river, riding an "ice bobsleigh" designed by the Hwacheon County Office, curling, and figure skating. The Seohwasan Multipurpose Indoor Plaza will feature a miniature version of the Harbin Ice and Snow World, with around 30 ice lantern makers from Harbin showcasing ice art at the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza.

The festival will also host snow sculptures reminiscent of those at Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival and a replica of Finland's Santa Post Office at Eolgomi Castle. The night festival on Seondeung Street will feature handcrafted sancheoneo lanterns and LED lights, drawing inspiration from the Winter Carnival in Quebec, Canada.