■ Hwacheon cherry salmon Festival summary​

The Cherry Salmon Festival, which began in 2003, has developed into a famous festival that attracts more than 1 million visitors every year. The place where the Sancheoneo Festival is held was also the place where skating competitions were held during my military life, so I was reminded of my military life a lot. Winter festivals were not held during 2020-22 due to climate issues and COVID-19, but festivals have been held again since this year. Examples of reasons why the festival can be successful include low admission fees, efforts to eradicate rip-off fees from merchants, various things to play and see, clean toilets, and convenient parking guidance.

cherry salmon festival night view

How to enjoy the festival ☞

1. Avoid Saturday and Sunday weekends. (There are so many people that more than one million people visited in 15 days. It's hard to even make a reservation for the accommodation on Saturday.)

2. If you think about the travel time for 1 night and 2 days, you arrive in the evening and enjoy the night view, and enjoy cherry salmon festival the next day during the day.

3. Be thoroughly prepared for the cold. (The winter in Hwacheon is colder than I thought. You must bring a fur hat that covers your ears, gloves, a thick mat, and a blanket.)

4. Consider the cherry salmon festival, A ship's light street, and Hwacheon Traditional markets movement route. (Accessible by foot/vehicle)

​■ cherry salmon festival night view

Cherry Salmon Festival Fishing Spot

Although the Sancheoneo Festival Hall varies slightly depending on the opening schedule, the daytime time ends at 18:00, and the nighttime clearing opens from 19:00 to 21:00. On-site ticketing is also possible. There are many people who enjoy night fishing with a flashlight, but winter nights in Hwacheon are really cold, so you must be thoroughly prepared for the cold.

left) Cherry Salmon Festival Snow Sculptures, right) Night cherry salmon fishing

There is 'Eolgomseong' at the festival site, and there are huge snow sculptures on the left and right. During the day, workers can be seen repairing snow sculptures, and it is a famous place for visitors attending the festival to take commemorative photos. The fishing spot has holes at wide intervals, and the ice thickness is quite stable, about 20 to 30 cm.

■ A Ship’s light street

A Ship’s light street entrance

There are two roads to visit Hwacheon, and no matter which way you take, you have to pass through a roundabout to get to the cherry salmon festival. You can enjoy a more beautiful night view at night than during the day.

left) heart a ship’s light street, middle) a ship’s light street entrance, right) a ship’s light street main road

If you use the underpass from the cherry salmon festival, you can go directly to a ship’s light street. If you go toward Hwacheon traditional Markets, there are heart-shaped lights installed, and when you reach Hwacheon traditional Market, lights are installed in a long section.

■ Cherry Salmon Festival

left)Cherry Salmon Fishing Rod, middle)Cherry Salmon caught by fishing, right)Cherry Salmon Festival Fishing

To go cherry salmon fishing, you need to buy a fishing rod, which can be easily purchased for about 6,000 won at the entrance to the event venue. Instead of live bait, you use a fishing rod with fake bait for fishing. Some people can also be seen using expensive personal fishing rods. There is no need to prepare a separate bag for the fish, as one bag per person is provided at the time of ticket purchase. The fishing area is divided into an online reservation fishing zone, a foreigner fishing zone, and an on-site ticketed fishing zone, but the on-site ticketed fishing zone had the most people.

left)cherry salmon ticket office, middle)Hwacheon Gift Certificate, right)Ice Kingdom Shop

As of 2024, tickets are 15,000 won for adults, 10,000 won for elementary school students and older, and free for preschool children. When issuing an admission ticket, you will receive a 5,000 won agricultural and livestock product exchange voucher that can be used like cash at a nearby store. It seems that only about 1 in 5 people catch cherry salmon at a fishing spot. I didn't catch a cherry salmon.

Even if you don't succeed in fishing, there are plenty of things to do so you can enjoy it all day. There are a variety of activities that families with young children can enjoy, including family sledding, ice soccer, ice golf, zip wire, and bobsleigh. When you're outside on a cold day, you crave warm soup, and you can get warm food at a reasonable price at the cafeteria.

left)Snow sledding range, middle)Santa Claus snow sculpture, right)Santa Claus Post Office

The speed of a tube sled over 100m is quite fast. Considering the number of people waiting, the number of boardings is checked to allow only 3 boardings on weekends and 5 times on weekdays. There is a Santa exhibition hall below Eolgom Castle, where you can write and send postcards or purchase souvenirs.

left)cherry salmon grilling machine, middle)cherry salmon sashimi center, right) street vendor

When people around you say, “I went to the Sancheoneo Festival,” many people ask, “What do you do with the mountain trout you catch?” There is a huge machine at the festival that grills them for 3,000 won per fish, and you can eat them at the raw fish center. According to the official, it is baked at a temperature of about 400 degrees. If you didn't catch any cherry salmon, but want to eat cherry salmon, you can eat grilled and raw fish at a food stall that sells cherry salmon.

■ Hwacheon Traditional markets restaurant information (※ Source: Hwacheon-gun Culture and Tourism website)

Overview of Hwacheon Traditional markets

Due to the development of online shopping and roads, it feels like it is not as active as it used to be, and Hwacheon Traditional markets is not a city with many visitors outside of the cherry salmon festival period. However, if you walk around every corner of the market, you can find delicious restaurants.

ㅇ Hwacheon Restaurant Gukbap : 13-7, Jungang-ro 4-gil, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do / 033-441-9882

- 08:30~21:00, last order 20:00

* When ordering for 2 or more people, small size assorted sundae service is provided.

ㅇ Yujeong Restaurant (tofu restaurant) : 17-1, Jungang-ro 2-gil, Hwacheon-eup, Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do / 033-442-2545

- 10:00~22:00 (Open all year round)