# Pyeongchang Trout Festival 2027: Dates, Prices, Tent Booking

> The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is a winter event where you fish for trout through holes in the frozen Odaecheon river in Jinbu, Gangwon Province. The 2027 dates haven't been announced yet; last year it ran from January 9 to February 9, 2026. Ice fishing tickets are sold at the site from 25,000 won for adults, and only tent fishing is booked online.

- URL: https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/pyeongchang-trout-festival/
- Published: October 22, 2026
- Data as of: October 22, 2026

The Pyeongchang Trout Festival is a winter event in Jinbu, Pyeongchang County (Gangwon Province), where you sit on the frozen Odaecheon river and fish for trout through a hole in the ice. The 2027 schedule hasn't been announced as of October 22.

Last year it ran from January 9 to February 9, 2026. Ice fishing tickets are sold at the site, and tent fishing is the only thing you have to book ahead. Every price and hour below is from last year.

## Pyeongchang Trout Festival dates and what to expect for 2027

I went back through the festival's own table of past editions, and the opening day moves around. The 2022 and 2023 seasons opened in late December, and the 2025 season opened on January 3.

Last year's plan was January 1, but warm weather meant the ice hadn't formed properly, so it was pushed to January 9. Since the whole thing depends on ice, treat any announced date as one that could still slip with the weather. I'll update this post as soon as the 2027 dates are out.

| Season | Dates | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Jan 9 to Feb 9 | Pushed back from Jan 1. Closed at 2 pm on the last day |
| 2025 | Opened Jan 3 | More than 220,000 visitors over 30 days |
| 2027 | Not announced | The official site still shows last year's info |

Nearly 250,000 people came over 32 days last year, according to Kukinews. If you're going on a weekend, plan to get there early.

## Ticket prices and opening hours

According to last year's official notice, the fishing grounds were open from 9 am to 5 pm, and the main ticket office stopped selling tickets at 4 pm. Here's what things cost:

| Activity | Adult | Elementary school | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ice fishing, single ticket | 25,000 won | 20,000 won | Sold at the site, one ice hole per person |
| Ice fishing, combo ticket | 43,000 won | 35,000 won | Fishing plus the play area |
| Tent fishing, single ticket | 39,000 won | 30,000 won | Booked online, two-person tent |
| Tent fishing, combo ticket | 49,000 won | 43,000 won | Tent fishing plus the play area |
| Indoor fishing | 20,000 won | 20,000 won | Rod and bait lent out, one fish guaranteed |
| Bare-hand fishing | 20,000 won | 20,000 won | Clothes, shoes and a towel lent out |
| Play area combo | 30,000 won | 30,000 won | Snow sledding, ice karts, snow rafting and more |

Down at the bottom of the FAQ board, I found that children under school age got in free with a guardian. The play area was also free for one child per adult. The guardian still has to buy a ticket to enter the fishing area.

Fishing rods aren't included in the price. Bring your own or buy one at the site for 3,000 to 20,000 won. Live bait and snagging aren't allowed, and you can't carry food or heaters onto the fishing grounds.

Some English guides I looked through list a lower entry fee of 10,000 to 15,000 won, and one blog put open-air fishing at 15,000 won. Those numbers seem to be out of date or rounded off, so go by the official table above.

## How to book tent fishing

Tent fishing is only available through the reservation page on the official site. Last year booking opened on December 15, and because each tent holds two people, you could only book in pairs. If there are three of you, one person needs a regular ice fishing ticket instead.

I also skimmed the booking terms. You could change or cancel for a full refund until 4 pm two days before your date, and after that there were no refunds, unless the festival itself was called off or cancelled because of the weather, in which case you got your money back in full. Trazy's English guide to the festival also says tent spots sell out quickly, so book early.

The tent area is separate from the regular ice fishing area, so you can't move back and forth. There are 250 tents. You're out of the wind in there, but you're stuck in one spot.

## It gets cold on the ice

Weather records from the Daegwallyeong station near Pyeongchang show it was 12 below zero (Celsius) at 8 am on Saturday, January 24 last year, and with the wind it felt closer to 20 below. The Saturday before, it got up to 4 above at 2 pm, so the weather can swing a lot over the course of one festival. The station isn't at the festival grounds, so expect conditions there to be a little different.

After a few hours on the ice, your feet are usually the first thing to get cold. Bring a long down coat, waterproof gloves, thick socks and hand warmers. The official site has no clothing advice that I could find. Trazy's guide also suggests a foldable chair, since you'll be sitting by your hole for a long time.

## If you don't catch anything

Catch rates on the open ice can fluctuate wildly based on cold snaps, water clarity, and how recently the organizers restocked the riverbed. On crowded peak weekends, beginners may wait several hours without a bite. Fortunately, there is a large heated warming tent equipped with wood-burning stoves to defrost between casting sessions.

If you want a guaranteed result without leaving things to chance, the tented or indoor fishing options offer structured conditions where each ticket guarantees one caught fish before concluding.

If open ice yields zero catches, you never have to leave empty-handed: live trout can be purchased directly at the on-site fish market for 20,000 KRW and taken immediately to the culinary hall.

Take whatever you catch to the food village in the multipurpose center, and they'll slice it raw or grill it for you. The prep fee is 4,000 won per fish, and takeaway is available. You can take out up to two fish per person per day from the fishing grounds.

Bare-hand fishing means getting into the water in short sleeves and grabbing trout with your hands. On weekdays it ran at 11 am and 2 pm, and on weekends at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm, with up to 30 people per session.

## Getting to Pyeongchang from Incheon Airport and Seoul

If you're flying in, the AREX express train from Incheon Airport Terminal 1 reaches Seoul Station in about 43 minutes, according to Trip.com's AREX guide (Terminal 2 takes about 51 minutes). From Seoul Station you can switch to the KTX Gangneung line and get off at Jinbu Station (also called Odaesan Station). The official page says it's 1 hour 40 minutes from Seoul Station and 1 hour 20 minutes from Cheongnyangni.

Buses run from Dong Seoul Terminal to Jinbu every 30 to 60 minutes between 6:40 am and 8:20 pm.

I reread the official directions page several times, and it doesn't mention a shuttle from Jinbu Station to the festival grounds. A festival listing on Seoul Start says a free shuttle runs from the station during the festival, but it gives no schedule, and I couldn't back it up with an official source, so don't count on it. Plan on taking a taxi instead (Jinbu Taxi, +82-33-335-1050).

By car it's three minutes from the Jinbu interchange on the Yeongdong Expressway. Parking fills up on busy days, so on weekends give yourself extra time to find a spot.

The official site has an English page, and there's a separate phone number for foreign visitors, +82-33-336-4000. For directions, [Naver Map or KakaoMap](https://formthrow.com/en/travel/korea-map-apps/) work better in Korea than Google Maps.

Looking for something else to do on ice in winter? There's the [Seoul Plaza ice skating rink](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/seoul-plaza-ice-skating-rink/). More winter events are collected on the [festivals page](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/).

## Frequently asked questions

### When is the Pyeongchang Trout Festival in 2027?

As of October 22, there's no official announcement yet. Last year it ran from January 9 to February 9, 2026, after being pushed back from January 1 because it was too warm for the ice to form.

### Do I need to book the Pyeongchang Trout Festival in advance?

Only tent fishing is booked online. Ice fishing, indoor fishing and bare-hand fishing are paid for at the site. Last year tent booking opened on December 15 and could only be made in pairs.

### How much are Pyeongchang Trout Festival tickets?

Last year a single ice fishing ticket was 25,000 won for adults, and a single tent fishing ticket was 39,000 won. Indoor fishing and bare-hand fishing were 20,000 won each, and children under school age were free with a guardian.

### What if I don't catch any trout?

Indoor fishing guarantees one fish per person. You can also buy a live trout at the fish farm for 20,000 won and eat it at the food village.

### How do I get to the Pyeongchang Trout Festival from Seoul?

Take the KTX Gangneung line to Jinbu Station (Odaesan Station). The official page says it takes about 1 hour 40 minutes from Seoul Station. There are also intercity buses to Jinbu from Dong Seoul Terminal.

## Sources

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