Pyeongchang Trout Festival

*The information below is based on the 2026 festivals. Details for the 2027 festivals will be updated as they become available.*In the past, winters in this region were unforgiving. Heavy snowfalls buried villages, and neighbors would stretch ropes between their homes, carving tunnels through the snow to find their way from one house to another. When the bitter winds sweeping across the river caused the shallow channels to freeze and merge early in the season, people would hammer at large rocks beneath the ice catch fish and secure a precious meal. Today, the hardships endured by our ancestors have been transformed into celebration. Every year from late December through late January, the Pyeongchang Trout Festival brings this winter heritage to life under the theme, “A Winter Story of Snow, Ice, and Trout.” Visitors can experience the thrill of trout fishing on the frozen Odaecheon Stream, where the crystal-clear ice reveals fish swimming beneath the surface. Along with a variety of winter activities, the festival offers an opportunity to enjoy the true charm and excitement of a Korean winter.

The Pyeongchang Trout Festival turns the frozen Odaecheon Stream into a winter playground, with ice fishing, tent fishing, and bare-handed catching of golden trout. It revives the region's old winter tradition of fishing through river ice, now paired with a children's fishing zone and an ice plaza for other cold-weather activities. It's a hands-on way to experience a Korean winter rather than just view one.

The venue is in Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, near Jinbu Station on the KTX Gyeonggang Line. Direct KTX trains run from Seoul Station or Cheongnyangni Station to Jinbu in roughly 1.5–2 hours, with a taxi for the final stretch to the festival grounds. Express buses to Pyeongchang from Dong Seoul Terminal are an alternative for travelers who prefer the bus.

Ice Fishing, Tent Fishing, Children’s Fishing Zone, Golden Trout Bare-Handed Catching, and Ice Plaza Activities