In the season of teeth-chattering cold, let’s get out of the house and have fun at exciting festivals. Gyeonggi Province offers various events for families to enjoy the winter atmosphere.

◇ Trout Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Enjoy the taste of winter in Paju
Paju Trout Festival

You can build long-lasting memories with your family and loved ones at the Paju Trout Festival. Celebrating its fourth anniversary this year, the Paju Trout Festival will take place at Paju Gwangtan Leisure Town (95 Bangchuk-ri, Gwangtan-myeon, Paju City) until February 2. The entrance fee is KRW 15,000 for adults and KRW 12,000 for elementary school students while children five years old or younger can enter free of charge. Once you enter the festival, you can use all facilities at the venue for free including traditional ice sledding and snow sledding.

The highlight of the Paju Trout Festival is ice fishing. You can purchase or borrow fishing tackle on the spot. If you make an ice hole and cast a line, a few minutes later you will catch your first fish. The Trout Festival also offers unique and fun activities for children as well. They can experience their parents’ childhood memories through snow sledding as well as traditional ice sledding.

· Period: Until February 2
· Location: 95 Bangchuk-ri, Gwangtan-myeon, Paju City
· Contact: 1588-7526

◇ Icefish Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Gyeonggi Province’s best blue belt area
Yangpyeong Smelt Festival

The Mulmalgeun Yangpyeong Smelt Festival, sponsored by Yangpyeong County, takes place near the Baekdong Fishing Area in Yangpyeong until mid-February. During the festival, you can enjoy ice fishing as well as traditional Korean winter games such as kite flying, top spinning, and sledding. You can also experience making Sumi steamed buns, which are a local specialty, and dalgona (street candy made with sugar). You can taste tteokguk (rice-cake soup) provided by the Sumi Village Women’s Society for lunch, as well as fried smelt and raw smelt seasoned with vinegar and other condiments.

If you make a reservation for an experience package, you can enjoy the festival all day long including meals and programs without additional costs. The one-day experience package is operated on a limited-reservation basis.

Dads who come with families can become reindeers of the North Pole on snow-covered ice, and office workers who come with coworkers can build camaraderie over raw smelt and Jipyeong makgeolli (rice wine).

· Period: Until February 16
· Location: Baekdong Fishing Area, Deoksu-ri, Danwol-myeon, Yangpyeong County
· Contact: 070-4229-1154

◇ Winter Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Exciting winter experience in Dongmakgol
Anseong Smelt Festival

Smelt festivals have become an indispensable joy of winter. The Anseong Smelt Festival takes place on the Gwangheawon Reservoir at Dongmakgol Village in Anseong City until mid-February. The Gwanghyewon Reservoir is Anseong City’s representative reservoir and features pure, clean water free of pollution sources (such as stables or plants) near its source areas. With its clear and expansive view, the Anseong Smelt Festival offers ice fishing experiences as well as various entertainments such as a children’s sledding park, traditional sleds, and folk games. These experiences are extremely popular among families with children who have been raised within cities. This year, the venue has remarkably improved amenities including parking areas and an increased number of event personnel for the convenience of visitors.

· Period: Until February 17
· Location: Daetgol Reservoir, Gwangheawon, Dongmakgol Village, Dugyo-ri, Anseong City
· Contact: 031-674-4528

◇ Winter Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

No. 1 winter festival in Gyeonggi Province
Gapyeong Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival

The Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival, a combination of all winter games imbued with excitement and joy, takes place at Jaraseom in Gapyeong County until January 26. Celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, the Singsing Winter Festival provides various entertainments such as trout ice fishing, sledding, ice and snow sculpture exhibitions and performances. Gapyeong County, where the festival takes, place is even more attractive as it is only a 40-minute drive from Seoul on the Gyeongchun Line or the Seoul-Chuncheon Expressway.

The highlight of the festival is trout fishing at an ice fishing area nine times larger than a soccer field on Gapyeongcheon River (63,880㎡). Over 60 tons of trout are released in the ice fishing area during the festival, and 20 tons may be added if an additional budget is granted. You can eat the trout you catch at the roasting areas or raw fish centers at various locations around the venue. The 12,990㎡ Playground Zone, which can accommodate 5,000 people, offers various activites such as snow and ice sledding, family bike-riding, and children’s motorcycle-riding. Various attractions and experiences are also provided for visitors, including the Singsing Radio Studio where all kinds of stories and requests submitted by visitors are introduced, as well as ice sculptures, the Photo Zone, and the Event Zone.

· Period: Until January 26
· Location: Jaraseom, Gapyeong County
· Contact: 1544-0491

Everything about traditional winter games
Anseong Farmland Winter Game Festival

The 2013 Winter Game Festival takes place at Nonghyup Anseong Farmland in Anseong City, a perennially green grassland even during the bleak winter. Anseong Farmland provides space for various winter games on a rye farm that stretches out on a 300,000-pyeong grassland, and has created a free snow sledding park on the Pinwheel Hill.

With the Snow Plaza, Ice Plaza and Memory Plaza, this festival offers various traditional games as well as agricultural and livestock experiences. You can enjoy all kinds of games including snow sledding and snowball fights in the Snow Plaza with the exotic grassland and Gothic buildings in the background. In the Memory Plaza, you can fly a kite or light a bonfire, play a traditional top-spinning game, and taste traditional snacks. Every day there are various events such as Love Mailbox, discount Korean beef events, and a New Year’s tteokguk event. The weather is cold, but the one-day winter ranch experience is provided for visitors without exception, and is an especially good event for families.

· Period: Until February 16
· Location: 28 Daesindu-gil, Gongdo-eup, Anseong City
· Contact: 031-8053-7979

Striving to be the best winter festival ever
Yangju Snow Festival

The first Yangju Snow Festival takes place near Dongrakdo at the Yangju Art Valley in Seokhyeon-ri, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju City, from January 17 to February 9. The snow sledding park is separately operated until February 16.

The festival is divided into the exhibition hall for ice sculptures made by 1,000 people, the Festival Zone and the Experience Zone. The Festival Zone offers a children’s sledding park and various kinds of booths at which you can enjoy exciting winter activities like making a snowman or snow shooting. The snow game plaza provides a Traditional Game Experiential Pavilion for games like yut, tuho, jegichagi, and hoop rolling. It also offers a variety of winter programs such as exploding a snow bomb, building a snow castle, outdoor performances, sliding down an ice sculpture, and making ice sculptures.

· Period: January 17 – February 9
· Location: Yangju Art Valley, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju City
· Contact: 031-876-6618

◇ Winter Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Let’s go sledding: the best activity in winter!

Gapyeong Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival Snow Sledding Park

The snow sledding park at the Gapyeong Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival venue is open from 9 AM to 5 PM. You can enjoy sledding not only with a snow sled but also with various types of sleds such as an extra-large trout sled for 50 people, an ice bicycle sled, a Siberian husky sled, and a traditional sled.

· Period: January 6 – 29
· Location: Gapyeongcheon River
· Contact: 031-580-2507

◇ Winter Festival ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Pocheon Baegun Dongjangkun Festival Snow Sledding Park

The venue of the Pocheon Baegun Dongjangkun Festival, featuring fun winter games and cultural experiences for families, has distinguished itself by using a natural valley snow for the sledding park instead of artificial snow.

· Period: Until January 29
· Location: Tourist attractions in Baegun Valley, Pocheon City
· Contact: 031-535-7142

◇ Ice sledding park ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Suwon Hwaseong Ice Sledding Rink

In Hwaseong Haenggung Palace, you can enjoy various traditional activities including ice sledding as well as kite flying, top spinning and hoop rolling. You can also explore the Suwon Hwaseong Museum nearby and learn the history of Suwon Hwaseong, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

· Period: Until February 10
· Location: Square in front of Hwaseong Haenggung Palace in Suwon City
· Contact: 031-251-4435

◇ Ice sledding park ⓒ G-LIFE Editing Team

Yangju Singsing Ice Sledding Rink

Stretching out on idle farmland behind Yangju Station of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, the free Yangju Singsing Ice Sledding Rink was first opened by the Yangju Fire Station to help unfortunate neighbors. The rink provides sleds free of charge, and firefighters also act as safety guards.

· Period: Until the end of January
· Location: In front of Sinseonggyo Bridge near Yangju Station
· Contact: 031- 849-8312

ⓒGyeonggi G-News | Reporter Kim Sang-ho

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