The Prelude to Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival: Lighting Ceremony and Ice Sculpture Plaza Opening
Lighting up Hwacheon’s streets and showcasing ice masterpieces, the festival’s prelude begins on the 21st
The world-renowned Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival, set to officially begin on January 11 next year, will kick off with two grand opening events on December 21: the Lighting Ceremony of Seondeung Street and the opening of the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza.
The Lighting Ceremony will commence at 6 p.m. on Hwacheon-eup’s Jungang-ro, where handcrafted sancheoneo-shaped lanterns will light up the town. These lanterns, created annually by local residents, symbolize the community’s spirit and anticipation for the upcoming festival. As the lights illuminate, a celebratory performance will accompany the event.
Prior to the Lighting Ceremony, a ribbon-cutting event marking the opening of the Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza will take place at 5:20 p.m. at the Seohwasan Multipurpose Plaza in Hwacheon-eup.
The Indoor Ice Sculpture Plaza features masterpieces crafted by technicians from Harbin Ice and Snow Culture Development Co., who arrived last month. Visitors can marvel at over 30 intricately carved ice sculptures, including global landmarks and artistic representations such as the Korean flag, Singapore’s Sultan Mosque, India’s Golden Temple, Jordan’s Petra, the iconic Geobukseon (Turtle Ship), and an Ice Hotel.
Spanning an impressive 1,700 square meters, the plaza was created using more than 8,500 ice blocks. Visitors can enjoy this icy wonderland free of charge on the opening day.
To accommodate these events, Hwacheon County will temporarily restrict traffic on Jungang-ro from 4 p.m. until the end of the ceremonies.
Hwacheon County Mayor Choi Moon-soon remarked on December 19, "We’ve worked diligently to prepare a safe and enjoyable festival to welcome tourists who’ve eagerly awaited this event for the past year."