Holiday Journal

• Start
•  
• Pureun Sup
•  
• Songwon
•  
• Garden
•  
• Farm Pension
•  
• Winter Festival
•  
• Lee Hwa Won
•  
• Songwon Makguksu
•  
• Petite France
•  
• Star Light Festival
•  
• Finish

Winter is exactly the festival season. There are many winter festivals these days in Korea. It seems the festivals were developed to boost the local income during the winter after seasons of farming. Today, we will go to Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival in Gapyeong, Gyeonnggi-do. It's convenient to go to Gapyeong and Chuncheon from the metropolitan area thanks to ITX-Cheongchun Train. It's like going by the subway.

There is an island close to Nami Island which is famous for the dating course and often appears in movies and TV dramas located in Chuncheon. Its size is similar to the Nami Island. It's the Jara Island. Until the early 2000, this island was hidden by the fame of Nami Island. It was just a sandy plain on the riverside where fishers were visiting. It became famous with the 'Jazz Festival', held in 2004. Let's go see how 2015 Singsing Winter Festival is.

Islands are constructed in not only the sea, also the deep mountain. There are islands around the big rivers like Hang River or Nakdong River. It was the middle in the winter, so Bukhan River was completely frozen from the riverside to the center. It was a perfect condition to go ice fishing.

A main event of Singsing Winter Festival should be the Trout Ice Fishing. The middle of waterway should be temporarily blocked and frozen. Trouts are unpacked under the ice. Then, make a hole in the ice and start fishing.

To enjoy the trout ice fishing and winter leports, you need to buy a ticket at a ticket booth. When you purchase a ticket on the door, ice fishing costs 13000 won per person. A Couple tent costs 25000 won(2 people) and Family tent costs 50000 won(4 people). Each person would get a 5000 won of Gapyeong Love gift voucher. You could use it at the events and wherever in the downtown of Gapyeong. (Fot tents, one ticket will be offered per tent) If you reserve a fishing on the homepage, you would get 1000 won of discount.

We paid for 26000 won for 2 people on site ticket purchase. Foreign tourists would be offered excellent treatment. If they book at least 3 days before, they can do ice fishing as well as snow sledding with 8000 won. Besides, they will be offered a grilled trout that worth 25000 won for 2 people. There are much complaint that it is a reverse discrimination against local citizens, but Gapyeong-gun says it's implemented in order to attract more foreign tourists. If you have foreign friends, you should bring them to the Singsing Winter Festival!

There is a tip to get a discount for visiting one of popular sites in Gapyeong, Petite France, which appears often on TV Dramas and shows or movies. Remember that if you bring the ticket of Singsing Winter Festival, you would get 2000 won of discount.

Tents are already spread out on the ice. When you find any empty tent, hang your tag and use it. You must enjoy fishing in much warmer inside than outside. The Couple Tent costs 25000 won. It's cheaper than normal price which costs 26000 won for 2 people. I recommend you to come as early as you can in the morning, if you plan over night trip.

Shall we start fishing through this hole? It's not possible to take a photos while fishing, so I concentrated on the fishing.I didn't turn on the camera and that means…… I didn't catch any trout to take a picture… booboo :(

People stored caught fishes weaving with a wire in the water. A few of them were still alive and bleeding!

How did I feel without any caught fish? I didn't have to be disappointed. There are events that 50 trouts were bet on the stage. There were only about 50 people, because mostly people concentrated on fishing. Each person who were around the stage got a fish. It will be crowded on the weekend, but I went on the weekday and I got a trout. ^^*

I ran with rejoice imagining to have sliced raw fish with the trout that I got at the event. There are small photo zones around the festival site. Is that tree is a Hope tree?

Yebongbong and Jjingjjingi had come here. It would be good try to write down your hope and hang it on leaves~ ^^*

After the trout ice fishing, I found there was an ice rink where children can play with ice sledding, skating, ice bumper car, and ATV in the rink. The children who are sick of fishing must stop by the ice rink. It costs 5000 won.

On the riverside, you can find long line of various sites that were set up by Gapyeong-gun, such as information hall, experience hall, booths to buy snacks, and booth to make raw fish.

It costs 3000 won in order to fillet the raw fish. Sliced raw fish salads, spicy seafood soup, and fried fishes cost 10000 won. Even though you didn't catch any trout, don't feel guilty. You can have a dish of the trout for 25000 won. ^^*

See a mouth-watering sliced raw trout salad! I was deeply grateful for making it. The amount of slices is pretty much. I think one trout is a perfect amount for two people.

If you want roasted fish, pay for 3000 won to make ishes sliced and cook them in the brazier set aside.

For roasting, you need to roast the raw fish by yourself. If you wrap it with foil, it will be well cooked. roasted/grilled. You don't have to worry about it.

A trout was not enough so I bought more coffee and hot dog, because I didn't have a breakfast. There are many booths to buy something to eat around the event hall, so you don't need to pack your meal. If you already packed it, that's okay. There are many table where you can have a meal inside of the booth.

Gapyeong Jaraseom Singsing Winter Festival is the only Korean winter festival that you could go by the subway. It takes about 40 minutes to go by ITX-Cheongchun train(Gyeongchun line) from Seoul. Whenever I travel along festivals all over the country, I feel tired of traffic jam, long-distance drive, and traveling expenses. But for traveling Gapyeong, you don't have to worry about them.

Address : Whole Gapyeongcheon area(Gapyeong 2 gyo), 1035, Eupnae-ri, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 가평군 가평읍 읍내리 1035번지)

Telephone : 031-580-4321, 1899-4325

Homepage : http://www.singsingfestival.com/

Event Date : January 2nd ~ February 1^st

General Fishing Site : Onsite ticket purchase : 13,000 won, Online ticket reservation : 12,000 won(Offer A Ticket of Gapyeong Love Gift Voucher)
Fishing Site for Families : Family of four 50,000 won, Couple of two 25,000 won (Offer A Ticket of Gapyeong Love Gift Voucher For Tent)
Ice Land : Ice Sledding 7,000 won (1h), Air Bumper Car 5,000 won (30mns), ATV 5,000 won (30mns)
Snow Land : Snow Sledding 7,000 won, Mini Train 5,000 won (15mns), Nine Bot 10,000 won (10mns)