The Real Santa Claus from Finland Comes to the '2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival'

Departing from Santa Village, Arriving in Hwacheon on the 18th... Elf Companion Joins the Journey
Sharing 'Love and Memories' for 16 Days, Including a Visit to the Hwacheon Santa Post Office

A rare guest is coming to the ‘2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival,’ where hundreds of thousands of people enjoy winter despite the severe cold.

The 'Real Santa Claus' and fairy elf who visited the 2024 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival are creating memories by enjoying ice sledding with children. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Choi Moon-soon) announced that the ‘real’ Santa Claus and the elf from Santa Village in Rovaniemi, Finland, will arrive at the 2025 Ice Country Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site on the 18th.

Last year, Santa Claus and the elf stayed in Hwacheon for three days during the Sancheoneo Festival, but this year they will stay for 16 days until the closing day on February 2, reuniting with child visitors after a year.

The 'Real Santa Claus' and fairy elf who visited the 2024 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival site are enjoying ice fishing. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

Santa Claus, who departed from Finland on the 15th, will arrive at the Santa Post Office inside the festival site at 10 a.m. on the 18th and begin official activities starting with a photo session.

During their stay, Santa Claus and the elf will participate in events at the Santa Post Office within the festival site, the Finland Santa Post Office Korea Headquarters in Hwacheon-eup, and the Seondeung Street Night Festival program. They will also visit various facilities such as the Hwacheon Children’s Library, Family Center, Complex Community Center, and Hwacheon Silver Town to deliver messages of comfort and love.

In 2024, the 'Real Santa Claus' and fairy elf who visited the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival are enjoying the festival with people and creating memories. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

Especially this year, an event will be held where children can deliver postcards they wrote themselves after taking photos with Santa Claus.

Moreover, Santa Claus will participate in the ‘Angel’s Day’ event held for youth from welfare facilities nationwide during the festival period, gifting ‘unfrozen kindness and unforgettable memories.’

In 2024, the 'real Santa Claus' and fairy elf visiting the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival are creating memories by taking photos with children. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

The Santa Claus visiting the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is the very ‘original Santa Claus’ tracked and publicly located in real-time every December Christmas season since 1956 by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Hwacheon-gun opened the Finland Santa Claus Post Office Korea Headquarters in Hwacheon-eup in 2016 through a business agreement with Rovaniemi City, Finland, and the Korea Post.

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Hwacheon-gun opened the Finland Santa Claus Post Office Korea Headquarters in Hwacheon-eup in 2016 through a business agreement with Rovaniemi City and the Communications Agency of Finland. The photo shows the Santa Claus Post Office located in Hwacheon-gun. Photo by Hwacheon-gun Office

Rovaniemi is known as the ‘hometown of Santa,’ where hundreds of thousands of letters sent by children worldwide to Santa are collected every year. Those who send letters can receive replies directly from the Finnish Santa around Christmas.

Last year, a total of 13,078 letters arrived at the Hwacheon Santa Post Office nationwide, and the children who sent letters received replies from Santa Claus stamped with the Finnish Santa Post Office seal.

The 'Real Santa Claus' visiting the 2024 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival is creating memories by taking photos with children. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Hwacheon-gun, said, “We hope that children and tourists at the 2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival will meet the Finnish Santa Claus, create joyful memories, and enjoy the festival.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.