Christmas in Seoul: Markets, Lights and Winter Events

Last checked: October 2026

From late November to early January, central Seoul fills with light shows, a Christmas market, and a lantern walk along Cheonggyecheon stream. Most of it is outdoors and free. This page lists what usually happens, when, and how to get there.

Dates for 2026 are not announced yet as of October. Dates below are from last winter (2025–26) unless they say "in 2026". Seoul usually announces the winter festival in late November.

Main season
Mid-Dec to early Jan
Cost
Most events free
Seoul in Dec
About −3 to 4°C
Dec 31
Bosingak bell, late trains
Gwanghwamun Square on a December night with the Christmas market and tree
Photo: Seoul Tourism Organization, KOGL Type 1

Seoul Winter Festa

The Seoul Winter Festa (서울윈터페스타) is the city's umbrella winter festival. It links Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, DDP, and Bosingak, and ends with the New Year's Eve bell.

WinterFestival dates
2024–25December 13 to January 5
2025–26December 12 to January 4
2026–27Not announced yet as of October 2026

In 2025–26 it included:

Line 5 Gwanghwamun Exit2

Gwanghwamun Market (Christmas market)

Gwanghwamun Market (광화문마켓) is a European-style Christmas market on Gwanghwamun Square, with a tall tree, a carousel, small-business stalls, and warm snacks and drinks.

Line 5 Gwanghwamun Exit2

Seoul Lantern Festival on Cheonggyecheon

The Seoul Lantern Festival (서울빛초롱축제) fills the Cheonggyecheon stream with large lit sculptures. You walk along the water from Cheonggye Plaza, under the bridges.

Line 5 Gwanghwamun

Line 1Line 3Line 5 Jongno 3-ga

Line 2 Euljiro 1-ga

Also at Cheonggye Plaza, the newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun holds "Winter, Light of Cheonggyecheon" (겨울, 청계천의 빛). It began in 2015 as the Seoul Christmas Festival. In 2025 it ran December 12–31 with an 18-meter cake-shaped tree.

Seoul Plaza tree and skating rink

Line 1Line 2 City Hall Exit6

Department store light shows in Myeongdong

The big department stores in Myeongdong decorate their outside walls every winter. It costs nothing to watch from the street.

Line 4 Hoehyeon Exit7

Line 2 Euljiro 1-ga

COEX and Jamsil

Line 2 Samseong Exit5

Line 2Line 8 Jamsil

Theme parks and gardens

December weather

Seoul in December averages about 4°C in the day and −3°C at night, and it is dry. The light events are all after dark, so bring a warm coat, hat, and gloves. Busan and Jeju are milder. See Korea in December.

Christmas Day is a public holiday

December 25 is a national public holiday in Korea, and government offices close. The winter events on this page run through Christmas, and central areas get crowded on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. January 1 is also a public holiday.

New Year's Eve: the Bosingak bell

Every December 31, Seoul rings the Bosingak bell (제야의 종) 33 times at midnight in Jongno. It draws very large crowds. In 2024, during a national mourning period, the performances were canceled and only the bell ringing went ahead. In 2025 the event ran from 11 p.m. to 12:20 a.m., with performances before and after. It is free and needs no booking.

Trains don't stop at Jonggak Station around midnight. In 2025, Line 1 trains passed Jonggak without stopping from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Use City Hall, Jongno 3-ga, Euljiro 1-ga, or Gwanghwamun instead.

Line 1Line 2 City Hall

Line 1Line 3Line 5 Jongno 3-ga

Line 2 Euljiro 1-ga

Line 5 Gwanghwamun

Crowd safety

In 2022, a crowd crush in a narrow alley in Itaewon on Halloween night killed many young people. Since then, Seoul has used crowd-monitoring cameras and puts extra safety staff in busy areas. For the 2025 holidays, it checked Myeongdong, Itaewon, Seongsu, Hongdae, Gangnam Station, and Apgujeong Rodeo in advance, and police, firefighters, and city staff worked the Bosingak event.

Next steps

FAQ

When is the Christmas market in Seoul?

The Gwanghwamun Market on Gwanghwamun Square ran December 12–31 in 2025, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., with free entry. Dates for 2026 are not announced yet as of October 2026.

When is the Seoul Lantern Festival?

It usually runs from mid-December into January along Cheonggyecheon. In 2025–26 it ran December 12 to January 18, in the evenings.

Is Christmas a holiday in Korea?

Yes. December 25 is a national public holiday, and government offices close. The winter events in central Seoul run through Christmas.

How do I get home after the Bosingak bell on New Year's Eve?

Seoul usually runs the subway later that night. In 2025, Lines 1–9 ran until about 2 a.m. Jonggak Station was skipped from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., so use City Hall, Jongno 3-ga, Euljiro 1-ga, or Gwanghwamun.

Sources