Busan has 2 festivals in January: Haeundae Light Festival (28 Nov – 10 Jan 2027) and Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival (expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27). The Haeundae Light Festival (해운대 빛축제) is Haeundae-gu's free winter illumination along Gunam-ro, the street from Haeundae Station down to the sea, and on the sand of Haeundae Beach in Busan, held every winter since 2014.
Typical January weather in Busan: average high 8 °C (47 °F), low 0 °C (32 °F), 35 mm of rain (Busan station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).
| Festival | Dates | Admission | Nearest station | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haeundae Light Festival해운대 빛축제 | 28 Nov – 10 Jan 2027 | Free entry | Haeundae Station, Exit 3 or 5 | Upcoming |
| Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival광복로 겨울빛 트리축제 | Expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27 | Free entry | Nampo Station, Exit 7 | Expected |
Dates marked “expected” follow the organizer's usual pattern and are replaced when the official announcement comes. Each festival page lists the sources.
| Festival town | Average high | Average low | Rain | Measured at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Busan | 8 °C 47 °F | 0 °C 32 °F | 35 mm | Busan |
What to wear. Near or below freezing after dark: a warm coat and layers.
Monthly averages, not a forecast. Source: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, via the KMA-sourced climate tables for Busan. Where a festival town has no station with published normals, the nearest one is used and its distance shown.
The Haeundae Light Festival (해운대 빛축제) is Haeundae-gu's free winter illumination along Gunam-ro, the street from Haeundae Station down to the sea, and on the sand of Haeundae Beach in Busan, held every winter since 2014. The 13th edition runs 28 November 2026–10 January 2027, as listed in Haeundae-gu Office's 2026 events calendar, which notes that dates may change; lighting hours and the programme are not yet published.
The Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival (광복로 겨울빛 트리축제), held since 2009 and long known as the Busan Christmas Tree Festival, lights about 1.1 km of Gwangbok-ro, the shopping street of Busan's old downtown in Nampo-dong, with a large media tree and light sculptures for about 80 nights each winter. The 2025 edition ran 5 December 2025–22 February 2026, lit 17:30–22:00 daily; 2026 dates are not announced yet, but the lights usually go on between mid-November and early December and stay up into February.
January is ice season. It opens with sunrise festivals on the east coast, at Jeongdongjin in Gangneung and Homigot in Pohang, where crowds stay up on New Year's Eve for the year's first sunrise. Then the rivers freeze: Hwacheon cuts thousands of holes in its frozen stream for the mountain-trout festival, Hongcheon holds an ice-fishing festival on the frozen Hongcheon River, and Pyeongchang runs a trout festival beside the KTX line to Gangneung. Up in the Daegwallyeong highlands of the same county, the snow festival of sculptures and sled runs is planned to open on 30 January in 2027, and Taebaek builds snow sculptures in Taebaeksan National Park in late January or early February. In Cheongyang, the Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival runs through the month. Seoul's lanterns along Cheonggyecheon usually stay lit into mid-January, Busan's Haeundae Light Festival and Gwangbok-ro light trees into January or February, and the Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong until March; the ASSITEJ children's theatre festival in Daehak-ro runs into the first weekend.
Tip. Daytime temperatures in Hwacheon sit around −5 °C; ice-fishing slots sell out on weekends, so book the weekday session.
Busan has 2 festivals in January: Haeundae Light Festival (28 Nov – 10 Jan 2027) and Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival (expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27). The Haeundae Light Festival (해운대 빛축제) is Haeundae-gu's free winter illumination along Gunam-ro, the street from Haeundae Station down to the sea, and on the sand of Haeundae Beach in Busan, held every winter since 2014.
28 Nov – 10 Jan 2027. Upcoming. Free entry. Nearest station: Haeundae Station, Exit 3 or 5. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
Expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27. Expected. Free entry. Nearest station: Nampo Station, Exit 7. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.
Average high 8 °C (47 °F), low 0 °C (32 °F), 35 mm of rain (Busan station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Near or below freezing after dark: a warm coat and layers.
KTX from Seoul Station to Busan Station in about 2 h 30 m; Gimhae Airport is 20 minutes from Sasang Station by light rail.
17 festivals across Korea fall in January, including ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival, Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival, Daegwallyeong Snow Festival. Daytime temperatures in Hwacheon sit around −5 °C; ice-fishing slots sell out on weekends, so book the weekday session.