Seoul has 6 festivals in December: Gwanghwamun Market (11 Dec – 10 Jan 2027), Seoul Lantern Festival (11 Dec – 31 Jan 2027), Hangang Festival (Winter, expected Dec 2026), Seoul Light DDP (expected Dec 2026), Seoul Winter Festa (expected Dec/Jan 2026–27), and ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival (expected Dec/Jan 2026–27). Gwanghwamun Market (광화문 마켓) is Seoul's free Christmas market: a European-style "Santa Village" of red-roofed stalls, a 15 m tree, photo zones and a carousel on Gwanghwamun Square, run every evening by the Seoul Tourism Organization since 2022.
Typical December weather in Seoul: average high 4 °C (40 °F), low −3 °C (26 °F), 23 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals).
| Festival | Dates | Admission | Nearest station | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwanghwamun Market광화문 마켓 | 11 Dec – 10 Jan 2027 | Free entry | Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 9 or 7 | Upcoming |
| Seoul Lantern Festival서울빛초롱축제 | 11 Dec – 31 Jan 2027 | Free entry | Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 5 | Upcoming |
| Hangang Festival (Winter)한강페스티벌 겨울 | Expected Dec 2026 | Free + paid activities | Jayang Station, Exit 2 or 3 | Expected |
| Seoul Light DDP서울라이트 DDP | Expected Dec 2026 | Free entry | Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 1 | Expected |
| Seoul Winter Festa서울윈터페스타 | Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27 | Free entry | Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 9 or 7 | Expected |
| ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival서울 아시테지 겨울축제 | Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27 | Paid admission | Hyehwa Station | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul | 4 °C 40 °F | −3 °C 26 °F | 23 mm | Seoul |
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 Seoul. Where a festival town has no station with published normals, the nearest one is used and its distance shown.
Gwanghwamun Market (광화문 마켓) is Seoul's free Christmas market: a European-style "Santa Village" of red-roofed stalls, a 15 m tree, photo zones and a carousel on Gwanghwamun Square, run every evening by the Seoul Tourism Organization since 2022. The 2026 edition is scheduled for 11 December 2026–10 January 2027; daily hours are not yet published (17:30–22:00 in 2025).
The Seoul Lantern Festival is a free winter light display along Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul, from Cheonggye Plaza to Samilgyo; in 2025 it was lit nightly from 18:00. The 17th edition ran 12 December 2025–18 January 2026.
The Hangang Festival (Winter) is the Seoul city government's year-end run of its Han River parks festival, built around the Romantic Hangang Christmas Market, photo and rest domes, kite flying and the Hangang sledding parks. The 2026 run is planned for 19–27 December in the city's April 2026 schedule, with a winter rest area and kite festival at Yeouido and the Christmas market at Ttukseom, but the programme was not out as of 18 October 2026.
Seoul Light DDP (서울라이트 DDP) is a free winter media-art show projected onto the 222 m curved façade of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul, run by the Seoul Design Foundation since 2019; recent winter runs end with a New Year's Eve countdown and fireworks. The 2025 winter run was 18–31 December, 18:00–21:30, with shows every 30 minutes; Seoul says the 2026 winter run opens on 17 December 2026, with the countdown on 31 December, but the closing date and hours are not yet published.
Seoul Winter Festa (서울윈터페스타) is the Seoul city government's free December–January umbrella festival in central Seoul, joining the Cheonggyecheon lanterns, the Gwanghwamun Market, the Seoul Light media-art shows at Gwanghwamun and DDP, the Seoul Plaza ice rink (about ₩1,000 an hour) and the New Year's Eve bell-ringing at Bosingak. The 2025 edition ran 12 December 2025–4 January 2026 and counted 10.98 million visits.
The ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival (서울 아시테지 겨울축제) is a winter-holiday festival of Korean theatre for children and teenagers, held every year since 2005 in the Daehak-ro theatre district of Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The 22nd edition ran 26 December 2025–4 January 2026 with seven main shows; dates for 2026–27 had not been announced by 18 October 2026, but the last two editions ran ten days from late December into early January.
These come straight from the Korea Tourism Organization’s public festival database. We have not checked them against the organizer, so dates and details can be wrong or out of date. Confirm on the official page before you book.
December belongs to city lights. In Seoul, the Seoul Winter Festa groups the Lantern Festival along Cheonggyecheon and the Gwanghwamun Market, a free Christmas market with a carousel on Gwanghwamun Square (both from mid-December into January), the Seoul Light media-art shows on the curved façade of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, which run from the second half of December to a New Year's Eve countdown, and the New Year's Eve bell at Bosingak; children's theatre fills Daehak-ro for the ASSITEJ winter festival from the last Friday of the month. Outside Seoul, the Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong lights its gardens from the first Friday of December, and Busan has the Haeundae Light Festival and the Gwangbok-ro light trees; at Christmas Daegu lights Suseongmot Lake with residents' light art and drone shows, and Damyang holds a Santa parade. On New Year's Eve, crowds gather at Jeongdongjin and Homigot to wait for the first sunrise. Pyeongchang's trout festival and Chilgapsan's ice fountains can open in the last days of the month when it is cold enough.
Tip. Seoul's lantern route is free and outdoors; go after 18:00 when the installations are lit, and dress for −5 °C.
Seoul has 6 festivals in December: Gwanghwamun Market (11 Dec – 10 Jan 2027), Seoul Lantern Festival (11 Dec – 31 Jan 2027), Hangang Festival (Winter, expected Dec 2026), Seoul Light DDP (expected Dec 2026), Seoul Winter Festa (expected Dec/Jan 2026–27), and ASSITEJ Korea Winter Festival (expected Dec/Jan 2026–27). Gwanghwamun Market (광화문 마켓) is Seoul's free Christmas market: a European-style "Santa Village" of red-roofed stalls, a 15 m tree, photo zones and a carousel on Gwanghwamun Square, run every evening by the Seoul Tourism Organization since 2022.
11 Dec – 10 Jan 2027. Upcoming. Free entry. Nearest station: Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 9 or 7. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
11 Dec – 31 Jan 2027. Upcoming. Free entry. Nearest station: Gwanghwamun Station, Exit 5. Dates are taken from the organizer's own notice.
Expected Dec 2026. Expected. Free + paid activities. Nearest station: Jayang Station, Exit 2 or 3. The organizer has not yet confirmed the dates; this page updates when they do.
Average high 4 °C (40 °F), low −3 °C (26 °F), 23 mm of rain (Seoul station, KMA 1991–2020 normals). Near or below freezing after dark: a warm coat and layers.
Incheon Airport to central Seoul by AREX express train: 43–51 minutes to Seoul Station.
17 festivals across Korea fall in December, including Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival, Damyang Santa Festival, Lighting Festival at the Garden of Morning Calm. Seoul's lantern route is free and outdoors; go after 18:00 when the installations are lit, and dress for −5 °C.