Lights & nightBusan

Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival 2023 in Busan, South Korea

광복로 겨울빛 트리축제 2023

Dec – Feb2023
8 –12
Fri–Mon 18:00–22:00 daily
Past edition

8 December 2023 to 12 February 2024 · 18:00–22:00 daily

This edition has ended. It is kept as a record of what the 2023 festival offered. The current information is on the Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival page (Expected Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb 2026–27).

Dates8 Dec – 12 Feb 2024
Hours18:00–22:00 daily
WeatherDecember average 10/2 °C (51/36 °F), 34 mm of rain
January average 8/0 °C (47/32 °F), 35 mm of rain
February average 10/2 °C (50/35 °F), 50 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Busan station.
VenueGwangbok-ro and Gwangbok Jungang-ro (main tree at Gwangbok-ro City Spot)부산광역시 중구 광복로 72-1 (광복동2가)
AdmissionFree. The lights, main tree and stage programmes are open to everyone; a few hands-on workshops need advance booking.
Next edition2024: 15 Nov – 2 Feb 2025

Program

  • Fri 8 Declighting ceremony at City Spot, with performances by winners of Jung-gu's Yonggol Dance Festa and Jagalchi University Song Contest
  • Theme "Shining Heritage 345"a main tree whose colour changed when touched, a light fountain at the Gwangbok-ro entrance and a light-tram photo zone
  • Choirs from local churches, cathedrals and temples; workshops (mother-of-pearl keyrings, LED paper trees, dalgona) with pre-registration
  • From 13 Dec1.6 km Sanbok Sky Light Street from Hyegwang High School to the Haneul-nun Observatory in Yeongju-dong

Prices

ItemPriceNote
Entry—Not stated in the 2023 sources opened; the lights are on a public street

Notes on the 2023 edition

Planned to 14 Jan 2024, extended to 31 Jan, then to 12 Feb at local merchants' request so the lights covered Seollal. Budget ₩700 million; Jung-gu estimated about 3 million visitors (2 million the year before) and up to 50,000 a day over Christmas, when crowd-safety text alerts were sent.

About the festival

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. Entry is free; take Busan Metro Line 1 to Nampo Station, Exit 7.

Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Gwangbok-ro Winter Light Tree Festival page, which covers every edition.

Source

Facts checked
21 October 2026, against the sources listed below.

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