Lights & nightSeoul

Seoul Winter Festa 2025 in Seoul, South Korea

서울윈터페스타 2025

Dec – Jan2025
12 –4
Fri–Sun Varies by programme: Seoul Light Gwanghwamun 17:30–21:30 (to 22:00 Fri–Sat)
Past edition

12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026 · Varies by programme: Seoul Light Gwanghwamun 17:30–21:30 (to 22:00 Fri–Sat); Seoul Light DDP 18:00–21:30; Seoul Plaza ice rink 10:00–21:30 Sun–Fri and 10:00–23:00 Sat and holidays. Lantern and market hours are on their own pages.

This edition has ended. It is kept as a record of what the 2025 festival offered. The current information is on the Seoul Winter Festa page (Expected Dec/Jan 2026–27).

Venue this year. Six sites in the city's announcement (Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, DDP, Bosingak and Uicheon); its results release counts seven

Dates12 Dec – 4 Jan 2026
HoursVaries by programme: Seoul Light Gwanghwamun 17:30–21:30 (to 22:00 Fri–Sat); Seoul Light DDP 18:00–21:30; Seoul Plaza ice rink 10:00–21:30 Sun–Fri and 10:00–23:00 Sat and holidays. Lantern and market hours are on their own pages.
WeatherDecember average 4/−3 °C (40/26 °F), 23 mm of rain
January average 2/−5 °C (36/22 °F), 17 mm of rainMonthly averages, not a forecast: Korea Meteorological Administration climate normals, 1991–2020, Seoul station.
VenueCentral Seoul: Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, Bosingak and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)서울특별시 종로구 세종대로 172 (광화문광장)
AdmissionEntry: Free · Seoul Plaza ice rink, one-hour session: ₩1,000
Previous edition2024: 13 Dec – 5 Jan 2025
Next edition2026: From about Friday 11 December 2026 into early January 2027. On 13 October 2026 the Seoul Tourism Organization moved the 2026 Gwanghwamun Market to 11 December 2026–10 January 2027 to line it up with the 2026 Seoul Winter Festa, but the city had not announced the festa's own dates or programme as of 18 October 2026. Earlier editions were announced on 22 November 2023, 21 November 2024 and 24 November 2025.

Program

  • 12 Dec 19:00opening on Gwanghwamun Square with the Fantasia light parade, a citizen choir of about 150 and the lighting ceremony
  • 12 Dec–4 JanSeoul Light Gwanghwamun, media art on Gwanghwamun Gate and the north of the square
  • 12–31 DecGwanghwamun Market; 12 Dec–18 Jan (extended): Seoul Lantern Festival on Cheonggyecheon and Uicheon
  • 19 Dec–8 FebSeoul Plaza ice rink (52 days), with figure-skating shows, carol busking and DJ parties on key dates
  • 18–31 DecSeoul Light DDP, theme 'EVERGLOW'; 29 Dec–1 Jan: SeoulCon at DDP with 3,567 influencer teams from 56 countries
  • 25 DecK-Performance contest final; 27–28 Dec: special programmes at Seoul City Hall, including a 'hibernation contest' and random-play K-pop dance
  • 31 DecBosingak bell-ringing (about 22:50–00:20, 33 strokes, 11 citizen bell-ringers, Crying Nut afterwards); countdowns on Gwanghwamun Square (22:50–00:30 on nine screens), at DDP with fireworks and on Myeongdong Square

Prices

ItemPriceNote
EntryFreeAll outdoor programmes free
Seoul Plaza ice rink, one-hour session₩1,000Skates and helmet included; free for Discover Seoul Pass holders

Notes on the 2025 edition

Theme 'Fantasia Seoul'. 10.98 million visits in 24 days, more than double 2024, with no safety accidents reported. The lanterns (3.83 million visits in 37 days) and the market (3.57 million in 20 days) alone drew 7.4 million, which Herald Economy compared with Harbin's ice festival (3.56 million in 68 days) and Sapporo's snow festival (2.32 million in 8 days).

About the festival

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 2026 dates are not announced, but the Gwanghwamun Market has been moved to 11 December 2026–10 January 2027 to match it. Use Gwanghwamun Station (Line 5) or City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2).

Transport, booking, crowd and accessibility details are on the main Seoul Winter Festa page, which covers every edition.

Source

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

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