Christmas in Seoul 2026: Gwanghwamun Market, Lantern Festival, Ice Rink and Light Show Dates

By the Korea Vibe Hopper team · Updated November 2, 2026

Seoul does Christmas in a big, bright way. The holiday is a public day off in South Korea, and the city treats the weeks around it as one long winter festival: a Christmas market on Gwanghwamun Square, thousands of lanterns along the Cheonggyecheon stream, a ₩1,000 ice rink outside City Hall, and huge light shows on department store fronts and on the curved walls of Dongdaemun Design Plaza. This guide sets out what is on, when, where and what it costs, then puts it into a simple evening plan. All dates and prices are as of November 2026 and come from the City of Seoul, the Seoul Tourism Organization and Korean news reports. A few details are still marked as planned, so check the official pages linked below before you go.

Key takeaways

The Seoul Winter Festival (서울윈터페스타) runs to January 31, 2027. The city's festival site lists a December 11, 2026 start; an earlier city plan said December 4.
Gwanghwamun Market (광화문마켓), the city's Christmas market, runs December 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027, from 17:30 each evening.
The Seoul Lantern Festival lights Cheonggyecheon from December 11, 2026 to January 31, 2027, 18:00 to 23:00.
The Seoul Plaza ice rink opens December 18, 2026. A one-hour session costs ₩1,000, skates and helmet included.
Department store light shows have already started: Lotte's main store lit up on October 30 and Shinsegae's facade film starts November 6, 2026.

Contents

How Christmas works in Korea
The 2026 dates at a glance
Gwanghwamun Market and Seoul Light
The Seoul Lantern Festival on Cheonggyecheon
The Seoul Plaza ice rink
Department store lights and holiday markets
DDP, Bosingak and New Year's Eve
A one-evening plan and practical tips
FAQ
Sources

How Christmas works in Korea

Christmas (크리스마스) is a legal holiday in South Korea, and the Korea JoongAng Daily notes that Korea is the only country in East Asia where that is the case. Most Koreans are not Christian, though. A Korean survey from January 2024 cited by the paper put 63 percent of people as having no religion, 17 percent as Protestant and 8 percent as Catholic. So for most locals Christmas is less a family or church day and more a date night, a bit like Valentine's Day. Couples book restaurants and hotel rooms weeks ahead, and bakeries and hotels sell elaborate Christmas cakes.

What this means for visitors

Expect the busiest evenings to be December 24 and 25, and the weekends before them. Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, so it starts a three-day weekend for many people. Popular restaurants and hotel dining rooms fill up early. If you want a special dinner, book it as soon as your dates are firm. The upside is that the city is full of free things to see, and most of them are outdoors and open late.

Christmas with a Korean twist

Some traditions are local. At Jogyesa (조계사), the head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, a Christmas tree made from traditional hanji paper lanterns has been lit in recent years. Monks, priests and pastors have sung carols together at the ceremony, as the JoongAng Daily describes. Department stores also compete hard for the most photogenic facade, which has turned shopping districts into evening sightseeing spots.

Colourful vending machine on a Seoul sidewalk beneath strings of Christmas decorations

Small Christmas touches appear all over the city. Photo: Junsu Park / Pexels, Pexels License

Tall illuminated Christmas tree topped with a star beside a lit building in a city at night

Big trees go up outside malls and department stores. Photo: Junsu Park / Pexels, Pexels License

A December evening in Seoul. Photo: Michael Sean Gallagher / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The 2026 dates at a glance

The City of Seoul brands its winter programme as the Seoul Winter Festival. It spans the Hangang River, Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, Bosingak and DDP. The city says the festival drew about 11 million visitors in its last edition. One thing to know: a city press release from March 2026 described the 2026 festival as 59 days long, from December 4, 2026 to January 31, 2027. The city's FUN SEOUL festival site now lists December 11 as the start, the same day the market and lanterns open. We use the festival site dates below, as of November 2026.

Event	Dates (2026–27)	Hours	Where	Cost
Seoul Winter Festival (umbrella event)	Dec 11 – Jan 31 (earlier plan: Dec 4)	Varies by programme	Gwanghwamun Square and six other sites	Mostly free
Gwanghwamun Market (Christmas market)	Dec 11 – Jan 10	Sun–Thu 17:30–22:00; Fri–Sat 17:30–22:30; later on Dec 24, 25 and 31	Gwanghwamun Square and Sejongno Park	Free entry
Seoul Lantern Festival	Dec 11 – Jan 31	18:00–23:00	Cheonggyecheon, from Cheonggye Plaza to Samilgyo Bridge	Free
Seoul Plaza ice rink	Dec 18 – Feb 9	Sun–Thu 10:00–21:30; Fri–Sat 10:00–00:30; Dec 24 and 31 until 01:00	Seoul Plaza, City Hall Station exit 5	₩1,000 per hour
Seoul Light DDP (winter)	Planned from Dec 17	Evenings (details not yet published)	Dongdaemun Design Plaza	Free
Bosingak New Year's bell	Dec 31, around midnight	Late night	Bosingak, Jongno	Free

Hours for the market come from the organisers' 2026 vendor notice; lantern and rink hours come from the Seoul Tourism Organization and the city's festival site.

Gwanghwamun Market and Seoul Light

Gwanghwamun Market is Seoul's main Christmas market and the heart of the winter festival. The 2026 edition is the fifth, and it runs from December 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027 on Gwanghwamun Square and in Sejongno Park. This year's theme is "a Santa village where time stopped" (시간이 멈춘 산타마을). The City of Seoul and the Seoul Tourism Organization host it, and the organisers' vendor notice says the market is split into three seasons, with 32 small-business stalls in each. That means the food and craft stalls change during the run, so a second visit can feel different from the first.

What you will find

According to the city's festival listing, the square hosts market stalls, photo zones and free activities, while Seoul Light Gwanghwamun adds a media facade show and stages a New Year countdown. The market opens at 17:30, so it is an evening event. Arrive around opening time for shorter queues at the stalls and better light for photos as the sky turns dark blue.

Getting there

Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 opens straight onto the square. City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2) and Jonggak Station (Line 1) are a short walk away, which makes it easy to combine the market with the lanterns and the ice rink. If you still need a transport card, our eSIM and T-money guide covers how to get one at the airport.

The Seoul Lantern Festival on Cheonggyecheon

The Seoul Lantern Festival (서울빛초롱축제) has been held since 2009, and the Seoul Tourism Organization lists the 2026 edition as the 18th. It runs from December 11, 2026 to January 31, 2027, every evening from 18:00 to 23:00, along the Cheonggyecheon stream between Cheonggye Plaza and Samilgyo Bridge. Displays mix traditional hanji lanterns with media art. The 2026 theme is "Seoul's romance: a symphony of light" (서울의 낭만: 빛의 교향곡).

How to walk it

Start at Cheonggye Plaza, near Gwanghwamun Station and City Hall, and walk east along the lower path beside the water. The path is narrow, and it gets crowded on weekends and around Christmas, so allow more time than the short distance suggests. Steps lead back up to street level at each bridge if you want to leave early. The photos below are from past editions; the 2026 designs will be new.

Palace-shaped lantern at the 2015 Seoul Lantern Festival. Photo: Misokkkim / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lantern figures along the stream, 2015 edition. Photo: Misokkkim / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lantern sculptures in the water, 2019 edition. Photo: Ethan Doyle White / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Past editions, like the ones pictured, were held in November. Seoul now runs the lanterns at the same time as the market and the rink, so one trip downtown covers all three.

Blue lanterns at the 2019 festival. Photo: Ethan Doyle White / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fish lanterns over Cheonggyecheon. Photo: Ethan Doyle White / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The 2014 Christmas tree lighting at Jogyesa temple. Photo: Republic of Korea (KOCIS) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Seoul Plaza ice rink

The open-air rink on Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, is one of the cheapest winter activities in the city. For 2026–27 it runs for 54 days, from Friday, December 18, 2026 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027. The city's listing gives the price as ₩1,000 per one-hour session, and that includes skate and helmet rental. Groups of 20 or more get 30 percent off. The theme this season is "SEOUL ON ICE", built around Haechi, the city's mascot.

Sessions and hours

Check the session times: Sunday to Thursday the rink is open 10:00 to 21:30 (eight sessions), and Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 00:30 (ten sessions). On December 24 and December 31 it stays open until 01:00.
Go to Seoul Plaza: take Line 1 or 2 to City Hall Station and use exit 5.
Pay ₩1,000 for a session and collect skates and a helmet.
Bring gloves. They are sensible on any rink, and your hands will be cold.
Look at the extras: the listing mentions a children's rink, beginner lessons, a snack bar, a winter strawberry market and a Seoul goods shop.

The rink can close at short notice for bad weather or poor air quality, so check on the day. Daytime weekday sessions are usually the calmest.

The Seoul Plaza rink in front of City Hall (2015). Photo: Republic of Korea (KOCIS) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

A daytime session on the Seoul Plaza rink (2015). Photo: Republic of Korea (KOCIS) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Snow-covered cars and trees along a curving road in a Seoul residential area

Snow is possible in December, so pack for cold. Photo: akzkeka / Pixabay, Pixabay Content License

December evenings in Seoul are cold and can be windy, especially if you stand still watching a show. Our Korea weather and packing guide explains how fast temperatures drop at the end of the year and what layers to bring.

Department store lights and holiday markets

You do not need to wait for December. Seoul's big department stores turn their buildings into light shows early, and Yonhap reported on October 30, 2026 that the 2026 displays were already starting.

Lotte, Myeongdong and Jamsil

Lotte Department Store's main branch in Sogong-dong, by Euljiro 1-ga Station, switched on its Christmas decorations on October 30, 2026. Yonhap describes about 20,000 light bulbs, a light street roughly 100 meters long, a 15-meter heart-shaped light tree and media art at the entrance. Lotte also planned a large outdoor Christmas market at its Jamsil complex from mid-November, near Lotte World Tower. For scale, the JoongAng Daily reported that the Jamsil market drew about 240,000 visitors in 2023.

Shinsegae and holiday markets

Across the road, Shinsegae's main store uses its whole facade, branded Shinsegae Square, as a giant screen. Its 2026 Christmas film, which follows a bear carrying people's Christmas wishes, starts on November 6, according to Yonhap. Shinsegae's indoor Holiday Market opened at its Gangnam store on October 30 and comes to the main store on November 24. When the main store's facade show opened in 2024, the JoongAng Daily reported about 200,000 visitors in the first ten days, so expect crowds on the pavement opposite.

Myeongdong is next door, and its shopping streets add their own decorations. It is also a good place to warm up with snacks; our Korean winter street food guide lists what to try.

Myeongdong on Christmas Eve gets very busy. Photo: Ken Eckert / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Lotte World Tower lit up against the night sky in Jamsil, Seoul

Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, near the Lotte Christmas market. Photo: Andrea De Santis / Pexels, Pexels License

Seoul city night view with lit bridges and roads along the Han River

Seoul after dark. Photo: JJChoi / Pixabay, Pixabay Content License

DDP, Bosingak and New Year's Eve

Seoul's festival runs right through New Year, and several sites build up to a countdown on December 31.

Seoul Light DDP

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) has a curved facade about 222 meters long that becomes a screen for media art during Seoul Light DDP. The city's festival site lists the winter 2026 edition as planned from December 17, 2026, and the detailed programme has not been published yet. Last winter's show included six media art works, a light tunnel on the Mirae-ro bridge, character photo zones and a countdown with fireworks. Treat those as a guide to the style, not a promise for 2026.

Bosingak bell ringing

The ringing of the bell at Bosingak (보신각) in Jongno at midnight is Seoul's best-known New Year tradition, and it is part of the winter festival programme. It draws very large crowds. If you go, arrive early, keep your group together and agree on a meeting point in case phones stop working well in the crowd. Many people watch it on TV instead and celebrate somewhere warmer.

Bosingak pavilion in Jongno. Photo: Seoul Tourism Organization / Wikimedia Commons, KOGL Type 1

Large bronze bell hanging inside the Bosingak pavilion, with a guard in a red traditional costume

The bell rung at midnight on New Year's Eve. Photo: Steve46814 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

The DDP facade, used as a giant screen for Seoul Light. Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

A one-evening plan and practical tips

Apart from DDP, these sites sit close together in central Seoul, so you can see the highlights in one evening on foot.

Around 16:30: go to Myeongdong and the Lotte and Shinsegae main stores to see the facades as the sky darkens.
Around 17:30: walk north to Seoul Plaza. From December 18, skate a one-hour session at the rink.
Around 18:30: continue to Gwanghwamun Market for food stalls, photo zones and the media art on the square.
Around 19:30: walk down to Cheonggye Plaza for the Lantern Festival and follow the stream east.
Later: take the subway to DDP for Seoul Light, or warm up in a café or a jjimjilbang.

Tips

Go on a weekday if you can. December 24 and 25 and the weekends are the busiest.
Wear warm shoes. You will be standing on stone squares and walking on a cold stream path.
Check air quality and weather on the day, since outdoor programmes can be paused.
Book Christmas Eve dinner and hotels early; couples fill them fast.

If you have not chosen a base yet, Jongno, City Hall and Myeongdong put you within walking distance of everything above.

FAQ

Is Christmas a holiday in South Korea?

Yes. December 25 is a public holiday. In 2026 it falls on a Friday. Many shops, malls and restaurants stay open, and city events run as usual.

When does the Seoul Christmas market open in 2026?

Gwanghwamun Market runs from December 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027. It opens at 17:30 and closes at 22:00 from Sunday to Thursday or 22:30 on Friday and Saturday, with longer hours on December 24, 25 and 31 (as of November 2026).

How much does the Seoul Plaza ice rink cost?

₩1,000 for a one-hour session, including skates and a helmet, as of November 2026. The rink is open from December 18, 2026 to February 9, 2027.

Are the Christmas events free?

The lantern festival, the market grounds, the media art shows and the department store facades are free to see. You pay only for food, shopping and the ice rink.

Can I see Christmas lights in Seoul in November?

Yes. Department store displays started in late October and early November 2026, and Lotte planned its Jamsil Christmas market from mid-November. The city's own events start in December.

Conclusion

If you are in Seoul between mid-December and the end of January, plan at least one evening downtown. Start with the department store facades, then the ice rink, Gwanghwamun Market and the lanterns on Cheonggyecheon. Most of it is free, and nearly all of it is within walking distance. The 2026 dates look settled for the market, lanterns and rink. DDP's programme and the umbrella festival's exact start are still being finalised, so check the official links before your trip and dress for real winter cold.

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This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the City of Seoul, the Seoul Tourism Organization or any company mentioned. Dates, hours and prices are as of November 2, 2026 and can change.