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Lights, bring your cameras, there's action: Seoul Winter Festa to return with more to do

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 17:32 Updated: 25 Nov. 2025, 18:44

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

An ice rink in Seoul Plaza, Jung District, central Seoul in 2024 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

As the chill of winter settles over the capital, the city is preparing to turn its streets into a winter wonderland as the Seoul Winter Festa returns next month. The 2025 edition will run for 24 days from Dec. 12 through Jan. 4, 2026, and link six major sites across the city: Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Bosingak and Uicheon Stream.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the details of the festival on Tuesday, unfolding under the theme “Fantasia Seoul: A magical Seoul created together with its people” with the aim of shifting to a more participatory structure, inviting both residents and visitors to take active roles rather than remain spectators.

The festival will open Dec. 12 with a parade and a gala featuring Korean dance and musical performances. That same day, the "Gwanghwamun Market" will open and run through Dec. 31. Organizers plan to recreate a European-style Christmas market shaped as a "Santa Village," complete with a Rudolph-themed merry-go-round meant to evoke childhood nostalgia.

Gwanghwamun Market in central Seoul in 2024 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

An ice rink in Seoul Plaza, Jung District, central Seoul [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

At Cheonggyecheon, the Seoul Lantern Festival, now in its 17th year, will run from Dec. 12 to Jan. 4. Illuminated installations and experimental media art will decorate the waterway across four themed sections.

Seoul Plaza will once again host one of the city’s signature winter destinations, an ice rink, for 52 days from Dec. 19 to Feb. 8.

A highlight of the festival will be a competition showcasing traditional art, dance and K-pop at Cheonggyecheon and in Gwanghwamun Square. The final winning team will earn a special opportunity to perform at the New Year’s Eve bell-ringing ceremony on Dec. 31.

A New Year's bell-ringing ceremony held in central Seoul in 2024 [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The marquee bell-ringing event will take place on Dec. 31 at Bosingak Pavilion. This year’s concept features a media facade projected onto the pavilion’s tiled roof so that the structure appears to resonate with each toll of the bell, introducing a new form of sound visualization.

“Seoul Winter Festa, which drew more than 5.4 million visitors last year, is taking a step forward this year as a festival where the public and tourists participate directly and enjoy together,” said Kim Tae-hee, deputy mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Culture Headquarters. “From the dazzling light festival at Gwanghwamun to unique K-culture experiences and the moving New Year’s bell-ringing ceremony, we hope everyone can experience a magical Seoul where the people are the stars, wherever they are in the city.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]