Light, Joy, Fun: Seoul Becomes Center of Global Winter Festivals
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Seoul is hosting multiple large winter events simultaneously, drawing domestic and international visitors. The world-scale Gwanghwamun Market (a European-style Christmas market) and the Cheonggyecheon Lantern Festival (Bichchorong Festival) form the core of “Seoul Winter Festa — Fantasia Seoul,” along with Seoul Light at Gwanghwamun & DDP and a special lantern exhibition at Ui-cheon. Gwanghwamun Market features themed zones like a Santa Village, a 15m Christmas tree, a Rudolph carousel, and photo spots (e.g., Nutcracker house, gingerbread house). The annual market previously attracted 1.64 million visitors over 24 days. The 17th Seoul Lantern Festival runs Dec 12–Jan 4 with about 500 light installations and experimental media art along Cheonggyecheon, including the “Palma” (八馬) sculpture and large-scale international displays inspired by Prague’s astronomical clock. DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) hosts Seoul Light (Dec 18–31) and SeoulCon (Dec 29–Jan 1), featuring a huge media façade, Christmas Town, and global influencer expo with K-content events like APAN Star Awards and a World K-Pop Festival. Competitions and performances across Gwanghwamun and Cheonggyecheon offer winners high-profile New Year’s Eve stage opportunities.
