Seoul to host winter festival from Dec. 13

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will host a large-scale, city-wide winter festival next month, accompanied by media art and radiant sculptures decorating the city.

Also known as Seoul Winter Festa, the city government combined several winter-themed events into one large-scale festival for the first time in 2023. According to the city government, the event saw around 7.4 million visitors.

This year’s event will kick off on Dec. 13 and run until Jan. 5 at six locations in Seoul -- Gwanghwamun Gate, Gwanghwamun Square, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza and Bosingak in central Seoul, as well as Dongdaemun Design Plaza in eastern Seoul.

The Seoul Winter Festa will kick off under the title “Soul Prism,” with an opening ceremony that will light up the area around Gwanghwamun Square and Cheonggyecheon at around 6 p.m. on Dec. 13. The event will be held at the ceremonial stage in front of Gyeongbokgung known as “woldae.”

A light show featuring media art from four renowned international artists will be projected onto Gwanghwamun from Dec. 13. The city government added that media projections from five international artists will also be shown on the facade of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, from Dec. 19 until Jan. 1.

At Gwanghwamun Square, a 14-meter-high Christmas tree will be set up along with a Christmas market called “Santa’s Town,” which will sell a range of goods and foods marking the holiday season.

A special exhibition curated in collaboration with Netflix Korea’s "Squid Game" will also be open to visitors throughout the festival.

The annual Seoul Lantern Festival will also take place near Cheonggyecheon under the theme of “soul lantern,” featuring up to 240 light sculptures that reflect Korea’s traditions, as well as modern sculptures. An ice-skating rink will be open at Seoul Plaza from Dec. 20 to Feb. 9.

On New Year’s Eve, a 30-meter-wide sun sculpture the city has dubbed "Midnight Sun" will rise behind Bosingak, where the traditional bell-ringing ceremony occurs annually. At the same time, 15,000 wristbands distributed to visitors in the crowd will also illuminate the site.

A New Year’s countdown event will be held at the DDP as well, featuring a laser show accompanied by fireworks.

“We hope to design and brand Seoul Winter Festa to show off Seoul’s winter attractions and activities, encouraging more tourists to visit the city, even during winter,” said Yang Jeong-woong, the director of this year’s festival.