Seoul Lantern Festival서울빛초롱축제

Every winter, giant glowing lanterns line Cheonggyecheon, the stream that runs through downtown Seoul — but the stream itself is the festival's best backstory. Cheonggyecheon was paved over in the postwar decades, and an elevated highway was built above it between 1967 and 1976; for thirty years, a river ran unseen beneath traffic. In 2003 the city tore the highway down and restored the stream, completing the project in 2005. It became a symbol of Seoul choosing walkable public space over concrete — and a ready-made stage for light. The Seoul Lantern Festival began in 2009, during Visit Korea Year, and grew into the city's signature winter event, drawing millions of visitors. Lanterns range from traditional hanji (Korean paper) figures to large LED installations, floating above and beside the water along a roughly one-kilometer stretch from Cheonggye Plaza. The festival moved its main venue to Gwanghwamun Square in 2022–2023 before returning to the stream in 2024, and it now runs from mid-December into January, paired with a winter market around Gwanghwamun. Walking the route at night — lights on the water, palace gates nearby, vendors selling hot snacks — is one of the easiest, warmest ways to enjoy a Seoul winter evening for free.