South Korea is hosting a diverse array of winter festivals and cultural events across the country, offering both residents and international visitors opportunities to experience Korean culture, cuisine, and entertainment through the holiday season and into the new year.
Everland theme park launched its annual Christmas Fantasy Festival on Friday, running through December 31st as a park-wide winter celebration. The festival features a Christmas parade with Santa, Rudolph, and festive floats, alongside a new nighttime K-Pop Demon Hunters Sing-along Fireworks Show created in collaboration with Netflix. Families can enjoy daily photo sessions with Santa, elves, and Everland mascots, while the Grand Stage presents two daily showings of the holiday musical "Very Merry Santa Village." The Alpine Village has been transformed into Snow Oz Park, featuring a rotating 360-degree photo booth and winter-themed installations.
Starting in mid-December, Everland will open snow-play areas and sledding courses, complemented by a winter food street serving traditional Korean treats including hotteok, roasted sweet potatoes, and fish cakes. The comprehensive festival programming demonstrates Samsung CT's commitment to providing immersive seasonal entertainment for visitors of all ages.
In Seoul, the K-Food Festival Knock-Knock is taking place at Sejongno Park near Gwanghwamun Square through December 31st. The event operates every Friday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. with free admission for all visitors. This year's festival showcases an expanded lineup of 25 participating food trucks offering 15 different categories of Korean cuisine, providing both local residents and international tourists with an extensive selection of K-food options. The increased vendor participation aims to give more small business owners a platform to showcase their culinary offerings in the heart of Seoul.
South Jeolla Province's Hampyeong Winter Light Festival runs through January 11th across the Hampyeong Expo Park area, featuring illuminated installations and nighttime landscaping with free admission. This year's program includes interactive activities such as a light maze, tree decorating, glow-bracelet making, and Santa costume experiences. The festival's entertainment program features Christmas marching band shows, carol busking, and theater performances that enhance the festive atmosphere.
Visitors to Hampyeong can also view large-scale media art by artist Lee Lee-nam, along with exhibitions at the Hampyeong County Museum of Art, the butterfly and insect specimen hall, and various plant pavilions. Food trucks, snack vendors, a character pop-up store, and local specialty booths provide diverse shopping and dining options throughout the park grounds.
Busan's Gwangalli Beach hosts Korea's first permanent drone show, the Gwangalli Marvelous Drone Light Show, every Saturday evening. The 12-minute spectacle is presented twice nightly with seasonal scheduling: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. from October to February, and 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. from March to September. Regular performances utilize approximately 1,000 drones, while special occasions such as New Year's countdowns, Seollal, and Chuseok feature up to 2,500 drones creating large-scale images and animations across the night sky.
The drone display is synchronized with the backdrop of Gwangandaegyo Bridge, offering spectacular panoramic views from any location along the beach. The program includes both regular and special themed performances, as well as public participation events including best-cut voting and proposal contests. While admission is free, weather conditions may affect the show schedule.
The 2025 DanDanDan Festival runs through Saturday at the Gangneung Danoje Training Center, designed to highlight traditional culture while supporting local artists and boosting regional tourism. The festival opened on November 27th with a performance by Seodo Band, known for pioneering Joseon pop music. The second day features performances by five children's groups presenting traditional dance, samulnori, and mask drama, along with a creative play based on local Gangwon folklore titled "The Bride of the Seonangdang, Becoming a Village Legend."
The festival concludes with the Yeongsanhong Concert, showcasing genre-blending performances by Park Ae-ri and Poppin Hyun Joon. All DanDanDan Festival events offer free admission, reflecting the organizers' commitment to broadening cultural access for citizens while celebrating Korea's rich traditional heritage through contemporary artistic expression.
