The 2025 Seoul Lantern Festival will extend its run by two weeks through January 18 after drawing a record-breaking 2.77 million visitors during its first 20 days, according to the Seoul Tourism Organization. Originally scheduled to conclude on January 4, the annual nighttime event has experienced a roughly 60 percent increase in attendance compared to the previous year. The extension applies only to the main Cheonggye Stream section, while lantern displays along Ui Stream will close as originally planned. This decision reflects the festival's booming popularity among both local residents and international tourists, cementing its status as a signature winter attraction in South Korea's capital and demonstrating the growing appetite for outdoor cultural experiences during the colder months.
Held under the theme "My Light, Our Dream, Seoul's Magic," the festival transforms central Seoul's Cheonggye Stream into a glowing corridor of artistic illumination through a blend of traditional hanji paper lanterns and cutting-edge immersive media art installations. The event spans a 1.1-kilometer stretch between Cheonggye Plaza and Samil Bridge in the heart of the city. The festival will be closed on Monday for maintenance and rearrangement of installations before reopening the next day with new displays. Daily operating hours run from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., with organizers having extended the closing time by one hour starting December 16 to accommodate growing demand from office workers visiting after work and the rising interest in nighttime cultural activities among Seoul's population.
Several popular installations will be taken down as scheduled on January 4, including the Pokemon Korea collaboration "I LOVE Magikarp," the fire-breathing "Wings of Dreams," and "Hwanwol," a moon jar sculpture crafted from discarded car headlights that exemplifies the festival's fusion of tradition and sustainability. In their place, a new large-scale light work titled "Magical Lights Walking Through Seoul" will debut in the extended section. This rotation of installations ensures that even repeat visitors will have fresh experiences during the additional two weeks. The Pokemon collaboration particularly resonated with younger audiences, demonstrating how traditional cultural events can successfully integrate contemporary pop culture elements to broaden their appeal and attract diverse demographic groups to heritage celebrations.
City officials view the festival's success as a key component of broader efforts to boost nighttime tourism and diversify visitor experiences beyond conventional sightseeing. The record attendance figures represent not just cultural engagement but also significant economic activity for surrounding businesses, restaurants, and hotels in downtown Seoul. International tourists have increasingly made the lantern festival a must-see winter destination, with tourism organizations reporting growing numbers of visitors specifically planning trips around the event. The festival's success also aligns with Seoul's strategy to position itself as a year-round cultural destination rather than just a summer and spring travel location, helping to balance seasonal tourism flows.
The Cheonggye Stream, which serves as the festival's main venue, holds deep historical significance in Seoul, having been restored from a covered highway into a modern urban park that now hosts major cultural events. The Seoul Lantern Festival has evolved from a modest celebration into one of the city's premier winter attractions since its inception. Looking ahead, organizers plan to use the 2025 festival's success as a model for future events, potentially expanding the duration and incorporating more interactive elements. The overwhelming public response demonstrates a strong appetite for accessible, outdoor cultural experiences during winter months, likely encouraging similar initiatives in other Korean cities. As the festival continues through mid-January, it will provide a luminous bridge between the end-of-year holiday season and the Lunar New Year celebrations, further establishing itself as an essential part of Seoul's cultural calendar.
