Seasonal travelBy Clever Tourists · Published
Christmas Day is a public holiday in South Korea, so Friday 25 December 2026 starts a three-day weekend. Offices and banks close, but shops, cafés and restaurants stay open, and central Seoul is busy, not shut. Holiday calendars agree on the date, though we could not open the government's own regulation text. The focus this year is Myeongdong: Lotte Department Store said in July 2026 that a new 77 m media wall opens there for the Christmas season, close to Shinsegae's existing display and Myeongdong Cathedral. Seoul's Winter Festa had no 2026 dates when we checked, so the programme below is the 2025 pattern. Expect hard cold, with average December lows of about -3°C. We were in Seoul from 7 to 12 June and 4 to 9 July 2023, so this comes from Korean official and news sources rather than a Christmas there.
Yes. Christmas Day is one of South Korea's public holidays, unlike Japan and Thailand. In 2026 it falls on a Friday, which gives Koreans a long weekend from the 25th to the 27th.
A public holiday here does not mean a shutdown. Government offices and banks close, and shops and restaurants stay open, as covered in what's open on Christmas Day abroad. Expect restaurants, cafés and malls to be full, and book a dinner for the 24th or 25th. Korea's real closure holiday is Seollal; see our Seollal 2027 guide.
Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, is not a holiday, but it is the bigger night out. Like Japan, the evening leans towards couples and friends, and it is a poor night to look for a table without a reservation.
Myeongdong is the centre of Seoul's commercial Christmas, because the Lotte and Shinsegae flagship stores are a short walk apart there.
• Lotte Town Light (new): Lotte Department Store said in July 2026 that it is fitting a media facade to the Young Plaza building at its Myeongdong main store. It measures 77 m by 21 m and is described as the largest in the area, larger than Shinsegae Square. A teaser is due in November and regular operation from the Christmas season in December. The exact opening date was not published when we checked.
• Shinsegae Square: Shinsegae's flagship has run a Christmas media facade in recent years. We found no 2026 theme or hours.
Both are free to look at from the street. The pavement around them gets very crowded on the nights before Christmas, so go early in the evening or midweek. Myeongdong's food stalls are nearby; see our Seoul night markets guide.
The city runs its December events under the Seoul Winter Festa name. The 2026 dates were not published when we checked, and last year's programme was announced in late November, so look for this year's in the same period.
In 2025, according to Seoul's official media site and Korea JoongAng Daily, the programme was:
• Seoul Winter Festa: 12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, across Gwanghwamun, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul Plaza, DDP and Bosingak.
• Gwanghwamun Market: 12 to 31 December 2025 on Gwanghwamun Square, the nearest thing Seoul has to a Christmas market.
• Seoul Lantern Festival: Cheonggyecheon stream, 12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, then extended by two weeks to 18 January. That extension is why some listings give a different end date.
• Seoul Plaza ice rink: 19 December 2025 to 8 February 2026.
• Bosingak bell-ringing: at midnight on New Year's Eve, on 31 December.
If the same dates repeat, Christmas 2026 would fall inside all of these. That is a likely pattern, not a promise.
Myeongdong Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, is the seat of the Archbishop of Seoul. The 2026 Christmas schedule was not published when we checked, and the cathedral's website did not load for us. The last reported pattern:
• Christmas Eve: a 2020 report described a crib blessing on the cathedral forecourt followed by Christmas Mass at midnight. We could not confirm the 2025 time.
• Christmas Day: on 25 December 2025 the Archbishop's daytime Mass began at noon, according to Newsis, which described the cathedral as packed despite the cold.
• Outside: the same report described a wish tree and about 20 Christmas market stalls in front of the Catholic Center after Mass, selling handmade religious items, sausages and roasted chestnuts.
Mass is in Korean. Frommer's and a local directory list an English Mass on Sundays at 9:00, and Korea JoongAng Daily says it is held in a smaller building beside the main church. Another listing gives different English times, so confirm with the parish. Anyone may attend, and big feast days fill early, so arrive well ahead. Keep quiet, do not use flash, and stay in your seat for Communion if you are not Catholic. Our guide to what to wear in South Korea covers winter clothing.
Seoul is the coldest stop in this Christmas series. Korea Meteorological Administration normals for 1991 to 2020 give December a mean high of 4.2°C (39.6°F) and a mean low of -3.4°C (25.9°F), with about 23 mm of precipitation and about 6 days with snow in the whole month.
A white Christmas is possible but far from likely on a given day. Wind is the real problem: on Christmas Day 2025 Newsis reported wind chill below freezing, and crowds still turned out.
Dress for standing outside at night: a proper winter coat, hat and gloves. Nights at the Myeongdong light walls and along Cheonggyecheon are spent on foot. Our South Korea packing list has more.
For Christmas, Myeongdong moves up from second place to first, because the lights, the cathedral and Gwanghwamun are all in reach on foot.
• Myeongdong: for lights, the cathedral and airport limousine buses. The busiest choice, and the streets are noisy.
• Jongno and Insadong: quieter, a walk or a short subway ride from Gwanghwamun and Cheonggyecheon.
• Hongdae: better for a Christmas night out with friends, and on the AREX line from Incheon, but further from the lights.
• Gangnam or Jamsil: only if most of your plans are south of the Han River.
See where to stay in Seoul and how many days in Seoul. We found no sourced 2026 hotel prices, but with a three-day holiday weekend, book early. Before you travel, check the K-ETA rules and the e-Arrival card, and for trains read our T-money guide. Our Seoul to Busan KTX guide helps if you are adding Busan, but book that train early for the holiday weekend.
Yes. Friday 25 December 2026 is a public holiday, so offices and banks close, but shops, cafés and restaurants stay open.
It holds Christmas Masses, but the 2026 times were not published when we checked. On 25 December 2025 the daytime Mass began at noon.
Sometimes. Normals show about 6 snow days across December, with a mean low of -3.4°C, so a white Christmas is possible but unlikely on a given day.
The dates were not published when we checked. In 2025 it ran from 12 December to 4 January, with Gwanghwamun Market from 12 to 31 December.
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