# Seoul New Year Countdown 2026: Bosingak Bell, Times, Getting Home

> The Seoul new year countdown centers on the Bosingak bell ringing ceremony, a free event where the bell is struck 33 times at midnight on December 31 in Jongno. The 2026 dates are listed, but the times and transit notices aren't out yet. Last year the show began around 10:50 PM, and trains skipped Jonggak Station from 11 PM to 1 AM.

- URL: https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/seoul-new-years-eve-countdown/
- Published: October 21, 2026
- Updated: November 9, 2026
- Data as of: October 22, 2026
- Event details: Bosingak Bell Ringing Ceremony 2026 (New Year's Eve); 2026-12-31 / 2027-01-01; Bosingak Belfry, 서울특별시, 종로구, 종로 54
- Official site: https://www.seoul.go.kr/story/bell/pc.html

When people talk about the Seoul new year countdown, they mostly mean one thing: the Bosingak bell ringing ceremony, held at Bosingak in the Jongno district on December 31. At midnight the bell is struck 33 times. It costs nothing and you don't have to sign up. You just stand on the street in front of the belfry.

The 2026 event is listed for December 31 into January 1, and that's about all that's out so far. The start time, who rings the bell and the transit notices haven't been posted yet, so the schedule below is from last year (December 31, 2025).

## Has the 2026 Bosingak bell ringing ceremony been announced?

Bosingak has announced its dates. For the other neighborhoods, use last year's events to choose an area, not as a confirmed timetable for this New Year's Eve.

| Your priority | Choose this area | Confirmed dates / last year's reference | Getting back |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hear the midnight bell | Bosingak, Jongno | This year: December 31–January 1; start time pending | Last year trains skipped Jonggak from 23:00–01:00 |
| Pair the countdown with a market walk | Gwanghwamun, Cheonggyecheon | Last year's Gwanghwamun event: 22:50–00:30 | Gwanghwamun Station or a walk through the center |
| See projections on a building | DDP, Dongdaemun | Countdown held last year; this year's time pending | Dongdaemun History & Culture Park, Lines 2/4/5 |
| Stay near a Myeongdong hotel | Myeongdong Square | Screen countdown last year; this year's time pending | Choose a hotel within walking distance |

I checked the bell ceremony's entry on the city's festival portal and the schedule page on the [Seoul Winter Festa](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/seoul-winter-festa/) site. For 2026, both give only the date and a one-liner: performances before and after, plus 33 strikes of the bell. No times, no lineup.

You can make a decent guess at when the rest will show up. The city's call for citizens to ring the bell went out on November 13 in 2023, November 7 in 2024 and November 6 in 2025, and the traffic notice only appeared a day or two before the event. If that pattern holds, the call will be out by mid-November and the transit notice in late December. I'll update this page when they are.

It's also worth remembering the year before last. On the last night of 2024 the city dropped all the performances out of respect for the victims of the Jeju Air crash, and only the bell was rung. So the program can shift depending on what kind of year it's been.

## Last year's Seoul new year countdown spots

Bosingak isn't your only option. Last year several places around Seoul counted down at the same time.

| Place | Last year's time | What happened |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bosingak | Opening show around 22:50, event 23:00 to 0:20 | 33 strikes at midnight, media art numbers on the roof, a band concert afterward |
| Gwanghwamun Square | 22:50 to 0:30 | Hanbok runway at 23:10, countdown at 23:55, New Year greetings on the outer walls of nine buildings |
| DDP | Official time not found | Media facade countdown on the outer wall, then fireworks |
| Myeongdong Square | Official time not found | Countdown and performances on a big screen around the Shinsegae main store |
| Lotte World Tower | Official time not found | Laser show with a New Year message |

The Bosingak and Gwanghwamun rows come from the city's notices, DDP and Lotte World Tower from one news report, and Myeongdong from another. I went looking for official times for DDP, Myeongdong and Lotte World Tower and came up empty.

Seoul Tourism Guide's English page on Christmas and New Year suggests the same kinds of options for people who'd rather skip the big crowd: the countdowns at Gwanghwamun and DDP, the Lotte World Tower show, or a ticketed hotel party. It also says plenty of locals watch the ceremony on TV from somewhere warm, and Hallie Bradley of The Soul of Seoul blog writes that her family spent years [watching the bell from home](https://thesoulofseoul.net/new-years-eve-korea/). Watching from a hotel window or a bar with a TV is a perfectly good plan.

Last year the mayor rang the bell together with 11 citizens. The city took nominations in November, and 114 people were put forward. The final group included a singer, a writer, a bus driver who had saved two people with CPR, and the head of the Nuri rocket program. They were introduced one by one shortly before the event.

A few events nearby also stayed open late that night. The Gwanghwamun Market and the [Seoul Lantern Festival](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/seoul-lantern-festival/) on Cheonggyecheon ran until 1 AM, and the [Seoul Plaza ice skating rink](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/seoul-plaza-ice-skating-rink/) until 12:30 AM.

## Critical Arrival Timings & Crowd Management Strategy

To secure a clear view of the Bosingak bell pavilion, planning your arrival timeline is vital:

- **The 9:00 PM Golden Window:** If you want a front-row view of the bell pavilion, plan to be on site between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM. By 9:30 PM, spectator rows around the pavilion barrier already swell five to eight people deep.
- **10:30 PM Sector Lockdown:** Police and event marshals establish crowd safety zones along Jongno boulevard. By approximately 10:30 PM, direct access to the front viewing plazas is sealed off, and late arrivals are redirected toward auxiliary viewing areas equipped with large live screens.
- **Windchill Gear & Hand Warmers:** Temperatures around midnight drop between -5°C and -10°C, and waiting stationary on pavement for two to three hours drains body heat rapidly. Wear a heavy windproof down parka, thermal layers, heat packs, and insulated boots.

The subway numbers back this up. Between 10 and 11 PM, more than seven times as many people got off at Jonggak Station as at the same hour on Christmas Eve, according to Seoul Metro data. The rush peaks right around 10, so aim to be there before then.

## Jonggak Station and the road closures

From 11 PM on December 31 until 1 AM, trains run through Jonggak Station without stopping. The Seoul Metropolitan Government's English guide for the 2024 ceremony says the same about that year, and I went through last year's traffic notice line by line for the stations it tells you to use instead: City Hall (Lines 1 and 2), Jongno 3-ga (Lines 1, 3 and 5), Euljiro 1-ga (Line 2) and Gwanghwamun (Line 5).

![Bosingak and the surrounding roads seen from above Jongno crossroads](https://formthrow.com/images/festivals/seoul-new-years-eve-countdown-jongno-crossroads.webp)
*Photo: 서울관광재단 서울관광 아카이브, [source](https://archive.visitseoul.net/ko/contents/ARP004l91), 공공누리 제1유형*

Here's what was closed last year.

| What | Last year's closure | Area |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Roads | Dec 31 18:00 to Jan 1 07:00 | Jong-ro (Sejong-daero crossroads to Jongno 2-ga crossroads), Cheonggyecheon-bukro (Cheonggye Plaza to Cheonggye 2-ga), Ujeongguk-ro (Gongpyeong rotary to Gwanghwamun crossroads) |
| Buses | Same hours | 47 city bus routes detoured |
| Shared e-bikes and scooters | 18:00 to 06:00 the next day | No renting or returning nearby |
| Jonggak Station (subway) | 23:00 to Jan 1 01:00 | Trains don't stop |

The streets around the Jongno crossroads go car-free from 6 PM, so forget about getting dropped off close by taxi or car. Last year more than 800 city, district and fire department staff and more than 1,700 police officers were out managing the crowd, according to the city.

## What to wear when it's 9 below

If you get there around 9 to grab a spot near the front, you'll be standing in the street for close to three hours before the bell rings. Last year it stayed below zero the whole time, and at 11 PM the wind made it feel like about minus 14 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration station in Jongno. Wear a long padded coat, gloves, a hat and thick socks. Carrying multiple adhesive heat packs and pocket hand warmers is an absolute survival requirement.

The Seoul Tourism Guide page gives much the same list, adds thermal base layers, and says hand warmers are cheap at convenience stores. It also tells you to eat and use the bathroom before you go. Nearby fast food restaurants and cafes generally close their doors or hit max capacity around 9:00 to 10:00 p.m., so finish dinner before entering the security perimeter.

The city set up heated shelters and medical booths in front of Jongno Tower, the Jeil Bank building and the Yeongpung Building, and put temporary toilets at the corners of the Jongno 1-ga crossroads. Large office buildings and adjacent subway concourses offer the most reliable indoor restroom access.

## Getting back after midnight

Last year Lines 1 to 9, the Ui-Sinseol Line and the Sillim Line ran late, with the last trains reaching the end of each line at 2 AM on January 1. Last trains at Jongno 3-ga and Gwanghwamun left between 1:40 and 2 AM depending on direction, and 45 bus routes pushed their last buses back to 2 AM, according to the city. The English guide for the 2024 ceremony describes the same kind of extension, with extra runs every 10 to 30 minutes, and points you to the Seoul Subway app and TOPIS for exact times.

Since trains don't stop at Jonggak until 1 AM, you're better off walking to Gwanghwamun or Jongno 3-ga. Just know that everyone else has the same idea: last year about 60 times as many people as usual got on at Gwanghwamun Station after midnight. If underground station queues are completely stalled, walking outward toward Gwanghwamun or Euljiro to catch an owl night bus is a proven local bypass.

None of this holds on a normal night. Travel-Stained points out that Seoul Metro and most bus routes usually stop running around midnight, so don't count on late service any other night. The Soul of Seoul also warns that taxis are hard to find on New Year's Eve.

Top up your transit card before you head out, because a top-up machine is the last place you want to be waiting that night. The [T-money card guide](https://formthrow.com/en/travel/tmoney-card-guide/) explains how, and there are more winter events on the [festivals page](https://formthrow.com/en/festivals/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What time does the 2026 Bosingak bell ringing ceremony start?

This year's times haven't been posted. Last year the opening show started a little before 11 PM, the event ran from 11 PM to 12:20 AM on January 1, and the bell was struck 33 times at midnight.

### Is the Bosingak ceremony free, and do you need to sign up?

It's free and there's nothing to sign up for. You just stand on the street in front of Bosingak. Only the citizens who ring the bell are chosen, through a nomination the city runs in November.

### Can you get off at Jonggak Station on New Year's Eve?

Last year trains skipped Jonggak Station from 11 PM to 1 AM. Get off at City Hall, Jongno 3-ga, Euljiro 1-ga or Gwanghwamun and walk over. This year's notice should come out in late December.

### How late do the subways run after the countdown?

Last year Lines 1 to 9, the Ui-Sinseol Line and the Sillim Line ran late, with the last trains reaching the end of each line at 2 AM. Last trains at Jongno 3-ga and Gwanghwamun left between 1:40 and 2 AM.

### Where else can you do a countdown in Seoul besides Bosingak?

Last year there were countdowns at Gwanghwamun Square, DDP and Myeongdong Square, and Lotte World Tower in Jamsil rang in the new year with a laser show. This year's places and times haven't been announced.

## Sources

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