Watch the Sky Above Gwangalli Turn Into a Drone Screen
By late evening on December 31, the sand at Gwangalli Beach is standing room only, and the whole curve of the bay is pointed at the water. This is one half of the 2026 Busan Countdown Festival, and the centerpiece is a large-scale drone show — roughly 2,500 drones — that includes a display marking the Year of the Horse. The night closes with a five-minute countdown and a ten-minute midnight display. Arrive well before the countdown; the beach fills, and the bridges behind you fill with people who thought they could walk down at 11:30.
The festival's second location is Haeundae, the city's most popular beach, where the evening programming runs alongside the Gwangalli events. Between the two, Busan's New Year festivals draw around a million visitors and residents — the city's largest winter gathering.
Ring a Bell in Nampodong, Then Sing the City Anthem
Up at Yongdusan Park in Nampodong, the tone is older and quieter. Three bells — the Bell of Hope, the Bell of Love, and the Bell of Peace — are rung eleven times each as part of the 2026 Busan New Year Festival. The citizens' bell-ringing ceremony begins at 11 p.m. on December 31, followed by a New Year's greeting, the lighting of the hope flame, and the singing of the Busan anthem. Concerts and family activities run alongside it, so you can drift between the bell platform and the performances rather than committing to one spot all night.
Pick Your Countdown Soundtrack: Orchestras, Crossover, or a Bar Until Dawn
December 31 is a Wednesday in 2026, and the city's concert calendar is stacked for it. Choose your room and book early:
- Adieu 2025 Year-End Concert — Busan Concert Hall in Busanjin-gu, 2 p.m. Conductor and music director Kim Kwang-hyun leads the 2025 Classic Busan Orchestra, with soprano Kim So-yul, tenor Lee Tae-heum, and cellist Hong Seung-ah.
- Busan Philharmonic Orchestra annual year-end concert — Busan Cultural Center in Daeyeon-dong, 7:30 p.m.
- Lim Hyung-joo, the operatic pop and classical crossover singer — Busan KBS Hall in Namcheon-dong, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunset National Tour Concert ("Sunset Night") — Sohyang Theater in Centum City, 7:30 p.m.
- Wicked, the musical, continues its run at the Dream Theatre in Busanjin-gu, with a December 31 performance.
If you would rather keep the night loose, the Gwangalli and Kyungsung corridors are where the bars stay open until dawn. HQ Bar in Gwangalli runs until morning with food and drink deals; LA Bar & Grill in Gwangalli has drink specials; Ol'55 in Kyungsung pairs live music with drink specials. Note that more events are typically added closer to the date as venues announce their plans, so check listings again in the final weeks.
Stay Up for the First Sunrise at 7:32 a.m.
The celebration does not end at midnight — it rolls straight into January 1. The New Year Sunrise Celebration takes place at Haeundae Beach, with a sunrise performance, the mayor's address, and free coffee and tea in the early morning. The first sunrise of 2026 is predicted for 7:32 a.m., and Busan marks it with thirteen main sunrise festivals across the city. Pick a beach, a hilltop, or a park, dress for the cold, and let the same crowd that counted down with you watch the light come up.
Eat Your Way Through the Cold Hours
Busan's winter streets do the work of keeping you warm between events. The markets around Nampodong, a short walk from the Yongdusan bell ceremony, are where you graze through the evening — hot, brothy, and built for standing up. Pair a market stop with the Gwangalli beachfront before the drone show, or with the walk down from Yongdusan Park afterward. Between the bell-ringing, the concerts, and the sunrise, food is the thread that holds a Busan New Year's Eve together.
Start with the two anchor points — Gwangalli or Haeundae for the countdown, Yongdusan Park for the bells — then build the rest of the night around a concert, a bar, or both. Book the ticketed performances now, keep an eye on listings as December approaches, and plan to be outside at 7:32 on the morning of January 1.