It’s that time of year again. Jesus’s birthday is right around the corner and in Korea we celebrate with a certain K-pop flair.
Birthday Cafes are huge all over South Korea. They are one of the most charming and unique traditions in Korean pop culture. They’re part fandom, part social hangout and part aesthetic event. But what exactly does all that mean?
Well, a birthday cafe (생일카페) is a themed cafe event organized by fans to celebrate the birthday of a favorite K-pop idol, actor, or even a fictional character. For a few days, usually around the idol’s actual birthday, cafes get transformed into mini pop-up shrines dedicated to that person.
That being said, it makes perfect sense for the big man up stairs to get His own birthday cafe too. That’s right, in Korea Jesus gets his very own birthday cafe and it goes viral every year. This event is run by the Korea CCC (Campus Crusade for Christ), basically a Christian outreach wrapped in the fun energy of K-pop “birthday cafe” culture.
The idea? To celebrate Jesus’s birthday (around Christmas) like how fans celebrate their idols’ birthdays. That means cup sleeves, merch, photo booths, games and even freebies. When you walk in, the café feels like a church meets fanbase hangout. And my favorite part? The life-size Jesus standee doing half a heart with his hands so you can make the other half for a photo. He even has his own light stick.
Like with all birthday cafe events, you are required to purchase one drink per person, but after that you’re free to take pictures, play games and just enjoy the festivities. When we went, there was a stamp rally where if we completed all the different missions we got a little prize, which turned tout to be some pretty tasty gelato. We also got photo cards, stickers and of course a cup sleeve. We even took some cute pictures at the photobooth.
This is one of those “only in Korea” events that’s weirdly brilliant. It’s joyful, youthful, and feels more like a community hangout rather than a traditional religious gathering. It’s open to everyone, Christian or not , so whether you go for the novelty, the photo opps, the gospel message, or just to mingle, it’s definitely going to be one of the more memorable Christmas events you see in Korea. This year the event will be held in 3 different cities, so if you’re curious stop by and check it out.
- Seoul (서울):
- When: December 12 – 25, 2025
- Where: Donum Ex Deo Coffee (도눔엑스데오커피)
- 서울특별시 마포구 월드컵로25길 13 (Naver Map)
- 13 World Cup-ro 25-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (Google Maps)
- Busan (부산)
- When: December 20, 22 – 25, 2025
- Where: LoVeoNe (로베오네)
- 부산광역시 금정구 금강로321번길 15 2층 (Naver Map)
- 15 Geumgang-ro 321beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, South Korea (Google Maps)
- Gongju (공주)
- When: December 20 – 25, 2025
- Where: CRU1959 (크루1959)
- 충청남도 공주시 번영2로 69 2층 (Naver Map)
- 69 Beonyeong 2-ro, Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea (Google Maps)
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