Seoul Christmas 2026: Where and When to See the Lights and Markets

Seoul’s 2026 Christmas season is easiest to see in Myeongdong, where nothing needs booking. The Shinsegae Department Store main store plays a Christmas video on its facade every day from 5 p.m. to midnight until January 31, 2027, and the Lotte Department Store main store has 20,000 bulbs and a 15 m tree. Booking is needed for The Hyundai Seoul’s H Village (Nov 10 to Dec 31) and the Lotte Town Christmas Market in Jamsil (Nov 19 to Jan 3).

Seoul’s three big department stores switched on their Christmas displays from late October. Lotte lit its main store on October 30, Shinsegae started its facade video in Myeongdong on November 6, and The Hyundai Seoul opened its H Village today, November 10. The Lotte Town Christmas Market in Jamsil opens November 19, and Shinsegae’s holiday market at its main store on November 24. The city’s Gwanghwamun market is only announced for “December”. Booking for the two busiest spots has already started: The Hyundai’s first round opened November 5 and Lotte’s on November 9.

Everything below is as announced up to November 10, 2026. Korean names are given so you can search them in Naver Map or KakaoMap.

Myeongdong after 5 p.m.

Shinsegae’s media facade, called Shinsegae Square, premiered this year’s Christmas video at 5 p.m. on November 6. It plays every day from 5 p.m. to midnight until January 31, 2027. The 3-minute-40-second film follows “a fantastical journey to deliver Christmas wishes”, set to the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with carol melodies woven in, recorded by a 60-piece orchestra in Vienna. The nearest subway station is Hoehyeon on Line 4.

Lotte calls its main store display the Lotte Town Dream Light Garden. The building is wrapped in 20,000 bulbs, and the roughly 100 m walk from Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) past the main building to the Avenuel luxury wing is lit as a “light street”. There is also a 15 m tree hung with moving heart-shaped lights and a media-art panel of about 165 m² at the main entrance.

The two stores sit in the same Myeongdong shopping district, so one evening covers both. Go after 5 p.m., when the video starts and the bulbs read properly against the dark. In December Lotte adds a new screen: the Lotte Town Light, a 77 m by 21 m media facade on its Young Plaza building. The exact date has not been announced.

Can you get into The Hyundai Seoul’s H Village without a booking?

Yes, but booked visitors go first. According to the Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung), visitors without a booking can join an on-site waitlist by scanning the QR codes placed on floors 2, 3 and 4 of The Hyundai Seoul. The nearest station is Yeouido on Lines 5 and 9.

The village fills Sounds Forest, the indoor garden on the 5th floor. This year’s theme is “Christmas in New York City”: 13 red-brick buildings up to 10 m tall, billboards, neon signs and yellow cabs recreating 1980s and 1990s New York streets. It runs November 10 to December 31, daily 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., closed November 26 and December 18. Entry is free.

Slots go fast. The first round opened at 11 a.m. on November 5 in The Hyundai Hi app, crashed under demand, and reopened at 6 p.m. the same day on Naver Reservation. First-round tickets cover visits from November 10 to 25, in one-hour slots, up to four per account. Last year about 45,000 people tried the first round at once and it sold out in 30 minutes (ZDNet Korea). More than 1.5 million people visited H Village between 2022 and 2025.

Later booking rounds have not been announced. Both booking channels are Korean-language, Naver Reservation requires a Naver account, and no separate booking route for overseas visitors has been announced. If you are visiting from abroad, plan on the on-site waitlist.

Jamsil’s market is free; skipping the queue costs 15,000 won

General entry to the Lotte Town Christmas Market is free. Reserve a free general ticket through the Lotte Department Store online mall or Naver Reservation, then queue at the gate. The FastPass lets you walk straight in for 15,000 won and comes with two 5,000-won vouchers to spend inside. Last year, entry after 4 p.m. cost 5,000 won and the FastPass 10,000 won (BusinessPost).

The market runs for 46 days, November 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027, on the outdoor lawn of World Park next to Lotte World Mall, daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Take the subway to Jamsil Station on Lines 2 and 8. This year’s theme is a 19th-century English Christmas market. About half of its 40-odd stalls sell food and drink. From 6 p.m., on every hour, the market lights go dark and a light show spreads up the wall of Lotte World Mall. Last year’s market drew 450,000 visitors.

Tickets are released in three rounds:

Shinsegae’s holiday market and the Gwanghwamun market

Shinsegae’s Holiday Market, now in its third year, runs at two Seoul stores: the Gangnam store’s basement level from October 30 to December 28, and the main store in Myeongdong from November 24 to December 31. It sells ornaments, gifts and Shinsegae-only products. The Gangnam store adds tarot readings until November 25 and caricature drawing from November 26.

The city-run Christmas market on Gwanghwamun Square has no dates yet. As of November 10, Seoul’s official festival listing says only “December”. In 2025 it ran December 12 to 31, daily 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., and until midnight on December 31. It is modeled on European Christmas markets, with stalls from small local businesses, photo spots and hands-on activities. The nearest station is Gwanghwamun on Line 5.

Sources

• Shinsegae Square video and holiday market: Aju Business Daily, Nov 5, 2026 (Korean)
• Lotte main store display: Newspim, Oct 30, 2026, Hankyung, Oct 31, 2026 (Korean)
• Lotte Town Light, last year’s booking and visitor figures: ZDNet Korea, Oct 26, 2026 (Korean)
• H Village hours and booking: The Hyundai official notice, Hankyung, Nov 5, 2026 (Korean)
• Lotte Town Christmas Market: Asia Business Daily, Nov 8, 2026, Etoday, Nov 8, 2026, BusinessPost, Nov 8, 2026 (Korean)
• Gwanghwamun Market: Seoul festival listing (Fun Seoul), checked Nov 10, 2026; Seoul Media Hub, Dec 15, 2025 (Korean)