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Lotte Department Store Christmas 2026: 7 Daily Heart Shows

Checked against 9 Korean sources on Oct 31, 2026 Published: Oct 30, 2026

The short answer: in Myeongdong after dark, be at the tree at half past the hour

Lotte Department Store Main Branch (롯데백화점 본점) sits in Myeongdong (명동), and its 2026 Christmas display, "LOTTE TOWN DREAM LIGHT GARDEN," switched on on Friday, October 30.

If you're staying in Myeongdong or walking the area for dinner, it's an easy stop. For the moving heart show, be at the tree at half past any hour from 5:30 to 10:30 PM. To also see the media tunnel at the main entrance, get there by 8 PM on weekdays or 8:30 PM Friday to Sunday.

For foreign visitors: the passport-only Lotte Tourist Membership Card

Lotte Department Store has a membership card only foreign tourists can get: the Lotte Tourist Membership Card (롯데 투어리스트 멤버십 카드). It launched at the main branch in December 2025, and you can get one on the spot with your passport. It takes 5% off department store purchases and also works as a transit card.

Since October 12, 2026, it's in "Season 2," linked with the Check-in Seoul (체크인서울) card. The main branch has 6 self-service kiosks on B1, 1F, 9F and other floors where you can get the card, top it up and get a refund yourself.

• Lotte Department Store: 5% off, plus a 10% reward through Check-in Seoul on purchases of ₩100,000 or more (conditions apply)
• Lotte Duty Free (롯데면세점): 10% off
• Lotte Mart (롯데마트): 7% off
• Lotte World (롯데월드) and the Lotte World Tower (롯데월드타워) observatory: 20% off
• About 70 partners in total, including hanbok rental shops and D MUSEUM (디뮤지엄)

A concierge lounge for foreign visitors, with tourist and shopping help, is set to open on 1F of the main branch in late November. Pick up and top up the card while you're there for the tree, and you can tap straight onto the subway to your next stop.

5 spots to see, and the order that works

There's no set route, so you can start from the tree or the garden. The one thing to plan around is the media tunnel at the main entrance: it's inside the store, so see it first while the doors are open.

1. The facade: 20,000 bulbs and a 100 m street of light

About 20,000 bulbs cover the outside of the building, and the roughly 100 m stretch from Euljiro 1-ga Station to the main building and Avenuel (에비뉴엘) is lit up as a street of light.

2. Charlotte Garden of Light: the fountain and gardener Tonttu

The Charlotte Garden of Light (샤롯데 빛의 정원) is built around a round three-tier fountain, with clipped round shrubs, small trees and star decorations. Tonttu (똔뚜), the fairy who has fronted Lotte's Christmas since 2020, shows up all over the garden this year dressed as a gardener. There are smaller photo spots on both sides of the fountain, not just in front.

3. Lighting Journey: the media tunnel that closes with the store

"Lighting Journey (라이팅 저니)" fills a space of about 50 pyeong (roughly 165 m²) just inside the main entrance. Media panels cover the ceiling, walls, pillars and doors, and this year's new character, Hey Yeti, moves through scenes of a blue night sky, green arches and gold ornaments. A 4 m Hey Yeti statue stands outside the entrance too.

4. Dream Light Atelier: moving diorama windows

At the "Dream Light Atelier (드림 라이트 아뜰리에)," the show windows along the outside wall hold fairy-tale scenes with Tonttu figures in motion. Step up close to the glass and look at the small details one by one rather than taking it in from across the street.

5. The Heart Light Tree: 7 shows a day

The 15 m tree is hung with red heart lights. At show time, the hearts travel toward the tree, a Christmas song plays once they reach it, and then the hearts move back to where they started.

The 10:30 AM show is in daylight, so the lights really stand out from the 5:30 PM show onward. Crowds build, so get to the tree a few minutes early for a good spot.

Next to the tree is a big Hey Yeti figure. The character is a cute take on the Himalayan yeti: a shy snowman who wakes up in winter to collect people's warm feelings and memories. Look for the white fur and red striped scarf.

Getting there: Euljiro 1-ga Station Exit 7 is closest

The address is 81 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. From Exit 7 of Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2, you can walk straight to the tree. From Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station on Line 4, it's about 7 minutes on foot through the Myeongdong shopping streets.

Traffic in Myeongdong gets heavy in November and December, so the subway is the easier way in.

Coming in December: a big media facade on Young Plaza

A large media facade called "Lotte Town Light (롯데타운 라이트)" is due on the outside wall of the main branch's Young Plaza (영플라자) building in December, so December visitors get one more thing to see next to the tree.

One more Myeongdong stop: the Shinsegae media facade

Many people pair Lotte with the full-wall video show at Shinsegae Department Store Main Branch (신세계백화점 본점). In 2025 it ran from November 7 to January 31, 2026, daily from 5 PM to midnight, alternating a roughly 3-minute film with ads.

It's 2–3 minutes on foot from Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station or Exit 7 of Hoehyeon Station (회현역). The video plays on the wall facing Hoehyeon intersection, and the best view is from the sidewalk across the crosswalk toward Seoul Station (서울역).

Lotte's Christmas market in Jamsil opens November 19

Lotte's other big winter event is the Christmas market at World Park (월드파크), the outdoor lawn at Lotte World Mall (롯데월드몰) in Jamsil (잠실). Signs on site give the dates as Thursday, November 19, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, with a 19th-century England theme. It's 2 minutes on foot from Exit 10 of Jamsil Station (잠실역, Lines 2 and 8).

As of October 31, the 2026 hours, entry fees and booking hadn't been announced. In 2025 it ran 11:30 AM–10 PM, free before 4 PM, then ₩5,000 for entry or ₩10,000 for a fast pass, and the two-story carousel had waits of about an hour on some days.

Eating in Myeongdong tonight? Walk through the entrance media tunnel and grab the card at a kiosk while the store is open, then be at the tree at half past the hour any time from 5:30 PM. That covers this year's Lotte Christmas in one stop.

日本語: ロッテ百貨店クリスマス2026｜ハートショー7回の時間と明洞の回り方