Lotte World Halloween: Junji Ito's Strange World Comes to Seoul
Lotte World Halloween runs from September 19 to November 15, 2026, under the theme "An Invitation to a Strange World," a collaboration with the Junji Ito Collection that fills Magic Island with Tomie and Souichi installations while the indoor Adventure hall hosts a horror party, daily shows and the 8:20 p.m. Dark Fantasy Festival parade. Because most of the program sits under the glass dome, it is the Seoul theme-park Halloween that still works on a cold or rainy night.
Lotte World Halloween at a Glance
Every autumn Lotte World Adventure in Jamsil trades its storybook mood for something stranger, and this year the park has handed the keys to one of horror manga's most recognizable names. The season is called "An Invitation to a Strange World," and the official festival page lists it from September 19 to November 15, 2026. The indoor hall got a head start: its Mystery Party Zone, a shadowy-castle banquet where suspicious guests gather, opened a week earlier on September 12, which is why you may have seen both dates quoted.
It helps to picture the park as two halves. Adventure is the enormous indoor hall under a glass dome, with rides, shops and a parade route stacked around an ice rink on the lower level. Magic Island is the outdoor castle island on Seokchon Lake, reached by a walkway from the main building. The Junji Ito collaboration lives mostly on Magic Island; the horror party, the stage shows and the night parade live indoors. Read the season that way and the schedule makes sense quickly.
If you are weighing it against other ways to spend October 31 in the city, our guide to Halloween in Seoul covers the neighborhoods and the wider season. And if you want a full outdoor horror night instead, Everland's Blood City is the bigger, louder alternative an hour south of Seoul. Lotte World's appeal is different: it is in the middle of the city, mostly indoors, and this year it has a very specific story to tell.
Junji Ito on Magic Island: Tomie, Souichi and the Horror Castle
Lotte World describes this as the first time the Junji Ito Collection has been built out at full scale inside a theme park, and the outdoor island carries most of it. The tone is less about jump scares than about the unsettling elegance Ito's fans know from the page: beautiful faces that should not be there, a mischievous boy whose pranks bend reality, everyday rooms that feel slightly wrong.
The route begins at the Magic Island entrance with "Souichi's Twisted Illusion," a warped space conjured by Ito's nail-chewing troublemaker. The main bridge becomes "Tomie's Bridge of Temptation," dressed in full-bloom roses for the character whose beauty drives everyone around her to obsession. On the third floor of Magic Castle, the Junji Ito Horror Castle opens three themed rooms: Tomie's room, styled as a painter's studio, Souichi's room and a room for the snail girl. Behind the castle, a photo street gathers the collection's characters in one place for pictures.
Tomie herself appears on the castle's third floor in a short performance called "A Strange Encounter," at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. on weekdays and 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. on weekends and public holidays. She performs rather than interacts, so this is something to watch, not a meet-and-greet, and because Magic Island is outdoors the show is cancelled in rain or bad weather. If Tomie is the reason you are going, check the forecast and plan an evening with a dry sky.
The Indoor Horror Party: Lotte World Halloween Under the Dome
The indoor side is why Lotte World Halloween is such a reliable plan in a Seoul autumn. Late October can swing from crisp sunshine to cold rain in a day, and nearly everything in Adventure carries on regardless. On the first floor, the Mystery Gate at The Light of the Heart marks the doorway into the strange world, and the Meeting Plaza turns into the "Strange Horror Party," a mysterious castle where uninvited guests drift in one by one. Hidden missions are scattered across the floor, and their clues all lead to a single place, which makes for a good scavenger hunt between rides.
The stage program fills the afternoon. "Dracula's Love" plays the Garden Stage daily at 5 p.m., and "Trick or Tarot" takes over the Meeting Plaza at 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Limited-edition badges are also hidden around the strange-world zones for anyone who likes to collect.
The collaboration reaches the shops and snack carts too. The festival menu includes a Souichi chocolate sundae and a run of blood-red and violet drinks named after Ito stories, while the merchandise line covers Tomie hooded blankets, T-shirts, plush keyrings and pouch bags. Lotte World notes that sale dates differ by item and popular pieces can sell out early, so if there is something you specifically want, buy it when you see it rather than at closing.
After 6 p.m.: Nightmares and the Night Parade
The park changes character once evening sets in. From 6 to 9 p.m. daily, Fantasy Dream on Magic Island becomes "A Strange Nightmare": a mysterious clown appears, the lights drop and the ride takes on a much eerier mood. It is open to guests aged 13 to 64 only, a clear signal that this is the most intense piece of the season.
The headline event is the new "Dark Fantasy Festival," a sub-parade that runs along the first-floor indoor parade route every night at 8:20 p.m. Its story follows people who stumble into another Lotte World and get caught up by creatures they cannot identify, and it plays out as a chilling dance party rather than a march of floats. Arrive a little early and claim a spot along the route; because it is indoors, it runs regardless of the weather. Over on Magic Island, Maple Island joins in with monsters in seasonal form and a hidden zombie mushroom to spot.
Step outside after the parade and Seokchon Lake is lit up around you, with Lotte World Tower rising over the water. If you still have energy, a slow loop of the lakeside path is a calm way to come down from the evening.
Tickets, Timing and Getting to Jamsil
Lotte World sits directly above Jamsil Station on subway Lines 2 and 8, with an underground connection into the building, so getting there is easy from almost anywhere in Seoul. Operating hours vary by day, with later closings on some weekend nights, so check the official operating calendar for your date rather than assuming a fixed time.
For a Halloween-focused visit, the After4 ticket is worth knowing about. It allows entry from 4 p.m. and lines up neatly with the season's best hours: the afternoon stage shows, Tomie's first appearance at 6, the Fantasy Dream nightmare and the 8:20 parade. On the official site, an adult Park Pass is listed at 64,000 won for a full day and 52,000 won for After4; authorized online sellers often offer lower prices, so compare before you buy. Weekdays are noticeably calmer than weekends, and since October 31 falls on a Saturday this year, expect that weekend to be the busiest of the season.
Costumes are part of the fun at Lotte World in autumn, but keep them ride-friendly. Hats, headbands and loose props can come off on attractions, and anything that fully covers the face may be restricted, so check the park's current guest guidelines before you plan an elaborate look.
Sol's Note
Go after dark if you can only go once. The rose-covered bridge built for Tomie is a pretty photo spot in the afternoon and far more in the spirit of Junji Ito once the lights come on, which is the point of the season.
If you are going in costume makeup, give yourself a time limit. Six or seven hours under stage lighting is a long shift, so pack a cleansing oil or balm and take it off before bed rather than reaching for wipes. Check the event dates before you book; seasonal overlays run on their own calendar.
