This article is by Woo Ji-won and read by an artificial voice.



Christmas is coming early this year in Jamsil, Songpa District, where the Lotte Town Christmas Market is set to open Thursday.

Now in its third year, the market is back and bigger than ever. Spanning 2,645 square meters (28,471 square feet), it features 51 booths - nine more booths than last year - and an expanded signature carousel that now includes a second floor.

"It took almost a year to plan this year's market," said Jang Hye-bin, team leader at Lotte Department Store's Signature Event Team. For this year's edition, the layout was reconfigured to offer a panoramic view of the venue, with the massive 13-meter-tall (42.7-foot-tall) Christmas tree, carousel and large dining tent all visible at once. The design is meant to feel as if visitors are stepping into another world - "almost like arriving at a theme park," Jang said.





One of the main events invites visitors to write wishes or messages on postcards and hang them on a display wall. Almost 100,000 people took part last year and for this year, the event is linked to a writing contest in partnership with a publishing house, offering cash prizes for first through third place.

A total of 46 brands are participating this year, six more than in 2023. Among the newcomers are Olive Young Delight and Lotte Wellfood's Ghana Chocolate House.

Sixteen specially curated Christmas gift shops line the market, offering a wide variety of holiday goods. These include Wooderful Life, known for wooden music boxes; Pinca, which specializes tableware and homewear; and Present Moment, a Christmas-focused shop from Mangwon-dong.





Only the November sessions have been released in the first round of ticketing so far. Fast Pass tickets - which include free mulled wine and a coupon - for the weekends sold out within 10 minutes on Nov. 10. General admission is free before 4 p.m., but all weekend free-entry slots have also sold out. Nighttime tickets, priced at 5,000 won, are available on Naver.

The second and third rounds of advance reservations will open on Friday and Dec. 8, respectively. Round two tickets are valid from Dec. 1 to 18, while round three tickets cover Dec. 19 to the final day on Jan. 4.