Halloween in Korea 2026: Lotte World's Junji Ito Takeover, Everland's Zombie City, and Where to Go (Safely) on Oct 31

Halloween lands on Saturday, October 31, 2026, and Korea’s two biggest theme parks have been staging their autumn horror seasons since September. The two stories getting the most buzz in Korean media this month are very different: a Junji Ito collaboration at Lotte World that turns body-horror manga into aesthetic drinks and gacha keyrings, and a free, park-wide zombie performance at Everland called Blood City Zero.

If you’re in Korea this week and wondering what to do for Halloween, this guide covers both parks, what’s actually new this year, and the government’s crowd-safety measures for nightlife districts like Hongdae and Seongsu. Details come from Korean press coverage and park announcements as of October 22, 2026, so check official channels for the latest prices and hours before you go.

In this guide:

• Quick Comparison: Lotte World vs. Everland
• Lotte World: The Junji Ito Collection
• Everland: Blood City Zero
• Halloween Night in Seoul: Crowd Rules to Know
• Remembering Itaewon: Look After Yourself and Each Other
• Practical Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Comparison: Lotte World vs. Everland

Lotte World: The Junji Ito Collection

Lotte World Adventure’s autumn festival is built around horror manga artist Junji Ito, best known for Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo. The park announced its collab food and merchandise on October 14, and Korean outlets have been running photos of it since.

What’s on:

• A photo zone on the 3rd floor of Magic Castle themed on Ito’s world, plus a collage-style “Junji Ito Photo Street” behind the castle.
• Collab drinks and desserts that lean into the horror. Press highlights include Tomie’s “Split Injection Ade,” served with syrup in a syringe-shaped container that you squeeze into the drink yourself, and a Souichi sundae, with nail-shaped chocolate on ice cream and chocolate syrup.
• Goods: a random sound keycap keyring in four designs (Tomie, Souichi, the fortune-telling “Beautiful Boy at the Crossroads,” and Oshikiri, who lives in a house linked to another dimension), which makes a noise when you press the keycap. There’s also a Tomie plush keyring and a “Tomie Charm” school bag, and a limited-quantity cookie set.
• The pop-up store runs on the same schedule as the collab, Sept 19 – Nov 15.

Tickets: The collab is included with regular admission. Lotte World’s official price for an adult 1 Day pass is ₩67,000 (₩55,000 for After4 entry from 4 p.m.), and online and card discounts often bring that down. Some Korean blogs mention ticket bundles that include festival goods, but we couldn’t confirm these, so check Lotte World’s official site or app.

Why it’s trending: Korean fans have been treating the collab as a “must-photograph” seasonal stop, and the keycap keyrings follow the same blind-box pattern behind Korea’s gacha shop boom. Expect the popular designs to sell out on weekends.

Everland: Blood City Zero

Everland’s Blood City is the park’s long-running horror zone, and 2026 is its 10th year. This season’s version, Blood City Zero: Hell Gate, is billed as Korea’s first large-scale outdoor immersive horror performance.

How it works:

• You play a member of the “White Z” squad, completing missions while a zombie horde roams the zone. There’s no fixed route, and you can wander between five themed areas in any order: Hell Gate, the Out-of-Control Lab, the Mad Circus, the Blood-Soaked School, and the Platform of Ruin.
• Dozens of actors, including a giant zombie over two meters tall and a “school disciplinarian” zombie, interact with visitors.
• The show runs daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free for park visitors. Completing all the missions earns priority boarding on the Monimo Rush ride.
• There’s also a horror maze that is ticketed separately, with time-slot reservations. One blog puts it around ₩15,000 per person, but that’s a single secondary source, so confirm in the reservation screen.

Who it’s for: Because the performance is free and open-layout, it works for groups where not everyone wants a scream-filled maze. Go in the late afternoon so you can see the park in daylight, then move into Blood City as the zombie show ramps up.

Halloween Night in Seoul: Crowd Rules to Know

Saturday Halloween plus a long weekend of parties means the usual hotspots will be packed. This year the timing is also sensitive: October 29 is the fourth anniversary of the Itaewon crowd crush, and authorities are taking extra precautions.

According to announcements on October 20:

• The Ministry of the Interior and Safety designated October 23 – November 1 as a special crowd-management period.
• 28 areas nationwide are under focused management, including Seoul’s Itaewon, Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, Konkuk University, Gangnam Station, Apgujeong, Myeong-dong, and Ikseon-dong, as well as Busan Seomyeon, Daegu Dongseongno, and Daejeon Dunsan-dong.
• Ministry officials will be stationed on-site at 12 key locations from October 30 to November 1, working with local governments, police, and fire services. Inspections focus on bottlenecks such as entrances, stairways, and alleys.
• The national crowd-disaster alert has been raised to the “Caution” level.

What this means for you:

• Expect police and fire personnel, possible one-way pedestrian flow, and barriers in narrow streets.
• Go early. The peak crowd times in these districts are late evening on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31.
• Note the exits and escape routes when you arrive. If movement slows or you feel pressure from the people around you, leave the crowded area immediately. In an emergency, call 112 (police) or 119 (fire/ambulance).
• If you’d rather avoid crowds entirely, the theme parks above, or a quieter neighborhood, are the lower-risk choice.

Remembering Itaewon: Look After Yourself and Each Other

On the night of October 29, 2022, a crowd crush in a narrow alley in Itaewon claimed 159 lives, many of them young people out celebrating Halloween, including visitors from abroad. It’s why Halloween in Korea now comes with crowd controls, and why many Koreans mark the season quietly. If you pass the alley beside the Hamilton Hotel, you’ll see the “10.29 Memory and Safety Path” (10.29 기억과 안전의 길). Please be respectful there.

Celebrating is fine. Just keep your own safety, and the people around you, in mind:

• Trust your instincts. If a street feels too packed, don’t push in. No party or photo is worth it. Turn back, take another route, or come back later.
• Watch for warning signs. You can’t move freely, you’re being carried along by the crowd, or you feel pressure on your chest. These mean it’s time to get out.
• Move sideways, not forward. Head diagonally toward the edge of the crowd, a wider street, or an open space instead of pushing against the flow.
• Protect your breathing space. If you’re caught in a dense crowd, fold your arms in front of your chest, keep your feet apart, and stay upright.
• If you fall, get up as quickly as you can. If you can’t, curl onto your side and protect your head and chest with your arms.
• Don’t push, and speak up. Shout “stop” or “back” (mireoji maseyo, 밀지 마세요, means “don’t push”) so people behind you know there’s a problem.
• Help the people around you. If someone falls or looks unwell, call for help and get staff or police involved right away.
• Stay together and stay sober enough to judge. Agree on a meeting point before you go in, in case your group gets split up.

Numbers to save: 112 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance), and the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline for help in English and other languages.

Practical Tips

• Book ahead. Weekend tickets for both parks move fast. Check the official Lotte World and Everland pages or apps, and note that Everland’s horror maze uses time-slot reservations.
• Costumes: Theme parks typically have rules about what you can wear, including face coverings, props, and weapons. Check the park’s guidelines before you buy a costume.
• Use the weekdays. If you can visit before the weekend, queues for the collab goods and photo zones are much shorter.
• Dress warm. Both events run into the evening, and late-October nights in Korea are cold.
• Plan for transport. Lotte World is directly connected to Jamsil Station (Line 2 and Line 8). Everland is best reached via direct bus from Gangnam.

For more seasonal ideas, see our guide to the best amusement parks in Korea and the roundup of what Korea is into right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Halloween in Korea in 2026? October 31, 2026, a Saturday. The big nightlife crowds are expected on Friday night, October 30, and Saturday night.

Is Lotte World’s Junji Ito event running through Halloween? Yes. The Junji Ito collaboration content and pop-up run from September 19 to November 15, 2026.

Is Everland’s Blood City Zero free? The immersive zombie performance is free with a park ticket and runs daily from 4 to 9 p.m. until November 22. The separate horror maze is a paid, reserved attraction.

Is it safe to go to Itaewon or Hongdae on Halloween? The government has designated 28 areas for intensive crowd management from October 23 to November 1, with officials on-site at the busiest locations. Still, these areas get very crowded. Go early, know your exits, and leave if the crowd becomes dense.

Can tourists join the Halloween events? Yes. Both theme parks accept foreign visitors, and tickets can be bought through their official sites or apps. Always verify the latest hours and prices before you go.

Whether you want a syringe-served Tomie ade in Jamsil or a zombie chase through Everland, Korea’s theme parks make Halloween easier to enjoy than the packed streets of Hongdae. Choose a park, book early, and stay aware of the crowds if you head to the city’s nightlife districts.