From Aug. 14 to 16, thousands of fans lined up outside the Los Angeles Convention Center before KCON LA, the largest Korean culture convention in the world, opened its doors each day. Inside, K-pop performances unfolded alongside fan events, beauty booths, Korean food and idol auditions.
Across three days, KCON unfolded across the convention center and nearby Crypto.com Arena, moving from daytime stages and exhibitions to nighttime concerts. The event’s multimedia offerings highlighted music as an entry point into a broader range of Korean cultural experiences, including beauty, food and lifestyle.
The convention also offered a snapshot of the K-pop industry’s expansion as established stars, newer groups and aspiring performers shared the same space.
That range was visible across KCON’s daytime stages. The ARTIST STAGE featured more recognizable acts such as ILLIT, &TEAM and MEOVV, while the smaller Toyota Music Den gave newer artists a chance to introduce themselves.
At the Music Den, artists performed their own songs, joined hosts for interviews and covered familiar K-pop tracks. On the smaller stage, their effort was especially visible: performers sang and danced only feet away from the crowd.
“I still like hearing all the other artists, especially some of the new-gen groups that are debuting,” said attendee Aspen Keller, who came to KCON mainly to see &TEAM. KEYVITUP was among the groups that caught her attention at the convention.
Keller said she would continue to listen to the group after KCON.
The connection continued beyond the stage. Some artists also appeared at convention booths for brief, close-up interactions with fans.
“I had seen them up close before, but seeing them at the small booth was still a little surprising and exciting,” said attendee Kay Chen, who came mainly for KEYVITUP. “I think a small booth is a really good way to promote them.”
The nighttime M COUNTDOWN concerts placed different generations of K-pop side by side. Wanna One’s reunion drew cheers and tears from longtime fans as the group returned to fan favorites including debut single, “Energetic,” while newer group ALPHA DRIVE ONE’s performance of BTS’ “FAKE LOVE” prompted a large singalong from the crowd.
Japanese group &TEAM and Latin group SANTOS BRAVOS also shared a special stage featuring BTS’ “2.0” and “Permission to Dance,” highlighting the increasingly international mix of artists appearing under the K-pop umbrella.
Music wasn’t the only part of Korean culture KCON presented. The Olive Young exhibition transformed part of the convention floor into a stylized version of Seoul, complete with street signs, intersections and Korean place names. Other details across the festival borrowed from everyday Korean culture, including stage announcements modeled after Seoul subway arrivals.
Beauty brands used the large K-pop audience to introduce themselves through games and giveaways. Activities ranged from darts and small challenges to games using chopsticks to pick up balls, with visitors receiving samples for participating.
Beauty booths wove interaction, product trial, brand concepts and key ingredients into their visual design, using KCON’s heavy foot traffic to introduce both the products and the ideas behind them to consumers in the U.S. market.
Korean food was presented in a similar way. Alongside stalls selling street-food favorites, programming such as chef Edward Lee’s “POCHA TALK” with boy group ZEROBASEONE’s Seok Matthew, mixed food, humor and idol culture, turning Korean cuisine into entertainment for many of the same fans who had come for music.
Throughout M COUNTDOWN, hosts and artists repeatedly called out “KCON 놀자” — roughly, “Let’s play at KCON.”
At the end of each night, streamers rained down across Crypto.com Arena. Some fans kept waving toward the artists onstage, while others stretched their arms into the air, trying to catch the ribbons drifting over the crowd. The artists spread out around the stage to wave goodbye, lingering even after the final song had ended.
KCON 2027 is set to be hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena on Aug. 13 to 15 of next year.
Edited by Justin Ha