On Oct. 17-18, K-pop fans made their way to Los Angeles State Historic Park for 82WORLD: LA, music label hello82’s first two-day outdoor music festival. Live performances unfolded alongside interactive games and fan activities, bringing artists and audiences together beyond traditional concert stages.
The two days followed different formats. Saturday brought together emerging girl groups and boy groups, with P1Harmony headlining the night. Sunday was dedicated to ATEEZ through TINY ISLAND, a day of activities and performances centered on the group and its fans, known as ATINY.
Girl groups opened Saturday’s main performances. Jia and Bay of fiveALIVE took the stage in matching pink leopard-print miniskirts to perform “Bad Ideas,” followed by cosmosy and GIRLSET. GIRLSET also performed its unreleased song “Young & Dumb.”
As the sun began to set over the park, 8TURN kicked off the boy group performances, with flame effects and stage fireworks accompanying its set. Stage lighting became more prominent against the darkening sky as AMPERS&ONE, xikers and Japanese boy group BE:FIRST followed.
AMPERSE&ONE opened its set with “GOD,” pairing energetic choreography with a traditional ink-wash-style bamboo backdrop. The group later shifted to a brighter, more playful sound with “Sweet & Sour.”
Cover performances were a prominent part of the day, with most of the newer groups putting their own touches on familiar songs. AMPERS&ONE changed into school uniforms with a rebellious edge for a performance of BTS’ “Boy In Luv,” while xikers covered NCT 127’s “2 Baddies.” xikers also incorporated the viral ballet-inspired backbend from “Ain’t in LA” into its performance of “BREATHE.”
“The performances and the covers. I wasn’t expecting NCT 127 from xikers,” said attendee Kelly Vasquez, who was attending her first music festival.
The lineup also introduced audiences to artists they had not previously followed.
Alejandra Diaz, who attended the festival on her birthday, said cosmosy was among the groups that caught her attention.
“I was not familiar with [cosmosy’s] music, and I really, really enjoyed it,” Diaz said.
Fan interaction extended beyond the music. At the Play82 Stage, groups took part in “This or That” games, giving fans opportunities to see the artists up close and interact with them. During the main stage performances, all of the boy groups, except BE:FIRST, also stepped down towards the front rows to interact directly with the fans.
Attendee Kaylee Andrea, who came mainly for P1Harmony and AMPERS&ONE, pointed to the interactive games as one of the festival’s highlights.
P1Harmony closed Saturday’s performances with its first festival headlining set. Diaz, who had previously attended the group’s first U.S. festival appearance, said she wanted to witness another milestone in its career.
During a break between songs, member Yoon Keeho, who goes by the stage name Keeho, also spoke about how far the group had come since its early performances in Los Angeles.
“We started off in a small theater, and the fact that we were able to headline in the same city is honestly something so honoring and something we’re so thankful for,” Keeho said.
He also thanked fans for their continued support and encouraged them to keep believing in their dreams.
“With you guys, we know no matter how big or small the dream is, it’s possible,” he said.
P1Harmony returned for an encore of “ICE(VVS),” bringing Saturday’s performance to a close as fans continued cheering, reluctant to see the night end.
While Saturday was cloudy at times, Sunday brought stronger sunshine and hotter conditions. Staff, hosts and even artists repeatedly reminded fans to stay hydrated, while staff members handed out water.
Sunday’s activities centered on ATEEZ through TINY ISLAND, with interactive sessions leading up to the group’s evening performance.
During the BAD Mega Dance Challenge, Seonghwa, Yunho and Yeosang joined fans in dancing to the group’s hit “BAD,” whose music video had surpassed 100 million views on YouTube shortly before the festival. ATEEZ also performed the song during its concert later that evening, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
At TINY RADIO, Hongjoong and Jongho read and responded to stories and concerns submitted by fans, offering advice and recommending songs in a live radio-style segment.
For fans who attended both days, the different formats came with their own advantages.
“I feel like [the second day] is more relaxed because it’s only just ATEEZ,” Natalie Gallardo said. Vasquez agreed, saying Saturday’s overlapping activities sometimes made it difficult to decide where to go.
However, Gallardo also missed the variety of the first day.
“I think I enjoyed it more when there were a lot of groups involved because there were so many more things to do,” Gallardo said.
For Gallardo, the festival experience went beyond seeing artists perform.
“There were more people that were into certain groups that you also were in, so it was easy to communicate about those certain groups,” Gallardo said.
Across both days, the afternoon heat gave way to cooler evenings. Fans who had spent hours waiting grew more animated as the artists they had been waiting to see took the stage one by one, greeting each act with cheers and screams.
Vasquez said the long hours did little to diminish her excitement. She described her first festival experience as “magical” and said she still had energy after two days of performances and activities.
“Whether my body’s tired or not, my mind’s not tired,” Vasquez said.
Gallardo also acknowledged hello82’s efforts in organizing its first festival, though she hoped future editions would feature more artists and activities.
“There are some things that they need to change for sure, but I really hope to see more groups involved in the festival,” she said.
Edited by Justin Ha