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CJ ENM Announces Dates For This Year’s In-Person KCON in Addition to New Kick-Off Event ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ to Celebrate 10 Year Anniversary

3월. 17. 2022

Leading entertainment company CJ ENM announced that KCON, the world’s No. 1 K-culture festival, will finally meet fans offline as it will return in-person to the U.S. and Japan. CJ ENM also revealed a new KCON kick-off event titled ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ that will be hosted in May, starting with Seoul, Tokyo, and Chicago. These will be the first in-person events since 2019 and mark the ten-year anniversary of KCON’s first ever event in 2012 in Irvine, California. 

This year, fans will be able to experience an upgraded version of KCON, packed with new content reflecting the trends of Gen Z fans and programs tailored for local fans on top of original fan favorite programming and panels unique to KCON. As one of the first adopters of the virtual concert experience, KCON will bring back its signature digital content from ‘KCON:TACT’ for fans who cannot participate in person.

Fans should expect a return to the massive celebration they have experienced in the past with performances from the biggest acts to groups that have never before taken the KCON stage. More from the lineup and program will be revealed.

KCON will kick off with ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’, which will take place in Seoul(at the CJ ENM center) on May 7-8, Tokyo(at Makuhari Messe) on May 14-15, and for the first time in Chicago(at Rosemont Theatre) on May 20-21. The festivities will continue throughout the year; KCON LA will take place August 19-21, followed by KCON JAPAN in October.

“With the return of KCON, fans will once again be able to interact with their favorite artists and influencers, as well as the rest of the K-pop fan community. The team here is buzzing with excitement as we prepare to create an event worthy of celebrating a decade of unforgettable KCON moments. K-pop has evolved so much since our first KCON in 2012 and CJ ENM is proud to have been part of the rise and the journey,” said Don Kim, General Manager of Live Entertainment Business at CJ ENM.

First held in 2012 in the U.S., KCON played an instrumental role in spreading K-culture, amassing 1.1 million fans across 9 cities/regions including North America, Europe, Asia, etc. From its first event in 2012 that attracted 10,000 visitors, KCON has seen an incredible growth gathering 291K visitors in 2019 (the last in-person event) which is 29 times its inaugural year audience. During the pandemic, its digital redition, 'KCON:TACT', met more than 22.45 million K-pop fans in the last two years, pushing the event's boundaries even further as a virtual festival that enables fans to enjoy K-culture anywhere, anytime. 

For more information on the latest KCON news and an FAQ, fans can visit www.kconusa.com and follow @KCONUSA on Twitter and Instagram, where more information will be rolled out.

 

 

[Appendix: History of KCON]

Year

Region

Date

Venue

Audience

2012

Irvine, U.S.

10/13

Verizon Amphitheatre

10,000

2013

LA, U.S.

8/24~8/25

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

20,000

2014

LA, U.S.

8/9~8/10

Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

43,000

2015

Tokyo, Japan

4/22

Saitama Super Arena

15,000

LA, U.S.

7/31~8/2

Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center

75,000

New York, U.S.

8/8

Prudential Center

17,000

2016

Abu Dhabi, UAE

3/25

du Arena

8,000

Tokyo, Japan

4/9~4/10

Makuhari Messe

33,000

Paris, France

6/2

AccorHotels Arena

13,500

New York, U.S.

6/24~6/25

Prudential Center

42,000

LA, U.S.

7/29~7/31

Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center

76,000

2017

Mexico City, Mexico

3/17~3/18

Mexico City Arena

33,000

Tokyo, Japan

5/29~5/31

Makuhari Messe

48,500

New York, U.S.

6/23~6/24

Prudential Center

43,000

LA, U.S.

8/18~8/20

Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center

85,000

Sydney, Australia

9/22~9/23

Qudos Bank Arena

21,000

2018

Tokyo, Japan

4/13~4/15

Makuhari Messe

68,000

New York, U.S.

6/23~6/24

Prudential Center

53,000

LA, U.S.

8/10~8/12

Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center

94,000

Bangkok, Thailand

9/29~9/30

IMPACT Arena

42,000

2019

Tokyo, Japan

5/17~5/19

Makuhari Messe

88,000

New York, U.S.

7/6~7/7

Madison Square Garden, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

55,000

LA, U.S.

8/15~8/18

Los Angeles Convention Center, Staples Center

103,000

Bangkok, Thailand

9/28~9/29

IMPACT Arena

45,000

2020

KCON:TACT 2020 SUMMER

6/20~6/26 

Virtual

4.05M

KCON:TACT season 2

10/16~10/25

Virtual

4.4M

2021

KCON:TACT3

3/20~3/28

Virtual

4.0M

KCON:TACT 4 U

6/19~6/27

Virtual

5.0M

KCON:TACT HI 5 

9/18~9/26

Virtual

5.0M