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 |