Is 2016 the year that KCON will be heading to your backyard? Probably not, but K-pop’s biggest festival is heading to more places in 2016 than ever before.
This year, KCON will be larger and more far-reaching than ever, with at least one new region getting a festival this year, with the possibility of more locals getting their own localized version.
Last month, the organizers of KCON announced that the world’s first and largest Korean pop culture event will be heading to the Middle East for the first time. The news follows last year’s expansion to Japan, Korea, and the East Coast of United States, and KCON is only getting bigger.
KCON will head to the United Arab Emirates in March, offering up a one day festival to Middle Eastern fans on March 25 in Abu Dhabi.
After only a slew of K-pop concert tours previously headed to any Middle Eastern country, the move looks to capitalize on the popularity of Korean pop culture in the subcontinent. Over the past few years, K-pop has become more and more popular in the Middle East and Korean dramas have been widely popular and air on television in dubbed and subtitled versions.
"Considering it's our first time in the Middle East, an emerging market, we'll try to take into account the area's heritage, culture and industries at the upcoming KCON," CJ E&M said, according to Yonhap.
The UAE stop is the first time that KCON is going to a locale outside of the United States or Asia. KCON was founded in California in 2016. Last year, the festival expanded to an East Coast show held in Newark, New Jersey, and also brought the event to Japan and Korea’s Jeju Island.
Following the March 25 KCON in Abu Dhabi, KCON heads to Japan’s largest convention center at Makuhari Messe for a two-day event in April on the 9th and 10th. The dates and locations for additional KCON events in 2016 have yet to be announced.
KCON is run by CJ E&M, the entertainment branch of Korea’s CJ conglomerate.
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Tamar Herman is a multi-media journalist and the co-founder of KultScene. She is a freelance writer and copy editor, and has written for MTV Iggy, Noisey and Paste Magazine.
