KCON just announced that it’s expanding to the East Coast!
The music festival, one of the largest celebrations of K-pop in the Western Hemisphere, will be headed to the tri-state area, taking up residence at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for a one-day convention on August 8. This year, the Los Angeles leg of the festival will take place from July 31 to August 2 at the Staples Center.
Launched in 2012 in Los Angeles, KCON was co-founded by CJ E&M, a South Korean entertainment and media company, and Koreaboo, an English-language news site focused on Korean entertainment news. Last year’s KCON in Los Angeles drew more than 40,000 attendees.
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| G-Dragon (Photo source: EW via CJ E&M) |
In addition to performances from the hottest K-pop stars, the well-attended convention also includes activities such as panels, food trucks, contests and merchandising booths.
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(Photo source: KCON Japan) |
KCON also recently launched an international presence with its first overseas concert in Saitama, Japan, on April 22. Fans were able to see performances from GOT7, Jun. K from 2PM, INFINITE, SISTAR and Block B, among others.
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Girls’ Generation (Photo source: Billboard via CJ E&M) |
While the lineup for this year’s conference in both Los Angeles and the New York area haven’t been announced yet, past guests have included popular K-pop artists EXO, Girls’ Generation, G-Dragon, CNBLUE, f(x) and 4Minute.
Ticket sales and artist announcements will be forthcoming so be sure to stay tuned to KCON’s website and Facebook page.
For fans who aren’t able to get to LA or NYC, there are K-pop conventions in Miami, Florida, and Toronto, Canada, as well!
To see what KCON is all about, catch KCON 2014 on Viki!
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, Rolling Stone, KCON, KCON Japan