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| Photo Cr. Courtesy of CJ ENM. |
KCON LA 2025 was the place to be this summer.
The convention changes slightly every year so no matter how many times you go, you’ll have a different experience each time. The halls of KCON LA 2025 were filled with familiar influencer faces - from dancers to chefs. As you glance around you see fans trading photo cards, filming content or just sitting and talking with one another. The festival grounds area was buzzing with a plethora of activities and booths, each meticulously set up.
The first attraction you see when you walk into the Festival Grounds is the Olive Young booth, a grand green castle theme with staff dressed to impress. It was by far the biggest booth at the convention. As you walk further into the festival grounds, several other colorful booths are set up and running. From red carpet sets to stages - all were there. There were far more sets solely for photos and videos this time than last year so fans could further store their moments to look at later.
If you were at the right place at the right time, you might have been able to see groups such as P1Harmony, Riize, Izna and more walk around the convention to experience the booths. At the X Stage, just a couple feet away, idols were doing small performances, Q&A’s and more. And just another couple feet away from that, fans were getting ready to Meet&Greet their favorite idols. There was truly never a dull moment.
Right outside the double doors of the festival grounds was the Busking stage. There, you could find up-and-coming groups like 82Major, NEWBEAT, ifeye, Full Circle Boys, etc., who were eager to engage with fan questions and interactions. Prominent choreographers, Brian Puspos and Keone Madrid plus K-Pop back-up dancer Aaliyah also took the stage to share their experience and advice within their field.
All three concert days were filled with top-tier talent. The KCON MCountdown stage lineup consisted of world-class acts such as NCT127, Shinee’s KEY, Aespa, i-dle, Riize, SEVENTEEN’s Hoshi and Woozi, plus many, many more.
Being in the stands during Dream Stage gave me a burst of nostalgia. I performed on that same stage with Enhypen at KCON LA 2024, so I know what the Dreamers had to go through to make it on that stage. NCT 127, Monsta X and HxW were the Dream Stage idols this year and with several friends who made it onto the stage, I felt a huge sense of joy and pride while watching.
Stay tuned to KpopWise for more exclusive KCON LA 2025 coverage and memories coming soon!