K-pop generations collide, connect at 2026 Weverse Con Festival

Boy band Cortis sent fans shouting “Go, go, go!” across KSPO Dome in a rush of rookie adrenaline, while Japanese girl group Cutie Street bounced across the stage in frilly skirts as festivalgoers cheered from the grass in the soft June air on Sunday.

Together, the two scenes captured what the 2026 Weverse Con Festival has become — a live showcase of how far K-pop powerhouse HYBE, as well as its fan platform operator Weverse, has expanded its scope.

The 2026 Weverse Con Festival took place at KSPO Dome and Olympic Park’s 88 Lawn Field on Saturday and Sunday, drawing a combined 34,000 festivalgoers and online viewers through Weverse’s livestream.

Hosted by HYBE, the festival first began as a New Year’s Eve concert in 2021 before expanding into a hybrid concert in 2022 and, in 2023, into the Weverse Con Festival. It has since grown into a multi-artist event featuring not only HYBE acts and artists with fan communities on Weverse, but also performers beyond the platform’s original K-pop base.

This year, 30 acts from K-pop and J-pop performed over the two-day run on both the outdoor stage at the 88 Lawn Field and the KSPO Dome. The festival’s annual tribute stage — which has honored legendary K-pop artists every year such as JYP founder Park Jin-young in 2024 and singer BoA last year — was dedicated this time to singer Rain, the male vocalist who debuted in 1998 and became the first K-pop soloist to successfully complete a world tour spanning 12 countries.

On Sunday, the festival opened at 2 p.m. on the outdoor stage, where festivalgoers — some with their families — were scattered across the lawn, with food booths, photo zones and experience zones lined up behind them.

Japanese girl group Cutie Street brought its signature bubbliness to the stage immediately, appearing in instantly recognizable frilly dresses and oversized bows, with each member representing a different color.

Cutie Street’s agency, Asobisystem, has been working with Weverse for its global ventures, with its idol production project Kawaii Lab., whose acts, including Cutie Street, have opened fan communities on the platform. Weverse Japan partnered with the Japanese production company to help broaden its international reach. Following the partnership, Cutie Street appeared on Korean music program “M Countdown” (2004–) in March, drawing more than 10 million views and going viral online.

“We’re so grateful for the immense love that Korean fans have shown us,” said Miyu Umeda, the member “responsible for the color light blue,” wearing a light blue dotted dress and matching bow.

The lineup continued with aoen, a Japanese boy band launched by HYBE as part of its localization initiative, followed by Astro member Yoon San-ha, rock band Touched and singer-songwriter Kwon Jin-ah.

The night edition of the outdoor stage began at 6 p.m. with boy band AND2BLE, followed by BTOB’s veteran vocalist Lee Chang-sub, before rapper Zico closed the stage. During Zico’s set, singer Crush and rapper Haon made surprise guest appearances, drawing wild cheers from the crowd.

Meanwhile, another high-octane lineup unfolded at KSPO Dome, right next to the outdoor stage, starting at 6 p.m. The indoor set opened with boy band P1Harmony, making its second appearance at the festival and kicking off the night with a powerful, hip-hop-leaning live set.

Cortis, BigHit Music’s latest rookie boy band, followed with deafening cheers from fans. The five-member act’s chaotic, distinctive musical style immediately set it apart from more traditional K-pop boy bands, as the rookies jumped across the stage and freely drew shouts from the crowd.

Two other HYBE boy bands, TWS and &TEAM, took the stage next, each bringing a different kind of energy despite sharing the broader HYBE umbrella — TWS under Pledis Entertainment and &TEAM under HYBE Japan’s YX Labels.

Girl group Le Sserafim, managed by HYBE’s Source Music, opened its set with the somewhat psychedelic atmosphere of its latest single, “Celebration,” before moving into hits such as “Crazy” (2024) and “Smart” (2024). The group closed its set with “Boompala” and “Spaghetti” (2025).

What stood out throughout the night was the mix of light sticks filling the dome — each fandom bringing a different design, from Le Sserafim’s long stick-shaped light stick to TWS’s rectangular one.

“The appeal of Weverse Con Festival is the mixing of different fandoms, coming together to create one stage,” &TEAM member Maki said onstage, looking out at the sea of light sticks across the dome. “And I really felt that during the performance just now.”

Following a powerful, vocal-heavy performance by veteran singer Kim Jae-joong, Rain’s tribute stage began with cover performances by boy bands aoen and &TEAM.

Rain then took the stage with some of his biggest hits, including “Gang” (2017) and “It’s Raining” (2004), during which water poured from above the stage to match the mood. He followed with the addictive banger “Hip Song” (2010).

Tomorrow X Together member Soobin then did his own versions of Rain’s “How to Run from the Sun” (2003) and “Bad Guy” (2002), before joining Rain for a joint performance in tuxedos.

“Please continue to show love to K-pop,” said Rain by the end of his set. “It’s such an honor that I am part of the genre.”

The night ended with veteran boy band Highlight, also known as Beast, performing some of its biggest hits, including “On Rainy Days” (2011), where the water fell down on stage once again, leaning into its vocal prowess the boy band has been most well known for since its debut in 2009.

“Weverse Con Festival will continue to serve as a festival that brings together all the artists leading the pop music scene while also paying tribute to the history and value of pop culture,” said Weverse Company in a release.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email protected]]