K-pop star-studded Weverse Con Festival draws largest crowd since its launch

HYBE's annual K-pop music festival, Weverse Con Festival, attracted 34,000 online and offline spectators in its two-day run over the weekend, the K-pop powerhouse said on Monday.

This year's edition, the fourth of its kind, drew the largest crowd since its launch in 2023.

A total of 30 artists and groups participated in the festival, which took place at the indoor KSPO Dome and the outdoor 88 Lawn Field at Olympic Park in southern Seoul. The performances were livestreamed via Weverse, the HYBE-operated fan platform. 

Girl groups Le Sserafim and ILLIT and boy bands BoyNextDoor and Cortis were among the performers, along with headlining rock band Lucy and boy band Enhypen for Saturday and singer-songwriter Kwon Jin-ah and singer Zico for Sunday. Japanese girl group Cutie Street and virtual idol group Plave also participated in the festival.

Singer Rain, who was named a Tribute Artist — an acknowledgement given to pioneers of the Korean music industry — performed on both days, collaborating with younger K-pop artists, including Soobin of boy band Tomorrow X Together.

This year's Weverse Con Festival also featured a variety of activities and food-and-beverage booths to amplify its urban picnic-like experience. 

While HYBE organizes the festival, artists from labels outside the company can also perform, as long as they are registered on Weverse. 

"This year's festival offered a multifaceted musical experience to both domestic and international music fans through the largest lineup with evolved performances and stage compositions that transcend generations and genres," HYBE said in a press release. "The festival aims to raise the profile of K-pop around the world and become a global music festival."

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]