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40th Golden Disc Awards to pack Taipei Dome in January

Published: 18 Jul. 2025, 14:44

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Girl group aespa delivers its acceptance speech at the 39th Golden Disc Awards, which took place on Jan. 4 and 5 at the Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka, Japan. [GOLDEN DISC AWARDS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE]

The 40th Golden Disc Awards will take place on Jan. 10, 2026, at the Taipei Dome in Taiwan, organizers announced Friday.

The upcoming ceremony marks a milestone year for the annual music awards show, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in one of Taipei’s most iconic venues. With a capacity of 40,000, the Taipei Dome is the city’s largest indoor arena, making this edition of the Golden Disc Awards one of the biggest yet.

This will be the seventh time the awards are held overseas. Previous editions have been staged in Osaka, Japan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Beijing; Bangkok; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Fukuoka, Japan, drawing thousands of K-pop fans from across Asia.

The move to Taipei follows the successful Golden Wave concert held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in April of last year, where 40,000 fans gathered to see a star-studded K-pop showcase. Organizers are promising an even bigger lineup and stage production for the Golden Disc Awards in Taipei.

As part of its 40th anniversary, the Golden Disc Awards has also undergone a rebranding. A new emblem keeps the signature disc motif but adds a soundwave design to represent the show's evolution and the influence of music. The logo has also been shortened from “Golden Disc Awards” to simply “golden disc.”

The main poster for the upcoming 40th Golden Disc Awards [GOLDEN DISC AWARDS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE]

Organizers say the awards will continue to emphasize fairness and credibility, with winners selected based on album sales and digital streaming data. The show will also expand its presence as a digital content platform, producing daily music-related content across social media channels in the lead-up to the event.

Often referred to as a “dream award” among Korean artists and hosted by the JoongAng Group, the Golden Disc Awards has earned its reputation through consistent standards and high-profile performances. With a new look and a high-profile international venue, this year’s show is expected to draw even more attention from global K-pop fans, organizers said.

At last year’s edition of the awards, which took place in Fukuoka, boy band Seventeen and girl group aespa took home the grand prizes, Album of the Year and Digital Song of the Year, respectively. Other winners included girl groups IVE and i-dle, singer BIBI and rock band Day6.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]