{"id":83273,"date":"2026-08-18T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=83273"},"modified":"2026-08-18T14:49:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:49:46","slug":"kcon-la-2026-wraps-landmark-edition-bringing-k-soul-city-to-where-it-all-began","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=83273","title":{"rendered":"KCON LA 2026 Wraps Landmark Edition, Bringing K-SOUL CITY to Where it All Began"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">142,000 Fans, Genre-crossing 36 Acts, and 144 Brands and Companies Took Over the Downtown Los Angeles for Three Packed Days<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">KCON LA 2027 Set to Take Place Aug 13-15, 2027 at<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__http:\/Crypto.com__;!!BL9GA0TyTA!bRV4FcKdn4Q518JeaDsS0kQohUYnFuzfmcKxcmO-111pkitRq1sTX_SL1dc7lY3xKe5DPI1tJ2vELtGYCBo$\">Crypto.com<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Arena and LACC<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Los Angeles, CA &#8211;\u00a0 August, 17 , 2026 &#8211;\u00a0 <\/strong>KCON LA 2026 wrapped this weekend with 142,000 fans and 36 acts across three days at<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__http:\/Crypto.com__;!!BL9GA0TyTA!bRV4FcKdn4Q518JeaDsS0kQohUYnFuzfmcKxcmO-111pkitRq1sTX_SL1dc7lY3xKe5DPI1tJ2vELtGYCBo$\">Crypto.com<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center, once again cementing its place as the world\u2019s largest K-Festival, spanning everything from music and beauty to food, story and lifestyle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Held August 14th to 16th, under the theme K-SOUL CITY, KCON LA 2026 transformed downtown LA into a vibrant cultural destination inspired by the energy and spirit of Seoul. A total of 144 brands and companies also joined the festival over three days, while fans also enjoyed the festival worldwide via digital platforms that reached more than 250 regions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83256\" style=\"width: 2570px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83256\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83256\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-5-520x346.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83256\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Now in its 14th year in the U.S., KCON has become a global gateway to K-lifestyle \u2014 spanning K-pop, K-food, K-beauty, and K-content \u2014 while also serving as a launchpad for Korean small businesses expanding overseas.\u00a0 True to KCON\u2019s legacy of showcasing new K-pop talent to a worldwide audience the event had multiple stages not just giving a chance for fans to see the biggest stars, but also new bands that have just debuted. KCON has a strong history of being the home for major K-pop acts to perform early in their careers to superstardom, with acts like BTS, SEVENTEEN, ATEEZ, TWICE and more all having graced the KCON stage over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cKCON LA has always been the heart of the KCON journey. It is where it all started in 2012, and it&#8217;s where K-pop history was made,\u201d said Harry H.K. Shin, head of Music Entertainment at CJ ENM said. &#8220;Starting with music, and expanding into beauty, food and lifestyle, we\u2019ve really seen the power of soft power as people around the world embrace the Korean lifestyle in their everyday lives. We remain committed to being the global platform that brings artists, content and brands from every genre to audiences around the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83264\" style=\"width: 1210px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83264\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83264\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM-520x347.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">M-COUNTDOWN_SANTOS-BRAVOS-01-CCJ-ENM<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The M COUNTDOWN STAGE carried the weekend&#8217;s biggest moments each night, with headliners NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE and TOMORROW\u00a0 X TOGETHER performing hour-long sets, exclusive performances, covers and collaborations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83248\" style=\"width: 1514px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83248\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83248\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1504\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1.jpg 1504w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-1-520x346.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83248\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Wanna One, returning to KCON LA for the first time in nine years, debuted their new track &#8220;Spring Breeze, Again&#8221; and led singalongs of hits. World-renowned beatboxer WING also joined K-pop artists for a standout collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83246\" style=\"width: 1514px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83246\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83246\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1504\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3.jpg 1504w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-3-520x346.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The night&#8217;s highlight was KCON&#8217;s signature DREAM STAGE, where artists perform alongside dozens of fans onstage. This year&#8217;s lineup included NCT 127&#8217;s &#8220;Kick It,&#8221; ILLIT&#8217;s &#8220;It&#8217;s Me,&#8221; and TOMORROW X TOGETHER&#8217;s &#8220;I&#8217;ll See You There Tomorrow,\u201d capping off the festival with a powerful reminder of K-pop&#8217;s global reach.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Elsewhere, the ARTIST STAGE by OLIVE YOUNG FESTA featured 12 acts across three days, each delivering concert-length sets. The SHOWCASE, presented with Toyota Music Den, spotlighted rookie artists and genre-spanning performers to connect with global fans. The DANCE STAGE by Sanrio\u00ae,meanwhile, brought everyone\u2019s favorite mischievous but super cute Sanrio character Kuromi in live performances throughout the weekend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83245\" style=\"width: 1514px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83245\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83245\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1504\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4.jpg 1504w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-4-520x346.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Beyond the stages,the FESTIVAL GROUNDS brought the streets of Seoul to life across the K-BEAUTY ZONE, K-STORY ZONE and K-FOOD ZONE. OLIVE YOUNG, South Korea\u2019s leading beauty and wellness retailer, showcased its signature OLIVE YOUNG FESTA LA 2026 for the first time, drawing massive crowds throughout all three days. The K-FOOD ZONE captures the vibrant atmosphere of Korea\u2019s night markets. The newly-added K-STORY ZONE highlighted Korean dramas and K-POP content, recreating the vibe of Korea\u2019s summer tradition of watching movies outdoors, like along the Han River.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_83253\" style=\"width: 1514px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-83253\" class=\"size-full wp-image-83253\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1504\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6.jpg 1504w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814-15-16-KCONLA26-6-520x346.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1504px) 100vw, 1504px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-83253\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">K-COLLECTION with KCON LA 2026 showcased 40 Korean small businesses across beauty, lifestyle, and food. At the booth of global K-POP content platform Mnet Plus, fans got to engage with IP from original content like SUMBAKKOKJIL 2 and Mnet&#8217;s global K-pop girl group debut project GIRLS PLANET 2027&#8217;s audition booth was swarmed with applicants. bibigo booth brought a taste of Korea with ramen, dumplings, sauces and seaweed snacks, drawing long lines all weekend. The giant &#8220;Cloud Cake&#8221; photo installation was also a major draw at TOUS les JOURS Bakery Caf\u00e9. The National Hangeul Museum booth connected fans with Korean language and culture through K-pop-themed content. In total, 18 sponsors took part, including Chi Sparkling, Viki, Loop Earplugs, RETURNITY,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__http:\/I.st__;!!BL9GA0TyTA!bRV4FcKdn4Q518JeaDsS0kQohUYnFuzfmcKxcmO-111pkitRq1sTX_SL1dc7lY3xKe5DPI1tJ2vE5V7hn0U$\">I.st<\/a>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Hanmi Bank, KOREA GINSENG ASSOCIATION, Paramount, Mattel, Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Organization, and Korea Paralympic Committee.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">With OLIVE YOUNG FESTA as its title sponsor, KCON LA 2026 once again proved its global reach as the world&#8217;s largest K-Festival, leading the globalization of K-pop, K-culture, and K-lifestyle since 2012. Looking ahead, KCON will continue to elevate the fan experience, bringing together some of the biggest names in Korean entertainment for performances that can&#8217;t be seen anywhere else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2027, KCON LA 2027 is set to take place Aug 13-15 a<\/span>t <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__http:\/Crypto.com__;!!BL9GA0TyTA!bRV4FcKdn4Q518JeaDsS0kQohUYnFuzfmcKxcmO-111pkitRq1sTX_SL1dc7lY3xKe5DPI1tJ2vELtGYCBo$\">Crypto.com<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>142,000 Fans, Genre-crossing 36 Acts, and&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6,7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-ca-local","category-u-s-a","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83273"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83283,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83273\/revisions\/83283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/83252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}