K-pop Events & Conventions — Tokyofishmarket

KCON

The biggest K-pop convention in the world. Multiple days, dozens of acts, hundreds of booths.

KCON LA 2025: 125,000 attendees, 107 companies, 358 booths, 37 acts
KCON LA 2026: August 14-16. NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE, TXT headlining
Also held in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and 14+ regions globally
Features: M COUNTDOWN STAGE, vendor market (beauty, food, fashion), meet & greets, dance stages
Tickets via AXS.com with presale for members
Arrive early — merch booths and meet & greet lines form hours before gates open

Concert merch booths are an event within the event. Average K-pop fan spends $145 and buys 4 items.

Pre-order via Weverse or official apps before event day to skip lines
Lines can be hours long — early arrival is crucial
Concert-exclusive photocards are only available at the venue
T-shirts ($40-$60), hoodies ($60-$100+), lightstick keychains, exclusive PCs
K-pop outperforms all other genres: $34 revenue per attendee vs $8.66 industry average
34% of K-pop concert attendees buy merch (vs 21% for other genres)

The most intimate fan experience. A few seconds with your idol that you'll remember forever.

Fansign — in-person event where fans get albums signed and brief face-to-face time. Lottery entry via album purchases
Video call (fancall) — 60-90 second one-on-one video call. Fans buy 50-200+ albums to increase lottery chances
Fan meetings (팬미팅) — intimate events with games, Q&A, performances, high-touch
Entry is almost always lottery-based — more albums bought = more entries
Prepare: outfit, script, props. The moment goes fast
Event-exclusive photocards and special MD sets available

1-2 week events in major cities: Seoul (Gangnam, Myeongdong), Tokyo (Shibuya, Harajuku), LA, New York, London
Themed photo zones, interactive exhibits, exclusive merchandise
Lucky draws often available at pop-ups — buy merch for a chance at rare PCs
Arrive early (typical hours 10AM-6PM) — popular ones have long lines
Shibuya 109 hosts regular K-pop group collaborations
In Japan: K-pop pop-ups in Shin-Okubo, Shibuya, Harajuku. Warning: Shin-Okubo has unofficial/bootleg shops mixed with legit ones

Japan is a goldmine for K-pop collectors. Japanese editions have exclusive content that doesn't exist anywhere else.

Japanese edition albums — separate releases, often sung in Japanese, different packaging
Tower Records exclusives — special covers, bonus DVDs, postcards, concert access codes. JP POBs are highly sought
Tower Records Shibuya 5th floor — the K-pop pilgrimage destination
Shin-Okubo (Tokyo's Koreatown) — K-pop shops on every block. Mix of official and unofficial merch
CDJapan for online purchases of Japanese editions
Tokyofishmarket gives you access to these JP-exclusive items without needing a proxy service