Mark Stefanos
KCON LA 2026 held its three-day run last weekend, Aug. 14-16, with 142,000 attendees filling the Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena, according to organizers. Under the K-SOUL CITY theme, organizers turned downtown into a Seoul-inspired destination spanning music, beauty, food, storytelling and lifestyle. Thirty-six acts performed across multiple stages while 144 brands and companies took part.
Nightly M Countdown shows at the arena featured full-hour sets from headliners NCT 127, ZEROBASEONE and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, plus exclusive pairings and covers. Wanna One returned after nine years, premiered “Spring Breeze, Again” and turned older material over to the crowd. Beatboxer WING sat in with several of the K-pop acts. The signature Dream Stage put fans onstage alongside artists for NCT 127’s “Kick It,” ILLIT’s “It’s Me” and TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s “I’ll See You There Tomorrow.”
Daytime programming included full sets on the Artist Stage by Olive Young Festa, rookie and acts from outside the K-pop mainstream were showcased at the Toyota Music Den, and Sanrio’s Dance Stage with live Kuromi appearances. Festival Grounds zones recreated Seoul street life: the first Olive Young Festa LA beauty playground, a night-market-style K-Food area, a new K-Story space focused on dramas and content, and a K-Collection of 40 small Korean businesses.
In its 14th U.S. year, the event continued its role as an early platform for rising acts while expanding access to Korean lifestyle brands. KCON LA returns Aug. 13-15, 2027, at the same venues.