K-Pop ‘til you drop: NCT Dream perform in Frankfurt
(Picture: DKphotos)It’s the pop music phenomenon that’s taken the world by storm, with acts such as BTS and Blackpink topping charts and selling out arenas all around the globe — and now a festival dedicated to K-Pop is coming to London.
KPOP.FLEX, which welcomed 65,000 fans to its inaugural event in Frankfurt last weekend, will land at the O2 for a three-night stint from September 22-24, 2023.
Taking place within the venue’s main arena, as well its smaller Indigo space and various other parts of the venue, the festival is promising some of the biggest names in the scene. The line-up is yet to be unveiled, but the German edition featured performances from Monsta X, Kai from the group EXO, Mamamoo and more.
Alongside the music, a Fan Fest will offer attendees the chance to explore Korean culture through a range of activities, while a new awards ceremony will celebrate some of the genre’s most exciting new talents.
Steve Sayer, vice president and general manager of the O2, said: “We can’t wait to build on the success of previous hugely popular K-Pop performances at the venue, and welcome some of the world’s top K-Pop acts and their legions of fans to The O2 for a fantastic weekend festival event that will take over the full campus at the O2.”
Tickets will be available soon, with prices yet to be confirmed. Visit kpopflex.com for more information.
K-Pop first emerged in its modern form, blending a variety of genres from around the world with traditional Korean music, in the Nineties, popularised by the likes of South Korean group Seo Taiji and Boys.
It is the dominant genre in South Korea, and has proven itself as a global force in recent years — with the UK no exception. When BTS, the genre’s greatest export, announced a show at Wembley Stadium in March 2019, it sold out in less than two hours. The same year, another of the genre’s leading groups, Blackpink, packed out Wembley Arena.
