KCON LA 2024 Recap: A K-Pop Fan's Paradise

K-Pop fans' favorite weekend of the year, KCON LA, returned this past weekend, marking the convention's most successful event since its inception in 2012. Over 5.9 million fans from more than 170 countries enjoyed KCON LA 2024 both at the festival site and through digital platforms. Also, for the first time ever, the event was broadcast live, showing on The CW Network on Sunday night.

This was my second time attending and covering KCON LA, and it has quickly become one of my favorite events to go to. It's truly a K-Pop fan's paradise in every way, from the events, booths, merchandise, performances, and opportunities to see your favorite idols. This year seemed to be even bigger than last year, with expanded stages within the convention, and even more idol appearances than ever. 

While the KCON experience is unique to every single convention-goer, I'm here to give a recap of how I spent my two days at the convention and concert.

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The Convention

KCON LA is split into two sections, the convention portion during the day, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, as well as the concert portion at Crypto.com Arena in the evening. The convention is where fans can check out various promotional booths, get free swag, do some shopping, and much more. The convention also included three stages this year, the KCON Stage, Meet & Greet Stage, and Connecting Stage, all of which featured a lineup of performances and appearances from artists throughout all three days of the event.

On Day One of KCON 2024, I spent a lot of my time at the KCON Stage, which was expanded this year to feel like a full concert in and of itself. Last year, the stage was positioned in a corner of the convention hall, causing the crowd to spill out into other portions of the con, especially when artists with larger fanbases were on stage. However, this year, the KCON Stage was put in its own separate room, with a much larger stage that even had an extended stage jutting into the audience. During my time at the KCON Stage on Day One, I caught performances from Jo Yuri, P1Harmony, AleXa, and ZeroBaseOne. On Day Two, I got to check out NMIXX, Hyolyn, Loren, and BoyNextDoor. Each artist performed around five songs, making for a complete concert experience without even having to set foot in Crypto.com Arena.

Following my time at the KCON Stage, I went into the main convention hall to check out some booths. On the top of my priority list was the TirTir booth, as I've been very interested in their makeup and skincare products. I got to spin the wheel to win a prize, and tested out some of their makeup. There was also an opportunity to be color-matched by a memeber of the TirTir team, but I opted to color-match myself instead. 

I stopped by the Milkis booth to sample one of their drinks, and spun the giant gumball machine to win a prize. There were tons of freebies to be found at various booths, but time only alotted me to check out a few, as I prioritized the performances on the KCON Stage for most of my time at the con. 

Also new this year was the expanded fan experience area at Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, which included several booths, food options, games, and a Random Play Dance. I got to check out this area during Day Two, and enjoyed what felt like a mini-convention outside of the main area.

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The Concert

I attended the first two days of the concert portion of KCON LA 2024 at Crypto.com Arena, on both Friday and Saturday night, featuring performances from Taemin, ENHYPEN, P1Harmony, BoyNextDoor, ZeroBaseOne, NMIXX, Bibi, Kep1er, and many more! 

One thing I appreciated about the concert this year, compared to last year, is that many of the artists performed on multiple days, giving people who were only attending one or two of the concerts a chance to see even more performances they may have missed otherwise. For example, ZeroBaseOne's main set was scheduled for Sunday, and I was bummed to be missing it, as they're a group that's heavily on my radar (and Spotify rotation!). But I was so excited to get to catch their special stage on Friday night, as well as their appearance at the KCON Stage.

I'm also a huge fan of P1Harmony, so it was great to see them blow up the stage again, after having seen them on two of their tours. They just keep getting bigger and better and I'm always so excited to see what they'll do.

The highlight for Day One of the concert, however, had to be Taemin. I said it last year, and I'll say it again, he's a once in a lifetime performer that I'm so grateful to have now had the opportunity to see twice now. Watching his fans perform "Move" with him during the Dream Stage was also such a special moment to witness.

On Day Two, the highlight for me was definitely ENHYPEN, and judging by the audience's reaction, I think they were the highlight for many people. ENHYPEN is another group that has been on my radar since their debut, and I've started to really get into them more since seeing them on their last two tours, FATE and FATE+. They're incredible performers, and they know how to command a stage and keep their fans entertained. It was so great to see some of their new music performed live for the first time too, including their latest title track "XO".

I unfortunately was unable to catch the Day Three concert, but artists in attendance included NCT 127, ZeroBaseOne, Jeon Somi, STAYC, and Zico. According to reports from many of my friends who were there, they did not disappoint!

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In Conclusion

If you're a K-Pop fan, big or small, of any age, KCON LA is sure to become your happy place. If you just attend one day, or all three, or just the convention, or just the concert, you're sure to find something you love. I had a blast at my second year at KCON LA, and I'm ready to start the countdown to next year!

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of CJ ENM

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