This past weekend, myself along with four other friends attended the 2016 Korean Convention. The event lasted 3 days and 3 nights. There was Korean food, Korean beauty, TV dramas, famous actors/ actresses, and what I looked forward to the most, music performances from some of my favorite Korean idols. Here is my experience at KCON 2016.
Day 1: July 29, 2016
Day one was the most stressful day because as soon as I got to the Convention Center in Los Angeles, I had to stand in the heat and register to pick up my wristband. And It was about 91 degrees Fahrenheit. While standing in line, I noticed many people cosplaying Korean artists and I thought that was pretty unique. I was surrounded by culture and being part Korean I couldn’t believe I was going to be able get to know Korean culture. Once I got into the convention after two and a half dreadful hours, I visited so many booths and met so many popular Korean Youtubers. As the day went on my feet grew tired and I got super hungry. We headed to a street next to the convention filled with different Korean foods and drinks. I got a taro with tiny boba and it was probably the best boba drink I’ve ever had. One bad thing about the convention was that the food was all over 10 bucks! After we ate, people walked by dressed like Korean idols that were going to perform the next day. I personally dressed up as a member from a group called “SEVENTEEN” and an idol from “BTS.” My friends and I got home around 12:00 AM due to the usual LA traffic. We went to sleep as soon as we got home because Saturday was going to be the first day of concerts.
Day 2: July 30, 2016
We woke up around 8:00 AM to get to the Convention early enough for a Hi-touch ticket. A Hi-touch is exactly what it sounds. People buy and trade these tickets for chances to meet KPOP stars. Fortunately, we were all able to get “Astro” ,one of four fav KPOP groups, audience tickets and Hi touch tickets for Sunday. Around 1:00 PM we grabbed some lunch and headed to the convention center to watch people dance to popular KPOP songs. The best part was when the dj played our favorite group, Seventeen, we never got up from sitting down so fast before. Saturday night came around and concert Day 1 was just beginning. The concert took place in the staples center and when the show began the lights were beautiful. I could not stop taking photos. Finally, artists began to play and my favorite group “SHINee” performed at the very end to finish of the show. Day 2 of KCON was definitely a success. So many fans were holding up signs and lights and I’ve never been to such an energetic concert before. Every single artist was awesome.
Day 3: July 31, 2016
This was the day one of my ultimate favorite KPOP groups was going to perform. They are known as “BTS” as well as my “ASTRO” audience engagement. My friends and I waited in line around 8:30 AM for two hours and ended up getting good views. The artists were so sweet and showed love to each of their fans. After the ASTRO fan engagement we walked back to the convention (thank God everything was in-doors). We saw a few KPOP artists walk by and people ran up to them to take pictures, but they didn’t get mobbed. The dance battle area was so fun! People were continuing to show off their skills, and even I danced along to BTS, and other KPOP artists. I was also able to play games and try on beauty products from Korea. Finally, after standing in line at the Staples Center for an hour or so we sat down for Day 2 of concerts. I was so nervous to see my group! Some of KPOP's biggest idols like “Girls Generation” and “Monsta X” performed and killed it, but finally it was time for BTS. Their entrance was super dramatic but i loved it. I screamed so hard when they appeared on stage and sang to every song (even though I had no idea what I was saying). Their performance was the perfect way to end of the night and I was stoked I was able to see them. Each of the boys in BTS was so energetic and good with the crowd. After that performance, I will definitely be going back to KCON next year!
KCON was one of the most amazing events I've ever experienced. The whole idea of being able to enjoy another culture is awesome! My favorite thing about KCON was experiencing it with my friends and allowing myself to step outside of my musical comfort zone. Who knows, I might even visit Korea soon.
