KCON LA 2024 presented by Samsung Galaxy returned to the Los Angeles area between July 26 to 28 this year. The convention portion was held inside of the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza. KCON continues to present multiple aspects of K-Culture to fans, both On and Offline.
Compared to the previous year, the main Festival Grounds moved back to the bigger South Hall. The Lobby was the main portal to the daily festivities. If you haven’t picked up your passes yet, you were directed to Kentia Hall to do so. Right in the middle of The Lobby was one of the first big photo ops, with a KCON LA 2024 logo. One of the merch stands was also located here, where you can buy KCON branded merch, as well as those with each of the attending artists’ pictures. Presenting sponsor Samsung had a lounge with benches that also provided multiple charging cables to charge your devices. To round off activities within The Lobby were paid photo booths and a food court.
Speaking of food, if you wanted more of a food truck variety, you might have wanted to visit the Fan Square at the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza. If you ordered food, or just wanted to enjoy shade, there was a giant tent with plenty of seating and dining tables. A big proponent of K-pop events is the cover dancing and the Dance All Day portion was relocated here to give them their own area to literally dance all day. This was one of the portions of the daily activities to be streamed to online fans. To help keep fans cooled in these outdoor areas, large air conditioning units were placed around to help battle the hot Los Angeles summer weather. In addition to these, there were also photo ops, as well as another merch stand.
The K-pop Contemporary contained several activities throughout the weekend in the South Hall of the LA Convention Center. Three different stages presented programming that featured star talents to fans On and Offline throughout the weekend. Several sponsors and vendors had booths to explore, as well as a museum exhibit.
The Meet & Greet Stage provided several programs that featured the weekend’s guest stars. Meet and Greets were a combination of interviews, games, performances, and Hi-Waves. Previously, these were held in a separate hall for individuals who have separately purchased tickets, and it’s great to open this up to all ticket holders this year. There were optional tickets that got you closer to the stages. To help immerse fans, the hall lights were dimmed in the area to direct attention to the stage. Another great addition was the use of ADA accessible areas at the stages. This stage also provided performances and the site of the red carpet events.
The Connecting Stage helped connect artists with fans in different ways. Artists were interviewed, played games, and performed. The theme of connecting helped set this apart from the Meet & Greet Stage. Some artists did covers of several artists and viral challenges. Other artists were able to bring attention to topics like Girl’s Education. A diversity of activities were enjoyed on this stage.
The KCON Stage received a big makeover from previous years. It was in its own partitioned area of the South Hall, to help block sounds from the main hall and vice versa. The hall lights were also dimmed here, creating a full-on concert venue. The stage was available to all convention ticket holders and like the Meet and Greet stage, there was a premium viewing section, closer to the stage. Most of the schedule featured guest artists as they performed several songs with activities between performances. This stage was a full concert on its own throughout the weekend. It also served as the audition area for the daily Dream Stages at the M COUNTDOWN concerts in the evening.
Besides the three main stages, the K-pop Contemporary also contained various other activities. One of the first things you might have seen when entering was the Museum. Several displays were assembled with various pieces from the guest artists. There were signed albums, performance outfits, merch, light sticks, and more to explore. Many vendors and sponsors filled in the rest of the convention floor with sprawling booths, filled with experiences, photo ops, and of course, merchandise. Products included electronics, cosmetics, food, albums, and more. Lucky fans might even run into their favorite artists at various booths.
The Fan Chamber created more intimate activities in the Convention Center Meeting Rooms. Schedules were split between three different areas: Panel, Fanzone, and Workshop. Panels included interviews with guest artists and individuals from the industry. The Fanzone included watch parties and fan club meetings. Lastly, Workshop had a variety of activities from several aspects of K-Culture.
Whether you were there in person or watching online, the convention portion of KCON LA 2024 proved to be jam packed with all things K-pop and K-culture. The convention continues to innovate since its inaugural year in 2012. For more information on this and future events, fans are invited to visit www.kconusa.com.