[BTS and 10 Years Together]③ The Cultural City 'Seoul' Captivating the World

BTS 10th Anniversary 'BTS FESTA' Project
Meet BTS at Gyeongbokgung and Hangang... Towards a 'Global Cultural Hub'

'Seoul Dyed in Purple'

A group BTS performing on stage in front of Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace. [Photo by Big Hit Music] [Image source=Yonhap News]

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the debut of the group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), major landmarks in Seoul will be illuminated in the purple color symbolizing them. Every year, BTS has held festivals with fans to commemorate their debut, but this 10th anniversary event is special. The Seoul Metropolitan Government, in collaboration with Big Hit Music, has transformed the city into a festival ground to be enjoyed together with ARMY (BTS fandom) across various locations.

The '2023 BTS FESTA' will celebrate BTS's 10th anniversary through videos, media art, and fireworks at Seoul landmarks including Namsan Seoul Tower, Lotte World Tower, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Sebitseom, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Banpo, Yanghwa, Yeongdong, World Cup bridges, Seoul City Hall, and Gwanghwamun Square. Through this festival, Seoul will showcase to the world its growth alongside BTS and its evolution into a global cultural city.

On the 7th, Big Hit Music released a roughly 20-second trailer video for BTS FESTA. The video shows a purple whale freely swimming above various spots in downtown Seoul alongside gift boxes, followed by an invitation being delivered to ARMY, the 'ON AIR' sign lighting up, and fireworks celebrating the 10th anniversary along with the official BTS logo. The video ends by teasing the offline event to be held on the 17th in Yeouido, raising fans' anticipation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On that day in Yeouido, as a 'special program,' member RM will personally participate in the segment '5 PM, This is Kim Namjoon,' communicating with fans. From 8:30 PM, a 30-minute 'BTS 10th Anniversary Fireworks Show' will take place, marking the grand finale of the event.

The model of utilizing the entire city as a festival ground can be seen as an extension of HYBE's 'THE CITY' project, which was promoted as an 'urban concert play park.' HYBE experimented with the connection between artists and cities through the first 'THE CITY' project at the BTS concert in Las Vegas, USA, in April last year, and the results were successful.

Approximately 200,000 people attended the four offline concerts, and about 22,000 viewers watched via live play. The fountain show featuring BTS's music attracted 200,000 visitors (estimated by MGM International), and the total number of visitors to the pop-up store and photo exhibition reached 114,000.

At that time, HYBE explained, "Considering that the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition with participation from over 2,300 companies and brands, had 45,000 attendees that year, the influence of THE CITY project can be gauged."

In October last year, the entire city of Busan was dyed purple through a concert held to support the bid for the BTS 2030 Busan World Expo. On the day of the performance, 503,000 visitors came to Busan, which was about 200,000 more than the monthly average. Analyzing visitors by nationality during the concert period, Japan had the highest number with 314,000, followed by China with 241,000, and the United States with 138,000. China’s numbers were boosted by the overlap of National Day and domestic holidays, with about 257,000 visitors arriving the day before the concert and 241,000 on the day itself.

On the 8th (local time), the day of the group BTS's 'PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS' concert, the electronic billboards and lights around the Allegiant Stadium in the Strip area of Las Vegas, USA, are decorated in purple, the symbolic color of the fan club 'ARMY'.
[Photo by HYBE]

Through projects connecting the influence of K-pop with cities, artists can present various content to fans beyond performances, and industries based in the city such as shopping, entertainment, food and beverage (F&B), and accommodation can expand new business models. During the '2023 BTS FESTA,' global ARMY visiting Seoul are flocking to tourist spots like Myeongdong and Hongdae, as well as Sebitseom and Namsan Seoul Tower where BTS videos are being screened during the festival period.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Foundation will also open a 'Seoul in Purple' booth at Yeouido Hangang Park on the 17th, hosting various BTS-related events and prize giveaways. Additionally, a 'Stamp Tour' is underway, where visitors who upload certification photos after visiting major BTS-related landmarks in Seoul can enter a draw to win prizes. Included in the so-called 'BTS sacred sites' in downtown Seoul are Gyeongbokgung Palace’s Geunjeongjeon courtyard and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, as well as Hangang Park’s Bangtan Forest, which served as the backdrop when BTS performed 'IDOL' and 'Mikrokosmos' on the American NBC 'Jimmy Fallon Show' in 2020, offering ARMY special memories.

Big Hit Music announced on the 5th that Suga of the group BTS successfully held his solo world tour "D-DAY" Japan concerts at Pia Arena in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, from the 2nd to the 4th. The photo shows BTS member Suga at the Japan concert. [Photo by Big Hit Music] [Image source=Yonhap News]

Even after the 'BTS 10th Anniversary Fireworks Show' in Yeouido, fans are expected to remain in Seoul for some time. On the 24th and 25th, member SUGA will hold his world tour Seoul concerts at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium. SUGA, holding his first solo concert in 10 years since debut, will arrive in Seoul on the last weekend of June following stops in the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. The concerts sold out early, proving the influence of SUGA and BTS.

Moreover, documentaries featuring behind-the-scenes footage of members J-Hope and SUGA, titled 'j-hope IN THE BOX' and 'SUGA: Road to D-DAY,' will have exclusive screenings at Lotte Cinema on the 16th, adding new experiences to ARMY visiting Seoul along with their travels.