12th Anniversary Festival '2025 BTS Festa'
Opening Day Hours Extended as Attendance Exceeds Expectations
Yukie Moriguchi (right) from Japan, Fumiko Watanabe, and their friends are watching the 'BTS Festa.' Photo by Lee Isul
"Hearing Jin of BTS's voice makes my heart race. I really wanted to see him."
On June 13, at Hall 10 of Kintex Exhibition Hall 2 in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Fumiko Watanabe (61) was seen with tears in her eyes. She said she had come to the 'BTS Festa' from Tokyo, Japan, with four high school friends.
Yukie Moriguchi (61), who came from Nagoya, said, "Last month I attended J-Hope's concert in Osaka, but I visited again because this is the 12th anniversary event being held in Korea, the home country of BTS."
'BTS Festa' is an annual festival celebrating BTS's debut day (June 13), serving as an occasion to look back on their journey together and to mark the beginning of a new chapter. This year, the scale was greatly expanded to commemorate all members having completed their military service. Last year, the event was held outdoors at venues such as the Seoul Sports Complex futsal field and park, where some operational issues such as safety management were pointed out. This year, the venue was moved indoors to the Kintex Exhibition Hall.
On this day, ARMYs (BTS fandom) from all over the world gathered at the venue. From the morning, fans lined up in long queues waiting to enter, and as the crowd exceeded the originally expected 100,000 people, the organizers extended the operating hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Fans dressed in purple, the symbolic color of ARMY, or matched purple items as they hurried toward the event.
Upon entering the venue, a giant 'ARMY Bomb' (light stick) immediately caught the eye. The five-minute light show at the top of every hour became a popular photo spot, with fans busy taking photos holding their ARMY Bombs.
Various languages could be heard throughout the venue, and the nationalities of fans were diverse, ranging from those wearing hijabs to fans from Africa. Big Hit Music, the agency, stationed staff capable of interpreting in English, Japanese, Chinese, and sign language, and provided pamphlets and information boards in four languages.
About 20 interactive booths operated across two halls inside Kintex Exhibition Hall 2. In the 'Voice Zone,' visitors could listen to voice messages recorded by the members themselves; the 'BTS Locker' displayed cherished items; and the 'Trophy Zone' exhibited various awards. Fan-participation activities such as coloring album artwork, making air fresheners and pin buttons were also popular. The 'Spotify Booth,' where fans could check and download the members' playlists via NFC, had a long waiting line.
A fan is experiencing a booth at 'BTS FESTA' held on the 13th at Kintex Exhibition Hall 2, Halls 9-10, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Lee Isul, Yonhap News
Big Hit Music provided real-time updates on waiting times for each booth to help disperse visitors and reduce waiting times, and published population density data every 20 minutes on its website. Admission times were also managed through a pre-designated system to prevent safety accidents.
The venue was packed with people. Most booths had an average waiting time of around 60 minutes. Kim Suji (28), who came from Yeouido, Seoul, said, "I missed the members' music and voices, and hearing them as much as I wanted today made me cry. Now it's time for ARMY and the recently discharged members to be together. I've waited a long time for this, so I want to enjoy it to the fullest."
At 7 p.m. that day, J-Hope's world tour encore concert, 'HOPE ON THE STAGE FINAL,' was also held at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex nearby. It was about a 25-minute walk from the festival venue, and many attendees walked to the concert.
To prepare for this, Goyang City operated temporary shuttle buses and significantly increased on-site staff to help maintain order.
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