KCON 2017: Dates, Schedule, Venues For Largest Global K-Pop Music, Culture Convention As It Hits 5 Locations

South Korean pop music’s biggest global celebration is expanding to two more countries this year, bringing the total number of locations to five. KCON 2017, the annual K-pop cultural convention will be held in Mexico and Australia for the first time, in addition to events in Japan and the United States.

The festivities will kick off in Mexico on March 17 as the Mexico City Arena hosts a large number of K-pop fans for the two-day event that allows them to take part in meet-and-greet events, dance sessions, Korean food tasting and other activities in addition to performances by their favorite music artists.

This year, Mexico will host big names like EXID, BTS and NCT 127 on the first day of the music event, while Red Velvet, Astro and Monsta X will headline the second-day concert.

KCON 2017 will then move to Makuhari Messe in Japan’s Chiba for a longer, three-day event running from May 19 till May 21.

The U.S. will be the next to host KCON 2017 at two locations. The convention will first be held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 23-24, moving on to the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles for a three-day celebration from Aug. 18-20, attracting thousands of avid K-pop fans.

The schedule for KCON’s first Australia event, however, has not been released.

The convention is now in its fifth year, having started off in Irvine, California, in 2012. Last year, it had expanded to more locations, including Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Paris.

As fans across the world get ready to be treated to a dose of South Korean culture, Shin Hyung-kwan, head of organizer CJ E&M’s music contents division, told the country’s Yonhap News Agency: “Through KCON, we will lead the efforts in nurturing the 'K-life style' as a future growth engine.”