'Cause I, I, I’m in the stars tonight,' rings out through the walls of the convention centre and a wave of cheers goes through the crowd as they get in position to ‘set the night alight’ with the steps of Korean boy group BTS’ hit song Dynamite. Bass booming, drums kicking and K-pop fans ‘rolling on like rolling stones’ – the song seems to have predicted the energy thrumming through the Random Play Dance Segment of HYBE India’s pop up park held in the city over the weekend. “I’m used to festivals where people hop, wave their hands and vibe to the music. Having a hundred people around you, engaged in the music and dancing to the same steps was a totally new experience,” said Narendra Kondappa, a techie, who got his first real taste of K-pop because he tagged along with his friend.
Apart from Random Play Dance, a classic K-pop activity where random K-pop songs are played and fans step up to perform their choreos, the pop up park had a range of performances featuring popular young artistes like DJ Alo, Sarah Black (of Maname fame) and Ranj × Clifr.
Alongside the performance, a range of pop-up stalls made the event a celebration of all things K-culture that have become popular alongside K-pop: K-beauty, K-food and even K-tech. Stalls served ramen, fans could have K-pop karaoke sessions in cars, then get a Korean colour analysis done and be bedazzled in glittery K-pop-style makeup. Freebies and long lines awaited fans at each stall though, as the event sold out on both days with the organisers having to add more tickets to meet demands.
For fans of groups like BTS, Seventeen, Katseye, TXT, Enhypen under the company and its subsidiaries, this was one of the biggest K-pop events the city has seen. For Lochan, a 20-year-old BCA student, who got into K-pop in 2018, an event at this scale would have been unimaginable a few years ago. “Back then, people saw K-pop as ‘cringe’. We just had a few fan organised events in Bengaluru, concert film screenings and cover dance groups,” she said. Anoushka Ashok, an advertising student, added, “This is the first time we’re getting something so official. What I really want to see next is K-pop concerts though!”
This festival of K-culture was happening alongside the K-pop giant’s auditions for a new girl group. While not many official details have been revealed, Ashok hopes it will have an Indian touch. “I hope they try to stick more to our roots than keep the group entirely to the K-pop standard. That will be more interesting to see, compared to something similar to existing groups.” A representative from the company noted that they have been looking for candidates who show strong potential and star quality and plan to launch them onto the global stage as the next generation of pop superstars following in the footsteps of groups like BTS and Katseye.
While fans were all smiles at the event, some feathers were ruffled by a last-minute venue change to EBISU Convention Center in Chokkanahalli to avoid safety issues from heavy rainfall. “The previous venue had metro connectivity and was better for my friends who lived 15 km away. Some dropped out because they were worried about travelling home from the outskirts. But I’m glad to see there’s proper temperature regulation and adequate water available here,” said Teja Madhava, a recent graduate.
But with Saturday seeing heavy rainfall and flooding, most were glad for a roof over the festivities, calling it an organisational improvement on the last big K-pop event in the city in 2024, when K-pop stars Suho and Hyolyn performed in the rain. “This is definitely more accommodating and made sense to me because it was announced a few days in advance. We left just before the rain started on Saturday, but imagine if it was open-air,” shuddered Ashok.