NCT 127, aespa, MonstaX and Key were among the latest additions to the KCON L.A. lineup, CJ ENM announced Monday. They join Seventeen members Hoshi and Woozi (HxW), girl groups IVE and NMIXX and boy groups Zerobaseone and P1Harmony, who were among the first wave of artist slated for the festival.
KCON, the world’s no. 1 K-pop festival, will return to downtown’s Los Angeles Convention Center and Crypto.com Arena for the three-day event, giving local K-Pop fans a chance at seeing several of their favorite acts under the same roof. Historically, the festival has held daytime programming at the convention center before shuffling ticket-holding fans across the street to the arena for nighttime concerts.
KCON L.A. returns Aug. 1-3 in downtown Los Angeles.
CJ ENM
This year, KCON L.A. will feature “festival grounds” in an attempt to include more content and make the experience more immersive, according to a release. The theme of KCON 2025 is Klover’s Club Fair, which the festival’s parent company says drew inspiration from a four leaf clover and is meant to bring luck and joy to attendees.
The festival will once again utilize several stages including the artist stage, meet and greet, X stage and M Countdown (named after the fellow CJ-owned cable channel Mnet’s music program). The artist and meet and greet stages will be used to for fans to get the chance to meet their favorite artists up close, according to a release, meanwhile the X stage will showcase emerging talent. Exact stage by stage programming has yet to be released.
In addition NCT 127, Aespa, Monsta X and Key, the latest wave of acts includes Choi Hojung, Hwasa, Kiss of Life, Meovv, NowADays, Riize and Yuqi. HxW, IVE, NMIXX, P1Harmony, Zerobaseone, Cravity, J-Pop group IS:SUE, Izna, J-Pop group JO1, rapper Lee Youngji and singer-songwriter Roy Kim were previously announced.
Last year’s festival was its biggest yet in scope. The festival’s final concert portion, known as M Countdown, was broadcast live on The CW, marking the first time a K-Pop performance was shown on national TV in primetime. Actress Awkwafina made a special guest appearance, hosting solo and alongside NCT 127 members Johnny and Mark.
KCON L.A. is set to take place on Aug. 1-3. More details on ticket sales, exact programming and additional artists will be announced at a later date.
