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BTS fans flood Goyang ahead of 2nd night of 'ARIRANG' tour
Fans gather outside Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday, ahead of the second show of BTS's "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG'" concert. Korea Times photo by Pyo Kyung-min
By Pyo Kyung-min
Hours before showtime, the area around Goyang Stadium was already heaving with fans Saturday, as K-pop juggernaut BTS prepared to launch its new world tour, transforming the venue's outer grounds into a sea of purple, flashes of red and black tied to the group's latest album, "ARIRANG."
Fans crowded around the stadium's exterior, taking photos, filming videos and adjusting outfits in the band's signature colors. Some held banners and light sticks, while others simply stood back to take in the scale of the gathering. Their conversations carried in multiple languages, reflecting the group's unmistakable global pull.
BTS launched its "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG'" with three shows in Goyang, located about 20 kilometers west of Seoul, beginning Thursday and continuing through the weekend. The tour will span 34 cities with 85 concerts across Japan, North America, Europe, South America and Asia, making it the largest tour ever mounted by a Korean act. Additional shows in Japan and the Middle East are also expected.
Even outside the gates Saturday, the sense of occasion was unmistakable. Some fans who were unable to secure tickets still made the trip, choosing to remain near the venue to absorb the atmosphere.
"I didn't manage to get a ticket, but I still felt like I had to come," said Marek Tadeusz Nowicki, a 25-year-old from Poland, standing among groups taking photos near the entrance. "Being nearby is already part of the experience."
He described the area as unlike anything he had seen before.
"It feels like a whole festival," he said. "People are dressed up just like I am, and they have all been so nice, the vibes overall have been so welcoming. So even without a ticket, I don't feel left out."
Fans of K-pop boy band BTS, known as ARMY, pose for a photo near the concert venue ahead of the band's concert "ARIRANG" at Goyang Stadium, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. Yonhap
For others, the day marked a long-awaited milestone. Noemie Tremblay, a 27-year-old from Canada who traveled with her sister, said she became a fan during BTS' "Fake Love" era.
"We kept saying, 'One day we'll be the ones cheering at a BTS concert,' and now we're finally here. It feels amazing."
She said the hours of waiting and the tightly packed crowds had taken a toll, but not enough to dampen the mood.
"We've been out here for hours, and it's exhausting," she said, glancing at fans streaming past. "But everyone around us is just as excited. It feels so uniting to think that all these people came from everywhere for the same moment."
Fans with tickets faced their own challenges navigating the crowd.
"It's already exhausting, and the concert hasn't even started yet," said Park Seo-yun, a 25-year-old Korean fan. "But once it starts and the members appear onstage, I know I'll forget how tired I am."
She added that the clear weather offered some relief.
"I'm so glad it's not raining like it did on Thursday," she said with a laugh. "If it were like that today, it would have been a nightmare. I feel almost blessed."
The concerts are expected to feature songs from "ARIRANG" alongside BTS's other global hits, performed on a 360-degree stage designed to maximize the scale of the production.
Demand has already proven overwhelming, with all 46 initially announced shows, including the three in Goyang, selling out.