This article is old. Information may not be up to date.
elevASIANThousands of attendees entered the halls of the Los Angeles convention center to experience Korean pop culture.lead-art-block.fullscreen-enterExpand
Attendees flood the booths at the Olive Young exhibition. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) August 24, 2026 at 10:00AM PDT
Listen
READ ON APP
Returning to the Los Angeles convention center, KCON LA 2026 saw a record 142,000 attendees across the three day convention. Every year, thousands of fans of Korean music, beauty and culture come together to celebrate the influence of Korean pop culture on an international scale.
Featuring three different stages, interactive exhibits and the M COUNTDOWN concert at Crypto.com arena, KCON LA’s programming kept fans entertained from morning to night. Here are some moments that capture the KCON LA 2026 experience.
ILLIT jumping while performing “It’s Me.” (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
ILLIT posing for fans in between songs. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Seok Matthew and Edward Lee speaking together at a pocha table. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Fans in the front row showing off signs to Seok Matthew. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) (Aaron Ogawa) 
KO1KEYZ performing as blue lights beam down from above. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
All 12 members of KO1KEYZ posing together on stage. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
KEYVITUP poses through the fog on stage. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Lights shine through KEYVITUP’s performance. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Fans of KEYVITUP scream and cheer in excitement. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Lines fill up each booth at the Olive Young exhibition. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Attendees in the Olive Young exhibition getting temporary tattoos. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
H//PE Princess focusing on a single member. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
H//PE Princess in formation on stage. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
RESCENE performing at the Toyota Music Den Stage. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Fans gather around to watch ONE PACT take the stage. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa) 
Write a sentence explaining why you’ve put this photo in your article, then credit in the following format. (Photo by NAME OF MEMBER OF ANNENBERG MEDIA)
OR
(Photo courtesy of NAME OF OUTSIDE SOURCE) (People lining up to audition) 
Congoers sitting at pocha tables while enjoying Korean food. (Photo by Aaron Ogawa)
On Aug. 16 the doors of the Los Angeles convention center closed, marking the end of KCON LA 2026. The convention marks an important time of the year where K-pop fans are united together by a single event through music and culture.
.trending-item::before {
content: counter(customlistcounter);
counter-increment: customlistcounter;
font-weight: bold;
font-size: 18px;
font-family: Georgia, serif;
position: absolute;
left: -25px;
}
.trending-content {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
width: 100%;
align-items: flex-start;
}
.trending-headline {
flex: 1;
padding-right: 15px;
max-width: 60%;
font-size: medium;
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
}
.trending-image {
width: 137px;
height: 91px;
object-fit: cover;
flex-shrink: 0;
}
]]>
