K-Pop Concert Essentials
When attending a k-pop concert what should you bring?
What are essentials to make sure you have the best k-pop concert experience?
I have been to many k-pop concerts since becoming a fan in 2018. And I would like to talk about what I like to bring to concerts or what I have seen others bring that I think are great ideas!
Essential #1 – Your Concert Outfit
The first thing that I know many people plan in advance is a concert outfit! Many people I have seen choose an album, tour, music video, song, etc. concept and create an outfit based on that. For example the color of the Stray Kids Maniac Tour that I attended was green, based on the tours concept and theme. Many people will base their outfits on this.
Another very fun thing about concert outfits is that the artists or groups themselves will pick a specific tour color. An example of this would be when I went and saw P1harmony on their Utopia Tour one of the group members, Intak picked the color pink.
So when attending the concert you saw people in pick cloths or just simply wearing pink ribbons, bows or shoes. So you can go all out with the color or include subtle touches of the color in your outfit too!
Fans might also pick an outfit their favorite member has worn, performed in, or had on or in a music video and recreate it for the concert.
For a k-pop concert you also want to make sure that you are comfortable in the outfit you pick as well! For me an essential is comfort. I want to make sure I have comfortable shoes that I can stand in all night. And as someone who is always cold, I have to make sure I dress warm enough too!
Essential #2 – Your Concert Bag
A clear bag that fits the measurement or bag size requirements for the venue where your event is being held is also an essential! On your bag you can have pins of your favorite members or even keychains and plushies.
For The Agust D concert I attended I saw many people with Yoongi’s character plushie called Shooky. And for the Ateez concert many people had their character plushies as well!
Another thing to hang of your bag could be your favorite photocard of your favorite member or bias! Photocards are something that fans of k-pop collect. There are sets for each member for each album and you get random ones in every album.
In order to carry your favorite photocard you can get photocard holders. I have gotten many on Etsy. Here is an example of one that is easy to attach to your bag.
Inside your bag you can put things such as your wallet and some hand sanitizer. A portable changer just in case your phone battery gets low during the concert. Or even some extra batteries for your lightstick. You might even want a small handheld fan, especially if you are attending an outdoor concert in order to stay cool!
I would recommend putting anything in your bag that you think you might need and that are allowed inside the venue of course!
Essential #3 – The Artist’s Lightstick
Another important essential is the lightstick of the artist’s concert you are attending! A lightstick is essentially a fan light that you can bring and hold up at concerts. Many groups have their own lightstick that is designed based off those specific artists or concepts.
Lightsticks can be connected to bluetooth in the venue and this can make them all light up different colors and flash together in unison!
You can also buy or make accessories for your lightsticks! Below is my Ateez lightstick that is decorated as my favorite member Jongho’s character!
Below is a photo of Stray Kids‘ lightstick, that I brought to their concert! This was my first k-pop concert ever.
Essential #4 – Freebies
Freebies are, I would say an optional essential! But are a lot of fun. This is something that I think is a staple at k-pop concerts. Freebies are made by fans that are attending the concert. They then give them out to other fans at the concert. Freebies are kind of like fan made merch!
An example of a freebie would be handmade beaded bracelets. They can say many different things such as a specific members name, the groups name, or phrases or words that the members have said.
Another example of freebies would be fan made photocards. These are photos of a specific member or the group. Fan made concert tickets is also a great idea to give away at these concerts! Because we no longer get physical tickets for concerts, it would be a nice keepsake for all fans.
A few more fun ideas for freebies would be fan made keychains, fan made scrunchies, or fan made banners. Banners are something that fans make and hand out for everyone to hold up during the concert.
They could have pictures of the members, birthday wishes to specific members if it is their birthday, or welcome home messages for members that are from that specific city the tour is being held. This can be a way to show support to the artist as well!
Below is an example of a banner that I have gotten from the P1harmony concert. We were welcoming the group and welcoming Keeho home, because he was from Toronto where the concert was.
Overall the most important thing to take into account when attending a k-pop concert is to have fun, come as you are, and dress the way that makes you happy and comfortable.
A k-pop concert feels like you are entering a new world or escaping from reality and just having fun with people that like the same things as you. They really make you feel like you are a part of something and that is an amazing feeling!