St. Paul RiverCentre will host what organizers are touting as Minnesota’s first K-pop convention on Saturday, Sept. 6, beginning at 11 a.m.
The event will feature music performances, dances, influencers, beauty and food vendors and merchandise. Performers include Ted Park, BE:MAX and Big Ocean, with influencer Beom Han also appearing.
KPopMinneCon will celebrate the Korean pop music community in the Midwest, according to presenter MNKPopConnect.
President and founder Toby Vang and COO Andrew Melendres said they discovered a strong K-pop dance community in the Midwest and grew tired of traveling to conventions on the coasts. Vang founded MNKPopConnect in 2022 and now they are launching their own K-pop convention in St. Paul.
“We want to convey that experience for our fans and help bring the presence of K-pop and the dance culture to the Midwest,” Vang said.
This will be the first major K-pop gathering in the Twin Cities and the largest of its kind in the Midwest, according to Vang. Minnesota is home to one of the largest populations of Korean adoptees in the U.S., with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 residents. Melendres says he’s amazed by how K-pop fans show up for concerts and exchange gifts out of love for the genre. He adds that Midwest hospitality makes the event fun, and Minnesota fans are the most welcoming.
“Here, it’s so much more diverse because people identify with the music and identify with the community so much more. For me personally, I think that’s what’s going to make this one stand out,” Melendres said.
Vang and Melendres said the convention will offer an all-in-one ticket covering both entry and concert access, with flexible in-and-out privileges. Activities include panels, dance challenges, and Korean and Asian food trucks serving a variety of cuisines.
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