Counting down to 2025 MAMAs: Here's what you can't miss

As the year ends, it is right around time for one of K-pop's biggest nights: the 2025 Mnet Asian Music Awards.

This year's event will be held Friday and Saturday at the newly opened 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, featuring spectacular stage productions and world-class performances. The venue is four times the size of the awards' usual location.

Now in its 26th year, the awards ceremony has adopted the theme "uh-heung," a Korean expression meaning fun or excitement, to symbolize K-pop's ambition to spread positive energy and to evolve the annual event into a global K-pop festival.

Actors Park Bo-gum and Kim Hye-soo will host the first and second days of the music awards, respectively. Ranging from rookie groups to veteran stars, a total of 27 K-pop artists, including G-Dragon and Stray Kids, will grace the two-day music ceremony. Among the star-studded presents will be Oscar-winning Michelle Yeoh.

Fans can look forward to collaboration stages between K-pop idols.

A special "KPop Demon Hunters" performance will take place, with K-pop idols bringing the Saja Boys and Huntrix to life on stage.

Lee Han of BoyNextDoor, Riize's Wonbin, TWS' Shinyu, Zerobaseone's Park Gun-wook and Han Yu-jin will grace the stage as the Saja Boys for the "I'll Be Your Idol" stage. Babymonster's Pharita, Ahyeon and Rora will come together as Huntrix under a "Gonna Be Golden" theme.

Adding to this year's MAMAs is a special performance between SM Entertainment's NCT Wish and Hearts2Hearts, BoyNextDoor and actor Choi Dae-hoon, as well as rookie groups Idid and KickFlip. Also, Riize will perform its new single "Fame," which was released Monday.

As anticipation is buzzing among fans, eyes are also on who will take the Music Visionary of the Year award. Introduced last year, the award underscores MAMAs' commitment to honoring the creative forces that shape K-pop. It recognizes figures who have left an indelible mark on the industry and whose vision has helped steer K-pop's direction and drive its ongoing evolution.

While this year's nominees have yet to be announced, K-pop icon G-Dragon took home the award last year and expressed hopes of winning it again the following year during his acceptance speech.