Twice’s upcoming 11th anniversary fan event has drawn criticism for its limited capacity and eligibility requirements, with just a few spots available for a fandom that regularly fills arenas and stadiums worldwide.
JYP Entertainment announced Monday that the group will hold its “Once Upon A Thrill” fan party in Seoul on Oct. 17, with three sessions scheduled at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Each session will accommodate 250 people, bringing the total number of attendees to 750. Entry will be decided by lottery and is limited to fans aged 15 and older who are fifth-generation members of Twice’s official fan club, Once.
The exact venue has not been disclosed publicly and will instead be provided individually to selected participants.
The announcement has drawn online fan criticism, with much of the frustration focused on the small number of available places.
“Shouldn’t a meaningful event as this be something that as many fans as possible can attend?” one fan wrote on X. “Why should a fan meeting become an occasion that only a lucky few get to enjoy?”
Others questioned why participation was restricted to fifth-generation fan club members, noting that fans who began following Twice after the latest membership recruitment in April 2025 would be unable to apply.
A separate fan statement circulated on X called the 750-person capacity “outrageously low” and urged JYP Entertainment to make the event more accessible.
“We are not demanding a full-scale or elaborate fan meeting,” read the English statement,. “We simply ask that the 11th anniversary event be made reasonably accessible to Once, so that more fans have a fair opportunity to celebrate this meaningful occasion with Twice.”
The recent criticism is partly rooted in dissatisfaction with previous anniversary events.
Twice held its eighth and ninth anniversary fan events at Olympic Hall, while last year’s 10th anniversary fan meeting, “Love Universe,” took place at Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium.
The 10th anniversary event sold out during the fan club presale, leading to additional restricted view seats being opened. Even then, some fans argued the venue was too small for Twice’s fandom, particularly after members had previously expressed hopes of meeting fans at a larger venue for a future anniversary.
The scale of the upcoming 11th anniversary event also contrasts with Twice’s touring power. The group’s sixth world tour, “This Is For,” which wrapped up in July, spanned 81 shows across 44 cities and regions, drawing about 550,000 attendees in North America and 640,000 in Japan alone.
Twice is not the first major girl group to face criticism over the scale of a recent anniversary event.
Blackpink drew similar reactions in August when around 40 fans were invited to a meet-and-greet marking its 10th anniversary. The event was announced two days in advance following fan backlash at the lack of anniversary planning.
The group later held an approximately 11-minute livestream with all four members, during which Jisoo acknowledged that fans had hoped to celebrate with the group on a larger scale and apologized for what she described as a “communication issue.”
Twice’s fan event has also drawn comparisons to other major groups’ debut anniversary fan events.
Seventeen, which also marked its 11th anniversary this year, held its “Seventeen in Carat Land” fan meeting over two days at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium in June, drawing around 58,000 attendees over two days. It also held its “Yakusoku” fan meeting at Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome Osaka in May, garnering up to 180,000 attendees in total.
For BTS’ 11th debut anniversary in 2024, Jin — then the only member who had completed his military service — hosted an in-person event at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The first session featured a hug event with 1,000 fans. A second performance-and-talk session invited 4,000 attendees and was also livestreamed for fan club members unable to attend in person.
Twice, which debuted in October 2015, is meanwhile navigating a period of transition as members discuss their future contracts with JYP Entertainment.
Member Jeongyeon moved to a new agency in August, while Chaeyoung also announced that she would continue her solo career independently after leaving JYP. Rumors have also circulated that Jihyo and Tzuyu may leave the label when their contracts expire, though neither the members nor JYP Entertainment has confirmed the reports.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
