The KCON hallyu fest making its way to Abu Dhabi will feature performances by headlining acts BTS, Girls’ Generation’s Tae Yeon and Kyu Hyun of Super Junior, according to an announcement by CJ E&M on Tuesday.

The annual K-pop convention, first launched in 2012 in California as the world’s largest K-pop festival, has been held mainly in the U.S. and Japan. However, this year the festivities will be held for the first time in the Middle East from March 25 at the massive Du Arena in Abu Dhabi.


It has been widely reported that K-pop and Korean TV dramas have developed a respectable fan base in Middle Eastern countries over the past few years. A number of K-pop acts have also held small-scale concerts in the region. However the upcoming KCON will be the first major K-pop music event to ever be held in the United Arab Emirates and in the entire Middle East.

Hallyu veterans of the group Double S 301 will perform alongside rookie idol groups such as Monsta X and Spica, at the 2016 KCON festivities.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)