Free Outdoor Market & Live Stage Added To KCON 2014

KCON, the largest annual fan celebration of all things Hallyu, announced today that the third annual convention will feature a free marketplace with vendors from around LA and a free outdoor stage.  KCON 2014 also revealed its program schedule for this year’s two day convention taking place August 9 and 10 in Downtown Los Angeles. Building on last year’s highly successful event at the Los Angeles Memorial Arena, KCON 2014 will return with a programming slate double the size and more varied than ever.  In addition to two star-studded K-pop concerts (up from one in 2013), special guests and a new program of panels and workshops, KCON 2014 will add a slew of first-time features to the convention.  These include:

·         A free market and outdoor stage, which will showcase local artists along with vendors from the L.A. area including the “Taste of KCON,” serving up some of the best food from K-Town.

·         Huge K-Drama stars Yoo In Na, Lee Seung Gi and Lee Seo Jin appearing at KCON as special guests.

·         An E-sport exhibition match with professional “League of Legends” players;

·         Opportunities to meet the top YouTubers from Asia’s #1 multi-channel network – Creator Group.

Over 20,000 fans from all across the world attended last year, doubling attendance from the previous year, and KCON is excited to welcome even more fans this summer. For more information on KCON 2014, the program and the special guests please visit www.kconusa.com.

KCON is co-produced by Asia’s leading content company CJ E&M and its global music channel Mnet. In the U.S., Mnet America, a youth entertainment brand for all things Asian cool, includes the biggest national, English-language lifestyle television network for fans of Asian pop culture.

KCON 2014 tickets are available here.

Free Market and Outdoor Stage:

Just outside the doors to the convention, KCON 2014 will host a free Hallyu market place with over 250 vendors from the LA area.  Fans will be able to discover some of the best local talent at the KCON 2014 Special Musical Performances. Performance lineup include Jun Sung Ahn, Connie Lim, Hee Young, Jhameel, The Fu, Arnelle Nonon, CJ Scholarship Band, NYX, Shin-B, MVP, DANakaDAN, Flash Finger, Coco Avenue, Travis Graham, SoNe1, Henry & Miles, and many more!

The outdoor stage will also be host to the Superstar KCON competition. Ten talented individuals who have competed through rigorous rounds for the months leading up to KCON 2014 will now finally be competing and performing at the KCON 2014 outdoor stage to compete for the $5,000 grand prize and first-ever Superstar KCON title!

Panels and Workshops:

Panels and workshops will touch on every aspect of the Hallyu world covering fashion, food, art, dance, music, dramas, YouTube and more.  A few examples of what fans should expect include:

·         How To Be a K-pop Fashionista

Just how can you get the same, fashion-forward look as your beloved Korean idols? These ladies of the Korean idol fashion world will discuss the latest trends, let you know how you can re-create the looks, and even how to inject your style with some K-Pop swag.

·         Daebak: Learn Korean Slang with Dave Levene!

Level up your Korean language street cred with some super useful slang. Dave Levene, ex-pat YouTube superstar will teach you everything he knows. We only have one word for this workshop: jjang!

·         How to Reaction Video

Are you curious about how to make a reaction video or even how to get into the reaction video business yourself? Join our panel of all-stars to discuss the tips and tricks of the trade, behind the scenes action, and what they see in the future of reaction videos.

Special Guests: Dave Levene, Kspazzing, Mr. Popo, and Nickeh boi.

Moderator: Ashley Griffin (ReactorTV)

·         Cosplay 101

This is the workshop for our fledgling cosplayers to learn the tips and tricks of the cosplay trade. Participate in lively discussion or bring your cosplay in progress and our special cosplay instructors will make it go from just awesome to completely fabulous. What’s the Cosplay 101 final project? A mini-runway show! Don’t miss out!

Special Guests: Brianna Newman, Kim Duong, SSIN (Creator Group)

·         Shooting With The Creator Group

Shoot videos with some of the YouTube stars including Beautifymeeh, Korean Englishman, and YD from Asia’s #1 multi-channel-network Creator Group.

Special Guests: Beautifymeeh, Korean Englishman, YD

 ·         Running Fan Activity Tent (All Day)

Join in on the fun-filled Running Fan activity tent where you can participate in Running Man variety show inspired games including K-Pop Charades, Tug of War, Giant Jenga, Relay Races, and more!

Special Guest: Running Fan (Running Man fan club)

·         Dance All Day (All Day)

K-Pop is all about those dance moves; every song has its signature dance move. Learn your favorite K-Pop dances from a leading choreographer and a team of amazing dance instructors. Get on your feet now!

Special Guests: Aimee Lee Lucas and MVP

A full list with descriptions of all the panels and workshops KCON attendees can attend over the course of two days can be found here on the KCON website.

Special Guests: 

K-Drama is taking center stage at KCON 2014 goes beyond the music.  This year the largest Hallyu convention in North America is bringing some of the biggest stars from Korea’s top rated shows to make special appearances. Yoo In Na (“You Who Came From the Stars”), Lee Seo Jin (“Grandpas Over Flowers”), Lee Seung-GI (“Brilliant Legacy”) will bring the best of K-Drama, an extremely important part of the Korean wave, to an event that is already jam-packed with big names.  Additionally, online video streaming service, VIKI, is bringing Eric Nam, Korean American K-pop star to the convention.

A full rundown of all the guests coming to KCON 2014 and participating in panels, workshops and the outdoor stage mentioned above can be found here.

OGN ‘League of Legends’ Champions Festival:

For the very first time, KCON will hold a special “OGN ‘League of Legends’ Champions Festival – Special Greet & Match.” More information can be found on www.kconusa.com.

CJ E&M’s Ongamenet, a South Korean cable channel specializing in broadcasting E-sport matches, will be bringing a currently active Korean League of Legends professional gaming team CJ Entus Frost with a former “League of Legends” professional gamer ‘Locodoco’ and now a coach at Team Solo Mid (TSM) as the MC/Commentator for this special event.

“League of Legends” fans will be able to participate in Q&A sessions and special 5 vs. 5 friendly matches against CJ Entus Frost star gamers including MadLife and Shy.  Fans that purchase official merchandise will be able to get autographs and participate in photo sessions with CJ Entus Frost gamers.

Each day will consist of two sessions running from 11:00AM – 1:30PM and 3:30PM – 6PM.

Tickets for the “OGN LoL Champions Festival – Special Greet & Match” at KCON 2014 are on sale now at www.powerhouselive.net.

MCountdown: 2Nights in LA Concert:

After each day of convention, KCON 2014 will host MCountdown 2Nights in LA Concert. The artist line-up features the hottest acts in K-pop including four acts to have never before played in the United States – BTS, IU, Jung Joon Young, and SPICA.  A full performing artist breakdown for KCON 2014 is as follows:

MCountdown: 2Nights In LA Concert Artist Line-Up:

·         August 9 (Sat): B1A4, G-DRAGON, IU, TEENTOP, VIXX

·         August 10 (Sun): BTS, CNBLUE, Girl’s Generation, Jung Joon Young, SPICA