The way you had to get into the venue was horrific. Standing in line to get bracelet for entry, granddaughter was at meet and greet. Tried to get her bracelet, but was told no, she woulld have to get it. I had 3 tickets, just give the 3 bracelets and don't worry about it. I buy the tickets, give me the darn bracelets. The 2024 was 1000% better run. read more

Kcon Food Market Review I happen to be in the Dtla area and stumbled upon the kcon food market. There were a handful of Korean food vendors and I was so happy to try as much as possible--cheat day woohoo! There were so many people, literally everywhere you turn--people in queues or sitting on the ground. There were a handful of people from different cultures and from all walks of life--nice to see us all being eclectic. All the queues were sort of long but it was to be expected at such an event at the staple center of all places. I manage to single handedly try a sushi Burrito, cookie shot, and a torta--everything was absolutely Devine. I came with my brother and a friend met up with us later on in the day. read more

See all

The building you want to go to is actually the one next to the Staple Center, not the one that the map tells you, so cross the street and go up toward the "Parking" structure where you go up a flight of stairs to check in. Once you get the wristband then you can go get your bag check and enter the convention center. I just uber to DTLA to avoid the hassle of traffic and parking For $15 ticket, it was fun and I got a lot of freebies out of this. If you're into beauty products, especially korean beauty products. I'd recommend the kcon. There was a lot of taking picture and tagging the products on instagram, but it was worth it. I was there from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm; it was exhausting! I'd recommend wearing tennis shoes or something comfortable to walk because there's a lot of walking and standing in line. Lots of merchandise are pretty expensive but if you're a fan, it's worth it. There were A LOT of vendors inside so it's definitely worth the money. First floor is where all the vendors and merchandises are located. Second floor is where all the games, meet n greet, and activities are located. There were a lot of food outside, the food were so expensive in my opinion.... and it was very hot outside, I wish they have more umbrellas or some shades because my feet were burning waiting in line ordering n picking up food (just a suggestions) Overall, everything is very organize, the staffs were very friendly, and there were so many crazy korean fans lol. read more

See all

My first time attending KCON.... overall experience, "NEED LOTS OF PATIENCE TO WAIT IN LINE!!!" Starting from purchasing the ticket on AXS.com... nightmare! Totally not KCON's fault because AXS.com is the only place selling events at Staple Center. Unless KCON change to different venue, or else every year purchasing tickets would be like a WAR!! After purchasing KCON concert tickets, next is purchasing convention tickets. It is so much easier because you purchase on KCON's website. Not complicated at all. After purchase all these tickets... next is REDEEM the tickets at Staple Center. Highly recommended to go a few hours BEFORE they open in the morning. If you go right on time when they open, YES, you are still gonna to wait for a few hours in line. At the counter, show your concert tickets to pick up benefits. Show them the convention center tickets to receive wristbands. At the convention... AGAIN long line to get in. Security check on all bags and scan the wristbands. Lots to see & do at the convention. Different artist will show up at the convention at different vendor booth... too bad there won't be any announcement who is going to show up when. All about luck!! At the concert, of course... waiting in line again few hours before the concert started even though they are seated tickets. Overall the concert experience... EXCELLENT!!!! Fantastic performance~ Seeing so many KPOP groups in two days concert, all the wait... WORTH IT! Will I go again next year? HELL YEAH!! read more

See all

KCON comes but once a year, and I guess that's a good thing. How much more Kpop awesomeness can our town handle? Thanks to some freebie passes, I was able to bypass the DMV x10 sized line which snaked around the convention center main hall outside into the sun. Surely, LA Convention center, there is a better way to deal with ticketing for these "Con" events. CookieCon was the same way! Fortunately, the lines moved quickly and there we were, inside, facing about 100 different Kpop-themed and anime-themed booths. It was great to see a booth for SnackFever, a monthly Korean snack subscription box which I love ... one of the best monthly-box-subscriptions around! Each booth, in turn, involved its own line ... but the Kconners are a friendly bunch. Plenty of Kpop stars on hand (Block B!) and the ubiquitous McDonald's photo booth. What event won't they promote? A hit! read more

A convention celebrating different aspects of Korean pop culture, KCON LA is part of the KCON conventions that take place in the US, Thailand, Mexico, and Japan. Originally it was a small venue that started in 2012 and it has grown to include food, K-beauty, K-pop, and Korean culture offerings in the form of booths, panels, and experiences. This is the first year I've gone, due to the band Stray Kids performing at the concert. Initially my friends weren't planning to attend the convention, due to the extra charge for the convention ticket. (It's a three day ticket for $36.) A few days before the concert, both changed their minds and we bought tickets online via KCON's site. You can buy them onsite as well. Everyone has to buy their own ticket and you cannot buy for a friend if you purchase in advance online. They have signs showing where ticket check-in is and you'll bring a hard copy of your confirmation with you if you purchased in advance. We did get there with about 3-4 hours to go before the convention ended for the day, which may explain why the check-in area ran out of RDIF wristbands. We ended up with plain, pink, paper ones and were warned in advance that if security gave us trouble for missing the RDIF one to explain they ran out. That seems like poor planning on their end and I hope in the future KCON takes into consideration that they need to order more RDIF wristbands to avoid any issues. Thankfully security was well informed about the shortage and let us in without problem. The floor is pretty easy to maneuver. A lot of the big sponsors will have long lines because they're giving away goodies and prizes. Some require you to follow them on social media and check in before you get anything free. But the freebies alone were incredible - I walked away with several face masks, a metal cup from Tous de Jours, snacks, some beauty samples, discounts for online sites, and a cute tote bag with KCON's logo on it. One other drawback was the official KCON merchandise booth. They did run out of most of the merchandise for certain bands and had to cross off things on their catalog boards they handed to people for viewing. It would have been smart to buy a little heavier in the more popular groups so people had a chance to buy something. I thought I heard one volunteer at the booth claim they ran out of the merchandise for Seventeen and Stray Kids on the first day. (You can pre-purchase merchandise in advance online and pick it up onsite, but I wasn't able to do that because my friends decided last minute to attend.) Minor things aside, it was a lot of fun and I'd check it out again. read more

So worth going. Lots of fan girls screaming during the concert. SOO FUN. :) Mainly all girls and not much guys. Lots of stuffs to buy inside. You'd have to pay for parking though. There's AC inside so it's very cool and not hot. Food truck lines can be long, but lots to choose from! Lines can be tedious though.....when waiting to go inside of the Staples stadium for the concert. read more

This was my second visit to KCON and I was mainly here for the skincare and food. Last year so many booths were giving out face masks and skin care products for free. This made me want to go again this year. The only issue I had was the tickets for the convention. They didn't offer one day tickets this year. So if you were going just for one day it would be $30.99. So with that being said, I felt like I needed to go for at least two days to get my moneys worth. For a convention so huge they had a lot of booths to do things but I feel like one day tickets should have been offered, especially since throughout the three days it was all the same booths. Also, some booths said we couldn't get things unless it is our first time being there. Overall, I probably would go again next year if only one day tickets were offered. read more

See all

This year was my first year attending K-con and everything was at West Hall. I go to the LA Convention Center often for different events, so I know in advance there are always lines for everything. However I was quite surprise that I got to pick up my wristband in less than 5 mins, and the line to get in the shopping area was about 15 mins which is not bad at all. I don't know much about K drama or K pop at all. I mostly came for all the beauty products. I loaded up on face masks, makeup, and other supplies from Tony Moly, The Face Shop and others. I will probably come back again next year because all the beauty products were such a great price! Most were even buy one get one free including my $52 eye cream from The Face Shop! There were many booths / vendors that you sign up for different contest. At one point the boy band VIXX came out to meet the fans and everyone just went berserk ! It was fun to watch the madness. Outside there is a food area right outside LA Live. I recognized most of the food stalls since I was just at the 626 Night Market the week prior. What I liked was they have a covered tented area with chairs/tables for eating. Overall it was a fun and chilled event! read more

See all

Purchased KCON tickets for my daughter and her friend. You have two choices: 3 day pass for $25 or one day passes for $10 each day. Since we were not attending the Friday convention, I decided to purchase 6 tickets for Sat and Sun and save $15. But in order to do that, I have to register each person for each day and charge my credit card six times! So we arrive today, July 30 at 11 am. We get to the South Hall of the L.A. Convention Center. We see a long line in front of the registration booth, however, we were told that the line started outside in the sun. So we go outside and the line is at least 500 people long - no exaggeration! I ask people in the inside line how long they had been waiting. I was told they waited 3 hours in the outside line before going inside to wait on the second line which is another two hours! KCON is very, very, very unorganized. They are a GREEDY organization. Every year we go it's long lines and my daughter misses the fan engagements. There is no reason why the lines are this long. With today's technology, we should be able to register online, print our ticket and check in at the door. Other conventions do it and so should KCON. I'm very disappointed and so is my daughter and her friend. The last part of KCON's name is certainly befitting CON , because that's what they are! CONS! DON NOT ATTEND THIS EVENT! read more

Ah, all the things I can say about Kcon -- including both pros and cons. Warning - word overload ahead!! Chock full of vendors with freebies, interactive workshops and panels, and artist engagement/hi-touch opportunities, Kcon was quite the weekend-long experience. TLDR: Be prepared to wait, plan accordingly, take advantage of the early check-in day, bring a backpack for all those freebies, cash for food + merch, metro or Uber beat driving, line up early for the concert (around 5 pm works if you have seated tix) if you want to make it in on time. Long lines? Honestly, you should be prepared for those with the sheer amount of people coming out to the event. Kcon even offered an extra check-in day before the actually convention/concert this year in an effort to reduce those crazy lines. That being said, I do see major improvements that need to be made, especially for people with P1 - P3 tickets that had to wait in the line which snaked down the block in the hot sun. There could be more staff members to direct lost Kconers to the appropriate lines, as well as more signage. On the early check-in day, I waited around an hour before handing my ticket and convention confirmation print-out to the staff member at the front. She was super friendly and quick to get my sister and I our wristbands. On the day of the convention, there was just a short bag check line to go through. Parking was a tad expensive, but with the event being at Staples Center/LACC, that was to be expected. However, the Metro Expo/Blue line Pico Station is right down the street and I can highly recommend it if you're going with friends (late-night metro is just too sketchy alone). Uber is also one of your other best options. I used a park 'n ride station and took the blue line down to Pico Station the first night, but winced and forked out $18.00 for the event parking the second night because I didn't want to risk being stranded in an empty metro parking garage at midnight due to battery issues with my car, which of course, didn't start the first night, and I knew would not start on the second. You can also find parking at other nearby lots, generally, the further, the cheaper, but still expect raised prices due to the event. Overly crazed fangirls? I didn't actually encounter any of these, since all the people I interacted with were quite friendly. However, I can say that yes, there are (rude) crazies, and yes, some people may have the misfortune of coming into contact with them. This is from prior knowledge due to friends who have dealt with said crazies whilst attending Kcon. Now, onto the actual convention and concert. I bought a one-day convention pass ($10.00) and combo P5 concert tickets ($72.50). The one day I spent at the convention was highly enjoyable. I especially liked the Beauty Block that Kcon added this year, featuring a handful of Korean cosmetics booths (Aritaum, Skinfood, Memebox, Sokoglam, etc.) with makeup artists, products on sale, and spin-the-wheel freebies. I got my makeup done at the Aritaum booth and the makeup artist was super friendly! I Besides the Beauty Block, there was also other various vendors, ranging from tech products to K-fashion. I attended one of the workshops, namely the nail art one with Unistella, which was nice. I also attended GFriend's Fan Engagement, but Kcon was late on letting us in the room, making the engagement session rushed and maybe even cut short. The girls were cute and sweet and I was uber ecstatic to see some of my faves up close! One of Kcon's best moves this year had to be the K-Town Food Street that they had in collaboration with K-Town Night Market. The food truck event, located about a five minute walk from the convention center, had a good selection of food trucks -- Bibigo, Seoul Sausage, Street Churros, Deli Manjoo, etc. I knew I HAD to have Seoul Sausage, a truck on my bucket list since the only TV I actually watch is Food Network (besides dramas, ofc). They didn't disappoint with their delicious Kalbi Sausage and K-BBQ burger. The tornado potatoes from Swirls Potatoes & Lemonade were another favorite of mine. The Deli Manjoo, a treat that I'm obsessed with, was hot and fresh off the iron and the sweet lady even gave my sister and I one free! Lining up for the concert did bring a great deal of confusion. I only found the map for it afterwards...no notification from Kcon there. The concert was, of course, amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the entire line-up this year. I can't even truly pick favorites (though, I must admit that I am partial to girl groups and solo acts..*cough* I.O.I *cough* Dean, Eric, and Amber) because they were all spectacular! I'd say my view was fairly decent for being the cheapest one available -- the large screens were appreciated. Well, that mouthful must've been enough to show that I seriously enjoyed my weekend with Kcon, with some quibbles. All in all, I hope to see you again next year, Kcon! read more

See all

I attended the concert last year. It was great even though I really wanted to see CNBLUE as the artists. Hopefully we can see them in LA this year. That will be so much fun ! read more

KCON Los Angeles - Music Venues Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Many people complain about the long check in line to obtain the wristbands to enter KCON, but honestly, that is to be expected with all conventions, especially Anime Expo. They also offer day 0 where you can come to check in the day before to avoid the long lines. There are lines inside the convention to get freebies, but that stuff is free so I don't mind. This was my first year and I had an incredible time with my family. Everyone is so friendly and supportive. There is a place where food trucks and stalls sell a variety of snacks and meals when you need a break. If you come here, keep in mind that there is no way they can eliminate the lines. There are things to look at and people to talk while you wait. The lines also move pretty quickly. It's a great experience for the kpop lovers here in SoCal. read more

Checked out KCON today since we live in walking distance to Staples. We did not go inside the event but seems very popular. Lots of young adults standing in never ending maze of lines. Great street food stands representing here at KCON. We decided to hit some of the most popular ones like Kogi truck & street churros before the rush hour crowd. Cool event to check out if you're into Kpop & drama and of course korean food! read more

KCON Los Angeles - These are must try at KCON! Kogi, lobster balls and street churros need cash!!! - Music Venues Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

Disappointing mini convention. Not a lot of variety, over 1/2 of the exhibition floor was beauty products, some Kpop music booths and other than a couple of food samples, no Korean food to be found. read more

Disclaimer: I went to the 2014 Kcon, but have kept up with the organisation and have chosen not to go back each year because the problems that cropped up during the 2014 Kcon have not been fixed and have in fact gotten worse. ORGANISATION -- Okay hands down, this is a terribly run concert convention. Bad enough that I made a yelp account because of how bad things are run. First of all, lineup gets released week to week instead of at once to give anyone coming from out of town adequate time to prepare if an artist they're interested in comes. You better hope the artists you like are announced early - or even before tickets go on sale. For example, I'm pretty sure for the 2014 Kcon, GD was announced extremely last minute, definitely after ticket sales went live. Lineups were NOT solidified which artists were performing which days before tickets went on sale, despite them saying they would, so it's either wait and hope the tickets you want don't sell out for the day you want or get the combo multi-day ticket. They ask for criticism in their weekly streaming radio but never actually bother listening to them lol. For the artist fan engagements, the way they handle the scratch cards for them is a mess; people would get cards for engagements that had already passed, making the extra they paid for the ticket tier for the sake of these engagements a waste. Or they're supposed to be random, but they would take a stack of all the same (lesser demand engagements) and give it out in a batch lol. I heard so, so many horror stories about the engagements hand out from friends. PRICES VS VALUE (spoilers, it's $$$$$) -- Okay, here's a joke. Kcon's "thing" used to be about making kpop artists accessible and affordable to all fans. (Seriously, lmao, check here: https://m.facebook.com/kconusa/posts/276216232492892 ) Let's look at ticket prices for this year, aye? $60 for one day ticket in god's eye seats (nosebleeds lol), $210 for p2, the ticket tier you begin to have a CHANCE at a hi-touch and not just being in the audience of a fan engagement. If you want a guarantee for hi-touch, it's $260 - but get this, you don't get to choose which artist you hi-touch for, that's still left to chance. (And as mentioned in my criticism about their organisation, it's always a possibility you might miss the fan engagement even if you got one!) I guess you could always pay $1500 to guarantee you go to all the fan engagements you want, but for that money, you might as well fly to Korea to see your faves during their promotional period. If you're willing to spend $1500 on fucking Kcon, I'm pretty sure you have the money to go to a fansign for your group, which would be much more worthwhile. Or wait until your faves come here for solo tour; most higher tier tickets (unless the group is huge, in which case they might not be doing fan engagements at Kcon either anyway) tend to have some special benefit like hi-touch. For example, Monsta X's tour offers hi-touch to p1 and p2 tickets ($195 and $165), and group photo for p1 as well . K.A.R.D's recent tour likewise had similar benefits for p1 and p2 ($135 and $105). And guess what, it's DEFINITELY for the group you like! You don't have to compete with fans of other artists during ticket sales either!!! CONTENT -- Kcon's maybe worth it if they bring over an artist you like who's unlikely to ever tour in the States, but with kpop opening up more and more, the chances of your artist/group holding a solo tour in the States is increasing too. Or if you have multiple groups you really like going. The collab stages between multiple artists can be really fun, but let's be real, if it's between a solo concert or Kcon, a solo concert wins every time. All you'll get to see from Kcon are performances of your fave's promo tracks, which is great for the casual fan, but more meh for more hardcore fans. The atmosphere of a solo concert is hands down going to be better, being surrounded by other fans of the same group. IN CONCLUSION Basically Kcon is pretty shit, thinks way better of themselves than they actually are (you only survived this far because kpop fans used to have no other choice but shit like this to see their faves, when kpop was less a thing in the States), and judging by the shitton of empty seats at Kcon NY this weekend, they overshot themselves completely with their constant increase in prices, and I have no fucking sympathy. Eat some humble pie, you dicks. read more

I was not a big fan of KPOP until I went to last year event...It was so much fun!! Great music and amazing atmosphere. Even need to wait long in line but totally worth it! read more

Great hangout event with friends on the summer weekend and will definitely go check out the upcoming one this year! Last year had LEE MIN HO as special guest!!! Stay turned for this year's artists and guest! read more

I've gone every year since it started and it's only gotten bigger and better. I love how there is something new every year and there is so much to do. It gets pretty packed but if you are a fan of KPop and Korean culture, you would love this event. I really hope CNBLUE will come this year! read more

Very poorly organized at first impression. Already bought tickets online but have to check in first. Very long line out in the LA sun! Moved about 30 feet in about 30 min. Planned to attend an event at 4:00 and arrived at 1:30. A question to a lady but response was rude. She could have been asked the same question the whole day but could have been nicer. I could not imagine that i gave to wait in line about half a mile long when you already have tickets. Too bad tickets are non-refundable. Is this organizer's fault or convention set up? Too bad i can go the rating as low as one star. read more

I bought ticket online when I got there at 3:15, on the website they said you can buy ticket online at anytime and they didn't mention about check in closing time at 3pm ( until after purchasing the ticket, the information is on the ticket) so yeah, drove all the way from San Diego to Los Angeles for nothing, the security told me to come back again tomorrow!!! What a joke! read more

Last year was the first time I had been to KCON. I regret that I did not go early to check out the booths, there are a lot of good foods and freebies ! So much fun ! Will definitely go again this year. read more

I've been going to K-Con for several years now, and it has been consistently both an amazing and aggravating experience. They usually start selling tickets before they even post a full line-up of artists for the concerts, for one. Every year, my group and I bond with other attendees over the lack of organization and communication, frustrating lines and check-ins, unclear maps and schedules, etc. There are far too many security checkpoints, and the layout of the marketplace and the food street do not help with the crowds. However, it is a great place to meet fellow fans, learn new things, meet the occasional youtuber and/or celebrity, try delicious food, get free stuff, have easy access to various merchandise, and of course to enjoy concerts with multiple amazing artists. Some of my favorite performance experiences were at K-Con. I've seen BTS, B1A4, G-Dragon, Super Junior, CN Blue, and more. For all the frustrations, in the end it is worth it if only for the food and music. Oh, and to get the full experience at the concerts, either buy a K-Con lightstick or bring one of your own! :) Also, if you wait to buy merch until the last day of the convention, a lot of vendors will start to offer discounts throughout the day. read more

went last yr it was so much fun!! I am Looking forward to attending this year!! kcon rocks!!!!!

Don't waste your money buying online tickets because they will just charge you again at the door. We bought tickets for all events for three days. NOWHERE on the ticket does it say check in by 3 or pay double. Well the family got there after 3 to attend the 6-10 dance party and was told to pay again because they didn't check in by 3 for the dance party that doesn't start until 6. What a crock what a rip off. So $60 for a dance party and $15 to get in the door per person. Rip off!! read more

Super fun experience!! Everyone needs to go!! Grab anyone you can and they won't regret it~ :)