About 1,700 teams from 54 countries tried out. Six made it. On October 18, K-pop performers from Peru, France, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Tanzania and Kyrgyzstan take the stage at Changwon Square — the final of the Changwon K-pop World Festival, now in its 15th year.
Sunday, October 18, 2026, 5 PM KST · Changwon Square, Changwon · tickets are free (a ₩2,000 booking fee applies) · 5,000 seats, first come, first served.
A K-pop contest for fans from around the world
The festival is co-hosted by Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Changwon City and organized by KBS. Qualifying rounds ran through 57 Korean diplomatic missions in 54 countries, and the best teams were invited to Korea for the final.
This year’s six finalist teams — 19 performers in all — open the show together in a joint stage before competing one by one. Part of the fun is seeing how fans from such different places make K-pop their own.
Guest stages: ONF, FIFTY FIFTY and more
Between the competition stages, Korean artists perform as guests: first-generation group Click-B, ONF, singer-songwriter Lee Mujin, Na Tae-joo and FIFTY FIFTY. It’s a chance to see artists you love and cheer on teams from around the world in the same show.
Official teaser from the 2025 festival (KBS WORLD TV) — last year’s footage, not this year’s lineup.
Tickets: free, but book ahead
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Sun, Oct 18, 2026 · show starts 5:00 PM KST |
| Venue | Changwon Square special stage · 151 Jungang-daero, Seongsan-gu, Changwon |
| Age | 12 and over |
| Price | Free admission · ₩2,000 booking fee |
| Seats | 5,000, first come, first served (booking opened Oct 1) |
| Where to book | NOL Ticket (Korean) · NOL World (English) |
Seats are unassigned. Check availability and the final amount at checkout before you plan the trip.
Booking from abroad? NOL World has an English page for this event; account and payment rules are shown there. NOL Ticket (Korean) ↗ · NOL World (English) ↗
On the day: collect your ticket before 5 PM
Bring your booking details and your own ID — a passport if you’re visiting from abroad. Ticket exchange and entry are handled in booking-number order.
| On-site (KST) | Time |
|---|---|
| Ticket booth | 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Entry opens | 3:30 PM |
| Show starts | 5:00 PM |
| Entry closes | 5:30 PM |
The ticket booth closes before entry does, so don’t arrive at the last minute. It’s an outdoor stage in mid-October — bring a warm layer for the evening.
Getting to Changwon
Changwon is on Korea’s south coast. From Seoul, the KTX to Changwon Jungang Station takes about three hours; from Busan it’s roughly an hour by train or intercity bus. Changwon Square is in the city center, a short taxi or bus ride from the station. Save the venue address in a Korean map app before you go. How to use Naver Map in English →
Can’t make it?
Stage footage is scheduled to air later on KBS and KBS WORLD, which reach about 140 countries. The broadcast date and any live stream haven’t been announced yet.
Information checked October 5, 2026. Seat availability, lineup and on-site arrangements may change — check the booking page before you go.