BTS Takes Over New York’s Times Square… ‘The City’ Wraps Up in 3 Days

K-pop kings who swallowed up New York’s Manhattan… The whole city turns into a massive 'Arirang' festival

Global pop icons 'BTS' (BTS) have perfectly taken over New York, the world’s crossroads. Beyond a mere concert, the offline fan event 'The City New York' transformed the entire city into a theme park and has come to a spectacular finale amid overwhelming ticket demand.

Wrapping up successfully over the past three days (local time), the project connected key New York landmarks in a tight route, starting with the 'MetLife Stadium' where the main concert was held, and moving on to the Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and more. The scale was unusual for an event by a single artist, underscoring once again the firm global status of K-pop.

The site that sparked the most explosive reaction was undoubtedly 'Times Square'. A large-scale 'dance performance' that broke down barriers and brought together top local dance crews, multinational tourists, and residents created an unprecedented scene right in the middle of New York. In addition, the iconic observation deck 'Top of the Rock' at Rockefeller Center was dressed up with Arirang-themed media art, and the music of BTS echoing between skyscrapers delivered a powerful synesthetic kind of catharsis to visitors.

'Korean Cultural Center New York', a foothold for K-culture, also saw huge crowds. An Arirang Theater special screening event and a hands-on experience booth for making custom cheering light sticks helped meet the cultural thirst of a global fanbase, playing a central role.

BigHit Music, the agency, evaluated the outcome of the project, saying, "Beyond a simple music concert, it proved the limitless expandability of a 'participatory content model' that organically combines the city’s key landmarks and local cultural infrastructure."

Having colored New York with blue lights and the melodies of Arirang, BTS is expected to keep forging an enormous musical solidarity with fans around the world without pause through its ongoing 'World Tour ARIRANG' (ARIRANG).