The Busan One Asia Festival (BOF), Busan's flagship K-content festival, is accelerating its push for global fandom as it marks its 10th anniversary. The event is clearly evolving beyond a performance-centered format into a "convergence content festival" combining exhibitions, experiences, and business.
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced Thursday that it has confirmed AKMU, Haechan of NCT, and EVAN as additional performers for the "2026 BOF with NOL" big concert, to be held Feb. 27-28 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. Added to the previously announced first lineup, the broader performance spectrum is expected to expand both the genre mix and the fan base.
AKMU will take the stage on the first day with an emotive live performance, and Haechan will also appear the same day, drawing on his global fan base to energize the venue. On the second day, EVAN will perform a performance-driven set that intensifies the concert's density. The composition, anchored in K-pop and extending into hip-hop and R&B, shows the festival's evolution into a "genre-mix festival."
This year's BOF is also introducing changes in concert staging. The organizers plan to expand standing seats and adopt a three-dimensional stage to boost audience immersion, while enlarging the scale of artist bookings to differentiate the event as a "premium concert."
Content expansion beyond the performances is also notable. A K-pop exhibition and experience zone, along with pop-up zones for local brands, will be set up around the venue, and the entry time has been moved up to 1 p.m. to encourage longer stays and on-site spending. The design aims to expand festival consumption from concert tickets to local commerce and content consumption.
Industry linkages are also being strengthened. The "Big Talk," to be held Feb. 9 at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center, will bring together companies from the content, tourism, beauty, fashion, and logistics sectors to discuss K-content business models. It is viewed as an attempt to translate fandom-based consumption into an actual industry.
This year's BOF carries a stronger character as a "K-content platform" beyond a simple concert event. The organizers have designed a structure that connects global fan inflows, on-site experiences, local consumption, and industry expansion. With the 10th anniversary as a turning point, the event is expected to serve as a test of whether Busan can establish itself as a K-culture distribution hub.
Official ticket sales will begin on NOL and NOL ticket on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. "BOF is a global festival that goes beyond performances to connect local companies with the content industry," a city official said. "Through diverse content, we will strengthen Busan's unique cultural competitiveness."
