BTS to take 'The City' project to London

Lead

K-pop supergroup BTS will bring its large-scale cultural program "The City" to London and New York, coinciding with the group's "Arirang" world tour concerts in both cities, according to announcements from its agencies.

Coverage Comparison

All details of the program's London and New York components were reported by Yonhap News Agency, which cited BTS's agencies — BigHit Music for the New York events and the London main program, and Hybe for the British Museum partnership.

Key Claims

London Program

BTS's cultural program "The City" will be held in London next month to celebrate the group's stop there for its ongoing world tour, the group's agency said Monday. The offline event, titled "BTS The City Arirang London," will run alongside the group's "Arirang" world tour concerts scheduled for July 6-7 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, according to BigHit Music.

The main events will kick off on July 6, the first day of the London shows, starting with lighting installations. The London Eye, one of the city's most iconic landmarks, will be illuminated in a vivid red, the key color of the "Arirang" tour. On the same day, a large floating boat carrying a sculpture featuring the "Arirang" logo will appear on the River Thames.

From July 8 to 10, a special BTS-themed media art exhibition will be held at Outernet London, a public entertainment space focused on the arts, music and culture. The venue's massive digital LED canvases will be filled with visuals from "Arirang," offering an immersive audiovisual experience.

Additional programs include an "8-stop stamp rally," where participants can visit major landmarks across London to complete missions and collect stamps.

British Museum Partnership

BTS has partnered with the British Museum to promote Korean heritage through the "Korea Gallery Trail" program, the group's agency said Wednesday. The program, which runs through July 23, is part of "BTS The City Arirang London," according to Hybe.

The event showcases Korean artifacts on permanent view at the London-based museum, such as a moon jar, gold earrings and roof tiles, under themes like hope and resilience. Visitors can take part in the campaign "What is Your Arirang?" to share the artifacts that best match their lives on their social media accounts, according to the agency.

"Arirang," a beloved Korean folk song, is the title of the fifth BTS studio album released in March. The group held a two-day gig at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London earlier this week.

New York Fan Event

BTS will hold a large-scale fan event in New York to celebrate its world tour stop in a neighboring city later this month, its agency BigHit Music said Friday. The event, titled "BTS The City Arirang New York," will run from July 24 through Aug. 3, alongside the group's "Arirang" world tour concerts scheduled for Aug. 1-2 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

As part of the program, Grand Central Terminal, one of New York's busiest and most historic landmarks with an average daily foot traffic of around 750,000, will be transformed with visuals themed around BTS's fifth full-length album, "Arirang." Red posters reflecting the album's key color will be installed throughout the terminal, according to the agency.

Vanderbilt Hall, located inside the terminal, will host an "ARMY Madang," where stage outfits worn by the group during its 2019 Wembley Stadium concerts in London will be displayed. Additional fan-focused events and interactive programs are also planned. "ARMY" is the name of the K-pop septet's devoted fandom.

Background

"The City" project is a large-scale cultural program that extends the BTS concert experience across host cities through themed installations and events. It debuted during the group's "Permission to Dance on Stage" tour in Las Vegas in 2022 and has since been held in major cities, including Seoul, Busan, Las Vegas and London.

The project also features various BTS-themed cultural events, including musical fountain shows, drone lighting displays, photo exhibitions and multimedia installations. This year, the project was previously staged in Seoul, Las Vegas and Busan to celebrate the group's tour stops and engage fans through citywide cultural experiences.