THE K-POP community has spread across the globe, resulting in immersive experiences by the likes of Korean online media outlet Dispatch, which help fans from all corners celebrate their love for K-pop.
Following runs in Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta, and Los Angeles, the exhibit D’Festa will be ending its world tour in the Philippines, care of BGC Immersive. The experience features never-before-seen performances, photographs, and videos from some of the biggest K-pop groups such as BTS, Twice, Seventeen, NCT 127, NCT Dream, Enhypen, Tomorrow x Together, and Stray Kids.
“This is a one-of-a-kind immersive exhibition in which all-exclusive original content of the K-pop industry are shared and merged to become a whole. It will feature the latest content animated with LED technology,” said Soyoung Shin, managing director of D’Festa, at the Dec. 18 preview of the show.
This immersive exhibit has three main parts: The Exhibition, The Movie, and The Experience.
“All the visitors can explore a variety of exclusive, original content, including photos, performances, and personalized artworks that can’t be found anywhere else and have been archived by Dispatch over the past 10 years,” she said.
According to Dispatch, the newly upgraded exhibit, in time for its world tour finale in the Philippines, offers “fresh and innovative ways to engage with the world of K-pop.”
For one, the displays are dynamic in layout and design, first taking visitors through a hall of framed portrait photos of each artist, signed with handwritten messages. Then comes the monochrome photo exhibit, providing a dramatic look at the artists in black-and-white. This is followed by the colorful, Polaroid-style group and individual photos covering the walls of a brightly lit hall.
“The goal with this is for fans to gain deeper insights into their favorite groups,” Ms. Shin said.
The movie portion consists of a small room where exclusive footage of never-before-seen performances from the featured K-pop groups are shown on a screen. These videos were created using XR filming technology.
The last part, The Experience, has an immersive 3D LED stage, a designated mirror wall available on one side for visitors to take their pictures. There is also a photo booth where fans can pose with their favorite K-pop artists.
As for the possibility of developing a similar exhibition for P-pop artists, Ms. Shin simply told the media that “we don’t close doors for that kind of big opportunity.”
She added that BGC Immersive was the right venue for the exhibit, given that it is “already ready for an immersive exhibition.”
For fans who want to bring home keepsakes from their idols, limited-edition exclusive merch items such as photo books, photo cards, enamel pins, and much more are also available at the exhibit. Cup sleeves and snacks are also sold at The Café only inD’Festa.
A regular ticket to D’Festa is P1,200 for weekdays and P1,450 for weekends. Persons with disability and senior discounts are honored upon presenting ID at purchase. Fans who buy their tickets online will be prioritized entry in the venue, while walk-ins will be dependent on the available tickets left for the day.
D’Festawill run from Dec. 20 to March 19 at BGC Immersive, 3rd floor of One Bonifacio Mall, Bonifacio High Street, BGC. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
