BTS are set to transform Seoul into a living celebration of music, culture, and identity with a large-scale citywide festival marking the release of their upcoming full-length album, ARIRANG. According to BIGHIT Music, the event, titled “BTS the City: ARIRANG Seoul” will run from March 20 to April 12, turning key landmarks across the capital into immersive spaces dedicated to the group’s long-awaited comeback.

The festival launches on March 20, the same day ARIRANG is officially released, signaling the beginning of a new era for BTS following their group hiatus. Rather than limiting celebrations to a single venue, BTS and their team have opted for a city-integrated experience that blends music, art, and public space, allowing both fans and residents to encounter the album throughout everyday life in Seoul.

One of the most striking opening-day highlights will be media facade shows at two of Seoul’s most iconic landmarks: Sungnyemun Gate and N Seoul Tower. Both sites will light up in celebration of ARIRANG, symbolically connecting BTS’s modern global influence with Korea’s historical and cultural heritage. The visual displays are expected to feature album-inspired imagery, creating a powerful moment of national and artistic pride on release night.

Also beginning on March 20, Yeouido Han River Park in western Seoul will host a music listening event running through March 22. Fans will be able to experience ARIRANG in a communal outdoor setting, reinforcing BTS’s long-standing message of togetherness. The Han River location, frequently associated with leisure, reflection, and youth culture, adds emotional resonance to the album’s themes of roots, identity, and shared memory.

The festival will continue into April with citywide installations that subtly weave BTS into Seoul’s urban landscape. Stone walls, stairways, and street-lined trees across select areas will be decorated with BTS motifs, including lyrics from ARIRANG. Rather than creating isolated fan zones, the project intentionally integrates these elements into public spaces, allowing passersby to encounter fragments of BTS’s message as part of the city itself.

This approach mirrors the album’s inspiration. ARIRANG, named after Korea’s most iconic folk song, reflects themes of heritage, resilience, and collective identity. By embedding the album into Seoul’s streets and landmarks, BTS are extending those themes beyond music, turning the city into a canvas that reflects both the past and the present.

The festival builds on earlier announcements that BTS will hold a special performance at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, just one day after the album’s release. The performance is expected to draw global attention and will be followed by the launch of BTS’s massive ‘ARIRANG’ World Tour, which begins in April and spans multiple continents through 2027.

BigHit Music also confirmed that “BTS the City: ARIRANG” will not be limited to Seoul. The agency teased plans to expand the event overseas, suggesting similar citywide activations may take place in other global tour destinations. Further details, including international schedules and additional installations, will be released through BTS’s official Weverse channel.

As anticipation continues to build around ARIRANG, the Seoul citywide festival underscores BTS’s unique position in global music. Few artists have the cultural reach to reshape an entire capital city around an album release. With “BTS the City: ARIRANG Seoul,” BTS are not just releasing new music, they are creating a shared cultural moment that bridges tradition, modernity, and global fandom. From historic gates to riverside parks, Seoul is preparing to move to BTS’s rhythm once again.

Source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/609/0001089485

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