KCON 2016: New York, Here I Come!

As I’m sure many of you know, KCON NY is just a couple of days away which means it’s officially time for this zombie to start functioning solely on caffeine and adrenaline. WOOO-HOOOOOOO! (Okay, so may I should cut back on the caffeine a little… or a lot…)

With mere hours standing between me and the time I start winging my way towards the Big Apple, I had to take a few minutes to sit down and squee over all of the epicness that this weekend will bring. (I may also have to do a little shameless self-promotion while I’m at it but only because I want to meet as many of you as possible.)

The lineup for this year’s East Cost edition of KCON has me pretty flipping excited. As pretty much the entire world knows, I’m a huge fan of BTS so seeing them is so flipping fantastic! I was so completely blown away by them when I first saw them at KCON LA 2 years ago. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the convention this year. I know it’s going to be amazing. Of course if they perform “Fire” or “Save Me” or (let’s be honest here) any other song, I may not survive but I’m okay with that.

Of course BTS isn’t the only talented group in this year’s lineup and they’re certainly not the only group I’m excited to see. I’m completely over-the-moon about the fact that both DAY6 and Seventeen are going to be a part of this weekend’s convention. I love, love, LOVED DAY6 when I saw them in Toronto last month and I was so sad when I had to leave their fanmeet to go do my panel. They were so captivating, I didn’t want to leave! My only consolation was knowing I’d see them again and I CAN’T WAIT!!! And then there’s Seventeen… Oh jeeze! Where to even start with them!?! I’m gonna see Woozi in person! And S.Coup Hoshi and Wonwoo and DK and Mingyu and Seunggwan and Vernon and… Oh dear gracious! I think I need to stop before my heart explodes! Let’s just say that I’ve loved both Seventeen and DAY6 since debut and the fact that I get to see them both on the same weekend… ACK!

The crazy thing is, the amazing doesn’t stop there! BtoB is also part of the lineup and well, again I’m having a moment of fangirliness so strong my words are failing me. And then there’s MAMAMOOOOOOOOO!!!!! OH SOMEONE PINCH ME! Again I’m seeing a group I’ve loved since even before their debut and I just don’t know what to do with myself! I adore MAMAMOO! I want to be MAMAMOO! Whasa is my biggest girl crush… my spirit animal… my… my… I don’t even know what she is. I just love her and the rest of MAMAMOO so much! I’m so excited I get to see them in person!

And then there’s Dynamic Duo and Crush! Both fantastic, both killer in person, both so very much amazing in every way… I can’t believe I’m seeing them both for a second time in less than a year! How does one zombie get to be so lucky!?! And then there’s Ailee, whose voice is just so incredible I get chills every time I listen to her sing! And Eric Nam, who I’ve seen in person on a couple different occasions but never actually gotten to see perform. AUGH! There’s just so much to be excited about!

And that’s just the concert part of it! For the drama lovers out there (myself included) Park Bo Young and Yim Si Wan are both scheduled to make an appearance. When and where, I have no idea but they’re going to be there and that’s more than enough for me! As long as I can see them somewhere, I’m good!

But wait, there’s more! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

As fantastic as the concert lineup is, there’s so much more to KCON than the concerts. There’s also the convention side of it full of super awesome panels (yes, I’m totally biased) and workshops and there’s the convention stage and the marketplace and the free ramen samples and all kinds of great stuff! Personally, my favorite part of the convention (aside from those super awesome panels) is wandering the marketplace. There’s always so much great stuff to check out and all kinds of goodies given out and it’s just a lot of fun. With this being my first year to attend KCON in New York, I don’t know if the marketplace will be as extensive as the one in LA was last year but it should at least be worth wandering around for a bit and I intend to do just that. Of course anyone who’s going to be at KCON this weekend is welcome to join me in my meanderings. The more the merrier!

WARNING: SHAMELESS PLUG HAPPENING IN 3… 2… 1…

For those of you who plan on being at KCON this weekend, be sure to check out some of the super awesome panels, especially the “Hallyu Fan on a Budget” and “The Return of the Secret Lives of K-Pop Fans Over 30” panels. (Man, it’s painful to admit I’m on that last panel, but only because I have to admit my age… Ugh!)

Shameless self-promotion aside, this year’s panel lineup is pretty great. I happen to know quite a few of this year’s panelist and I can tell you, no matter which panels you sit in on, you’re going to enjoy them! And don’t forget to check out the games and workshops! Personally, I really want to sit in on one of the Korean snack workshops and watch JuNCurryAhn’s performance on the convention stage and maybe sit in on the “Behind the Scenes with the Producers of S.M. Entertainment” panel but we’ll see. There’s just so much to do, I never have time to do it all! Of course that doesn’t mean I can’t try…

With so much to look forward to, it’s a wonder I haven’t exploded yet. I’m just so darn excited! Of course I’ll be sharing all of my adventures once I get back but I have to get there first which means I need to stop squeeing and start packing! If you’re going to be at KCON this weekend, have lots of fun! And if you happen to see a bright pink-ish-purple-ish haired zombie shambling around, be sure to stop and say hi! There’s nothing I love more than squeeing with friends! Hope to see you there!