By noon on Saturday, thousands of the estimated 40,000 people attending KCON were still patiently waiting oustide the gate, eager for a chance to get a little closer to their favorite k-pop stars or k-drama actors. Many of the fans with tickets showed up by 5 a.m. to get as close as possible to the stage for the night's concert featuring G-dragon, IU, Teen Top and VIXX. But the number of people attending was so overwhelming that the crowds trickeled in.
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There was lots for fans to do inside the gate while waiting for the evening's performance. Panels covered topics such as women in k-dramas, Korean cooking, drama soundtracks, and fan fiction while k-pop dance workshops let fans demonstrate their moves.
Some of the fans attending the convention came from far away. We caught up with Sarina, 19, at a fan engagement ticket giveaway. She was very excited, having just won some fan engagement tickets to meet VIXX. Sarina and her two friends, who were dressed in white with sparkling accessories, traveled all the way from Utah.
"We came to see BTS, but next we really like VIXX," said Sarina after she finished jumping up and down.
She and her friends have been Hallyu fans since 2012 and were first attracted to the sounds of the group NU'EST.
Although more than half the fans attending were female, there were quite a few male fans. Dion and his two friends traveled from northern California.
His k-pop fandom began a year and a half ago when he heard a Girls Generation song.
"It caught fire with me and sparked a lifestyle," he said. Two of his best friends heard the same song on the same night. They were just "chilling," as Dion said and then everything changed.
The friends were attending their first KCON this year and they were especially keen to hear BTS, G-Dragon and of course Girls Generation, the group that started their Hallyu fever.
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