These K-Pop events are happening near you!

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K-pop disco parties and fan-organized events to celebrate idols' birthdays are commonplace in Korea. But we actually have parties in Germany and Europe where K-pop music is played and fans celebrate the birthdays of their favorite idols together! Have you ever attended a K-Pop party or fan meeting near you?

In this article we will introduce you to a few events that may also be happening in your area:

• K-Pop Parties
• Cup Sleeve/ Bubble Tea Event
• Dance Cover Contests/ Random Play Dance
• Meetups

K-Pop Parties

Parties are popular everywhere and since K-Pop has now become a global phenomenon, it is no wonder that K-Pop parties are also taking place in Europe. Often it's just K-pop in general, but there are also themes like specific years or a specific group.

To find out if there's a party coming up near you, keep checking social media and the internet for K-pop parties.

A helpful site is for example eventbrite where you can filter for suitable events using keywords. German fans can, among other things, also use the Instagram account of Korean Party Factory Keep an eye on where new parties are regularly announced.

Cup Sleeve Events/ Bubble Tea Event

When it's an idol's birthday or a K-pop band's anniversary is approaching, fans often organize so-called cup sleeve events:

Cup sleeves are covers for cups, usually made of paper. The sleeves usually have a picture of the idol's birthday printed on them as well as a date or a birthday greeting. These events usually take place in a café. To get a cup sleeve, guests simply need to order something from the cafe. In addition to cup sleeves, there are often freebies such as photo cards or stickers. In most cases, suitable music is even played in the cafés.

These events are organized entirely by fans. They rent a café or organize a collaboration, they design the sleeves and freebies, produce them and let as many fans as possible know when and where these events take place. It's usually enough to simply google “Cup Sleeve Event” and your city or country to find out if there are events near you. There are even Twitter or Instagram accounts that are only there to inform fans. Examples of this are the German account @kpopeventberlin or the Australian account @kpopteaeventsau.

Additionally, if you know a café that has hosted a cup sleeve event before, there is a good chance that the café will repeat the event at some point.

Have you perhaps heard of bubble tea or K-pop tea events?

These are often but not always the same as cup sleeve events. This is because cup sleeve events often take place in bubble tea shops. That fits very well, after all, bubble tea is a very popular drink among K-pop fans and there are now shops like this all over the world.

Why isn't every bubble tea event also a cup sleeve event? The very simple reason is that cup sleeves are not always distributed. Sometimes there are photo cards, stickers or other freebies instead.

These events are a great opportunity to celebrate each idol's birthday or anniversary, meet other K-Pop fans, and take home some free gifts. Have you ever been to a cup sleeve event?

Dance Cover Contests/ Random Play Dance

Sometimes fans or event organizers also call for a random play dance or a dance cover contest.

A Random Play Dance is usually organized by fans:

K-Pop fans meet at a specific location to dance together in a relaxed manner! The organizers put together a medley of popular K-pop songs and anyone who wants can run to the middle and dance to the songs if they know the choreography. It's like a big flash mob and the audience stands in a big circle to leave room for the dancers. Some fans dance along to almost every song, some only occasionally and others just watch. So you're welcome even if you can't or don't want to dance. The more people come, the better!

In addition to the Random Play Dance, there are also K-Pop Dance Cover Contests, which are usually not organized by fans but by event companies.

Dance groups can often apply with a video and appear in the competition if their video has convinced the jury! You can win money or a trip to Korea, for example. For big events like the K-Pop World Festival, the finals even take place in South Korea! Not only dance teams from all over the world perform there, but also K-Pop stars!

Some such competitions also have spectators, especially if they are part of a larger event. So you can also go as a spectator to meet other fans.

If you like dancing, you should ask around to see if there is a K-pop dance group near you. Have you ever seen a “K-Pop in Public” video? These videos are recorded by fans who have formed groups to dance together! You learn the iconic choreographies down to the last detail and also dress appropriately for the videos.

Meetups

Sometimes fans just meet up to get to know other fans and hang out together. It's especially worth keeping your eyes open if there's a K-pop concert coming up in your area or a big festival like Japan Day in Düsseldorf, Germany. Large events like these, for which fans travel from all over the world, are a good opportunity to organize a meeting, either on the day itself or before/after.

Celebrate and mourn together:

It is very annoying and sad when a concert is canceled, for example because the artist is sick. But the day doesn't have to be wasted! Sometimes fans organize an impromptu meeting for everyone who would have actually gone to the concert. There is no better opportunity, after all, everyone has taken the day off. Even visitors from abroad are often there when the concert was canceled at such short notice that they were no longer able to cancel their flights. Make the most of the day!

If there is truly something to mourn, like the death of an idol, perhaps you can mourn with other fans.

When SHINee's Jonghyun died and recently Astro's Moonbin died, fans of the idols gathered to share their grief. Especially if you don't have any other K-pop fans around you, such meetings are a chance to express your feelings. You can comfort and rebuild each other. Pictures and candles are often set up to create, at least temporarily, a special place of honor for the singer.

Like everything else, such meetings and events are announced and organized on social media. Check Twitter, Instagram etc. regularly so you don't miss anything!