BTS is set to transform not just London, but also New York City into their own urban playground, The City.
On July 24, BTS will launch BTS The City Arirang-New York (hereafter The City New York) against the backdrop of the Big Apple. This ambitious project, spearheaded by HYBE, aims to blend concert experiences with urban exploration, offering fans an immersive city-wide entertainment extravaganza.
BTS first unveiled The City concept in 2022 during their Las Vegas performances. The septet turned Sin City into a purple paradise, their signature hue splashed across the city’s iconic landmarks, leaving fans and locals alike in awe.
Four years later, The City project made a triumphant return with BTS The City Arirang-Seoul, running from March 20 to April 12 this year.
March 20 marked BTS’s comeback as a full group after a 3-year-9-month hiatus, with the release of their fifth studio album ARIRANG. The group’s Gwanghwamun comeback show bathed Seoul’s landmarks in the album’s key color: a vibrant red.
During the Seoul event, BTS orchestrated a stunning media facade at Sungnyemun Gate (National Treasure No. 1) and dazzled crowds with a drone show at Ttukseom Hangang Park. They also set up a Love Song Lounge at Yeouido Hangang Park, offering interactive musical experiences that had fans buzzing with excitement.
The group then took The City to Busan, adorning key landmarks with their messaging through a drone light show at Gwangandaegyo Bridge, a big loop light show at Busan Cinema Center, and a media facade along Gwangbok-ro. The Busan leg of The City drew over 200,000 visitors, according to city officials, underlining BTS’s massive appeal.
In May, The City expanded to Las Vegas once again. This time, BTS partnered with 38 major local hotels and Lizzorts, utilizing 50 digital billboards and 10 landmark lighting installations to transform the entire city into a BTS-branded wonderland.
London became the fourth stop for The City post-comeback. The K-pop phenoms left their mark across the birthplace of pop music, showcasing their music videos and bespoke media art on the 360-degree screen and 16K light-emitting diode (LED) digital canvas at Outernet’s Now Building, one of Europe’s premier media hubs and a top London attraction.
In a notable expansion, the ARMY Lounge, previously exclusive to BTS’s fandom, was opened to the general public in London. The group also illuminated the iconic London Eye in red and deployed a massive 32-meter floating boat bearing the ARIRANG logo, creating unforgettable moments for fans and onlookers alike.
Now, BTS is set to conquer New York City. Their plans include taking over Top of the Rock, the famed observation deck at Rockefeller Center. This iconic vantage point, offering sweeping views of NYC’s skyline, will be decked out in the album’s signature red.
The group is also partnering with Big Bus Tours to create a special route connecting key The City New York locations, including Times Square, the Empire State Building, and Koreatown. Moreover, they’re setting up an ARMY Lounge in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, a space that sees 750,000 daily visitors, effectively turning it into a global hub for BTS enthusiasts.
As BTS continues to expand The City from Seoul and Busan to Las Vegas, London, and now New York, fans are eagerly speculating about which metropolis might be next to receive the BTS treatment after the New York project wraps up.