HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 Thousands of K-pop fans are descending on Tampa ahead of this weekend’s BTS concerts.<\/p>\n
The city says it expects 60,000 fans to attend each of the South Korean boy band’s three shows at Raymond James Stadium scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. Preparations were underway Wednesday across Tampa Bay, including at Tampa International Airport.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
BTS is scheduled to kick off the North American leg of its “Arirang” world tour on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium\u00a0 “It’s unbelievable,” said Chang Lee, of Tampa. “It’s actually unheard of.”<\/p>\n Lee said he, his wife, Paris, and their son came to the airport after hearing about the fanfare. Concertgoers arriving for the North American kickoff of the “Arirang” tour were greeted by welcome signs, employees decked out in BTS’s signature color, purple, a balloon arch set up for photos, and a performance by the Progress Village Middle Magnet School Majorette Team to some of the group’s hits.<\/p>\n “I came to see that, too, to see if it was real. I was seeing it on social media,” Lee said, pointing to an area set up for photos. “This is incredible. I cannot believe a Korean band is doing this in Tampa, of all places. It’s not Atlanta. They picked Tampa to come to – that’s great.”<\/p>\n TPA Communications Manager Beau Zimmer said the airport does add special touches to welcome fans of big events but rarely does something on this scale. He said the welcome fit for an ARMY, the name given to BTS’s fan base, is due in large part to local fans. According to Zimmer, they began reaching out months in advance, wanting to do something to greet those who are traveling from around the country – and the world – to see the shows. Members of the ARMY group Tampa Bangtan Besties said they’d already greeted people from South Korea, Australia, Germany, and more.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Nearby, the city closed the section of Tampa Bay Blvd. in front of the stadium for merchandise sales that are set to begin Thursday. Preparations were even underway miles from the venue in Temple Terrace.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n “Insane. I think this is going to be the craziest week we’ve experienced so far,” said Ritu Varde, co-owner of Soundbloom K-pop.<\/p>\n The nearly two-year-old store founded by Varde and co-owner Lisa Ha aims to create access to albums, exclusive merchandise, and items K-pop lovers might otherwise only be able to get abroad. Varde said it’s also about creating community. After discovering BTS in college ten years ago, that community is what Ha said caused her to become an even bigger fan in 2022.<\/p>\n “It’s just super fun to meet new people and connect, and it really pulled me in deep,” Ha said.<\/p>\n Thursday marks the start of a week of promotions and special events at Soundbloom to celebrate BTS in Tampa Bay. Ha and Varde said they got a taste of the economic boost the band brings when one of its members, Jin, performed in Tampa last year.<\/p>\n K-pop boy band sensation BTS will be performing multiple nights at Raymond James Stadium, but before the concerts get underway, there will be a road closure. Our Traffic Expert @TimWronka<\/a> explains what to expect. pic.twitter.com\/LVBUgqchKr<\/a><\/p>\n
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\u00a0Tampa International Airport welcomed concertgoers on Wednesday with a special performance and a lot of purple, the group’s signature color
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\u00a0The shows are expected to be a boost for local businesses, including miles from the venue at Temple Terrace’s Soundbloom K-pop<\/a>, which has a week of special promotions and events planned to celebrate
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Read previous coverage here<\/a>\u00a0
\nBTS in Tampa: Here\u2019s what you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n