After the massive success of the 2025 Asia Artist Awards (AAA) in Kaohsiung, expectations were high for the follow-up ACON music festival held on December 7. Yet despite a venue capacity of 55,000, the festival only managed to fill less than 40% of seats, with entire upper sections left unsold and visibly empty.

In sharp contrast to AAA’s sold-out affair—featuring big names like IU, Stray Kids, IVE, and RIIZE—ACON, though featuring rising talent, lacked the same star-studded lineup. The event still generated buzz thanks to its Taiwanese MC duo: Allen from CRAVITY and Shuhua from (G)I-DLE, but that wasn’t enough to draw the expected crowd.

Fan images from the scene revealed that while the floor area was packed and lively, the second level was only half full, and the third level was entirely closed off from sales, with empty seats stretching across the upper tiers.

Organizers tried to energize the audience with performances by rookie groups like AHOF, and major acts like ATEEZ and Philippine boy band SB19. Their enthusiasm and stage charisma were undeniable, with groups even greeting fans in Mandarin and giving special shout-outs to Kaohsiung. Still, the atmosphere couldn’t replicate the fever pitch of AAA.

Despite the low ticket turnout, online viewership told a different story: the event garnered over 440,000 views on Weverse, reflecting the ongoing strength of K-pop’s global reach.

Fans and analysts cite the lack of AAA-level headliners and post-awards fatigue as possible reasons for the underwhelming attendance. While the organizers succeeded in showcasing promising talents and maintaining online engagement, ACON 2025 became a sobering reminder that even the power of K-pop needs the right lineup and timing to translate into live audience numbers.

Sources: ETtoday星光雲