K-Pop Forever!

K-Pop Forever!
Location
  • Europe
  • Asia
Start dateFebruary 14, 2026 (2026-02-14)
End dateMarch 18, 2027 (2027-03-18)
No. of shows142 (including shows with matinee and evening showings)

K-Pop Forever! is a tribute act concert tour featuring music by various K-pop performers as well as music from the 2025 Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. Produced by Taylor Entertainment, it features performances by live vocalists and dancers. The tour, which includes stops in cities in Europe and Asia, began on 14 February 2026 in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey and is set to conclude on 18 March 2027 in Saint-Étienne, France.

The tour went viral online after its show in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 19 February 2026 sparked backlash from parents over the quality of the show's performances and its appropriateness for children, believing that the show was solely a tribute to KPop Demon Hunters.[1]

Background

K-Pop Forever! is organized by Taylor Entertainment, a British live entertainment company specialized in producing touring shows that feature tribute performances to various musical acts such as Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift.[2] It was first announced on 24 September 2025 through its official social media platforms, with promotional material featuring animated characters that slightly resemble the characters from the film KPop Demon Hunters.[3][4] Advertised as an "all ages" event, the tour features live performances of songs from various K-pop musicians, including BTS, Blackpink and Twice, as well as songs from KPop Demon Hunters such as "Soda Pop" and "Golden". These songs are performed by four live vocalists accompanied by four backup dancers.[5]

The first set of dates for the tour were announced on 26 November 2025, with shows in various different cities across the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the British Crown Dependency of Guernsey in the Channel Islands.[6] On 28 January 2026, the second set of dates were announced, with shows in various cities in Europe (including France, Italy, Slovenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, North Macedonia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia), as well as new dates in the UK and Ireland.[7] A date in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France was added to the tour on 13 February 2026.[8]

On 18 March 2026, five new dates were announced, with shows in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Greece, Slovakia and Kazakhstan, along with rescheduled shows in Bucharest, Romania and Istanbul, Turkey.[9] At the same time, Indigo Productions (the co-producer of the tour's shows in Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Moldova and Serbia) announced ten new dates, including nine additional shows in France and a new date in Switzerland, extending the tour's run until 2027.[10] Additional shows, including those in the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Spain, Portugal and Austria, are set to be announced at a later date.[7][9]

Reception

The tour attracted attention on social media following its sold-out show at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 19 February 2026, where it garnered a mixed reception after parents who attended the show with their children complained that the show was "too mature" for younger fans, many of whom expected that the show would center exclusively around KPop Demon Hunters, saying that some parts of the show were "a little bit raunchy" and "not appropriate for kids."[11] Much of the criticism of the Belfast show were largely focused on its production, including explicit lyrics of the songs performed, the performers wearing skimpy outfits, "sexualized" dancing, and sound mixing issues, with some parents claiming that a performer's microphone did not function properly during the beginning of the show and alleging that some of the performers were miming.[1][12] In an interview with Belfast Live, one parent described the show as a "cash grab," claiming that the performers encouraged the audience to leave positive reviews of the show in exchange for a chance to win free merchandise.[13]

Parents also recalled that the children, most of whom went to the show dressed as characters from the film, began feeling bored and crying, resulting in people starting to leave the arena during the show's interval as songs from the film were performed at the end of the show.[1][14] While describing her experience at the show with her seven-year-old daughter, a parent admitted on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra that she was not aware that K-pop is a genre of popular music.[1]

However, other attendees of the concert received the show positively, with some parents saying that their children had a "great night."[1] An attendee told TheJournal.ie that her five-year-old niece had "the time of her life" and that it was a "brilliant night," knowing that the show was a K-pop tribute and already expected songs other than those from KPop Demon Hunters were going to be performed.[4][12]

Reaction to the Belfast show spread widely on TikTok, where videos of parents who attended the show attracted large audiences and sparked an intense debate, with some online users criticising the parents and defending the show's organizers and performers, pointing out the parents' lack of research on the event prior to buying tickets and misunderstanding what they had paid to see, as the concert was clearly advertised as a tribute to K-pop music rather than a show focused entirely on KPop Demon Hunters.[15]

In response to the criticism, the SSE Arena and Aiken Promotions (the promoter for the tour's shows in Ireland and Northern Ireland) released a statement on Facebook on 20 February, claiming that "the majority of customers enjoyed the show" and that the show was "an arena-standard tribute to the entire K-pop genre," while also admitting that they "understand that this was not what some expected." In addition, Aiken Promotions said that they took "all customers feedback seriously."[16]

Set list

The following set list is representative of the shows in the United Kingdom. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.[17]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Blackpink cover
  2. ^ a b c d e f Katseye cover
  3. ^ a b Twice cover
  4. ^ a b Cover from KPop Demon Hunters (originally performed by Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and SamUIL Lee as the Saja Boys)
  5. ^ Blackpink and Selena Gomez cover
  6. ^ Fifty Fifty cover
  7. ^ a b BTS cover
  8. ^ a b c d Cover from KPop Demon Hunters (originally performed by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami as Huntrix)
  9. ^ Jennie cover
  10. ^ Rosé and Bruno Mars cover
  11. ^ Cover from KPop Demon Hunters (originally performed by Ejae and Andrew Choi as Rumi and Jinu respectively)
  12. ^ Twice and Megan Thee Stallion cover

Tour dates

List of 2026 shows, showing date, city, country and venue[7][9]
Date (2026) City Country Venue
February 14 Saint Peter Port[a] Channel Islands Beau Séjour
February 15
February 18 Mullingar Ireland Mullingar Arts Centre
February 19 Belfast Northern Ireland SSE Arena
February 20 Drogheda Ireland The TLT
February 22[b] Castlebar TF Royal Hotel & Theatre
February 23 Belfast Northern Ireland SSE Arena
February 24 Cork Ireland Cork Opera House
February 26 Galway Leisureland
February 28 Kingston upon Hull[b] England Middleton Hall
Skopje North Macedonia Boris Trajkovski Sports Center
March 1 Stoke-on-Trent England King's Hall
March 6 Dumfries Scotland Easterbrook Hall
March 7 Brussels Belgium ING Arena
March 8 Norwich England Epic Studios
March 9 Dublin Ireland 3Arena
March 10
March 11
March 14 Łódź Poland Atlas Arena
Trowbridge[b] England Civic Centre
March 20 Barnsley Barnsley Metrodome
Zagreb Croatia Arena Zagreb
March 21 Middlesbrough England Middlesbrough Theatre
Zagreb Croatia Arena Zagreb
March 22 Rijeka Centar Zamet
Portobello Scotland Portobello Town Hall
March 27 Ljubljana Slovenia Arena Stožice
March 28 Maribor Tabor Hall
Lanark[b] Scotland Memorial Hall
March 29 Zadar Croatia[c] Krešimir Ćosić Hall
March 31 Solihull England Core Theatre
April 2 Aberdeen Scotland Beach Ballroom
April 3 Arbroath Webster Memorial Theatre
Assago[d] Italy Unipol Forum
April 4 Casalecchio di Reno[e] Unipol Arena
Ayr Scotland Ayr Town Hall
April 5 Arbroath Webster Memorial Theatre
April 6 Felixstowe England Spa Pavilion
April 7 Leicester Leicester Athena
April 8 Rhyl Wales Rhyl Pavilion
April 9 Swindon England Meca
April 10 Huntingdon Commemoration Hall
April 11[b] Northallerton The Forum
April 17 Oban Scotland Corran Halls
April 18 Airdrie Airdrie Town Hall
April 24 Kidderminster England Kidderminster Town Hall
April 25 Assago[d] Italy Unipol Forum
Ossett[f] England Ossett Town Hall
April 26 Leamington Spa The Assembly
May 3 Kilkenny Ireland The Hub
May 4[b] Cork Cork Opera House
May 6
May 8 Galway Leisureland
May 9[b]
May 10 Castlebar TF Royal Hotel & Theatre
May 12 Cork Cork Opera House
May 13
May 14
May 16 Belfast Northern Ireland SSE Arena
May 22 Whitehaven England Civic Hall
May 23 Rotterdam Netherlands Rotterdam Ahoy
Weymouth[b] England Weymouth Pavilion
May 24 Bath Komedia
May 25 Northampton The Deco
May 26 Runcorn The Brindley
May 27 Coventry Albany Theatre
May 28 Stamford Corn Exchange
May 29 Chesterfield Winding Wheel
May 30 Colchester Mercury Theatre
May 31 Whitby Whitby Pavilion
June 5 Killarney Ireland Gleneagle Arena
June 6
June 7 Castlebar TF Royal Hotel & Theatre
June 10[g] Cork Cork Docklands
June 11[g]
June 12 Mansfield England Palace Theatre
June 13 Leeds Pudsey Civic Hall
June 14 Hamilton Scotland[h] Hamilton Townhouse
June 19 Brentwood England Brentwood Centre
June 20 Kidderminster Kidderminster Town Hall
June 27 Buxton Buxton Pavilion Gardens
June 28 Newport Wales Riverfront Arts Centre
July 5 Wick Scotland Assembly Rooms
July 11 Dunoon Queen's Hall
July 17 Limerick Ireland University Concert Hall
July 18 Drogheda The TLT
July 19
July 25 Les Sables-d'Olonne France Arena Forum
July 31 Chester England Storyhouse
August 1[i] East Lulworth[j] Lulworth Castle
August 12[k] Letterkenny Ireland The Big Top
August 14 Killarney Gleneagle Arena
August 16 Castlebar TF Royal Hotel & Theatre
October 16 Hamburg Germany Barclays Arena
October 18 Berlin Uber Arena
October 20 Nuremberg PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena
October 21 Düsseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle
October 22 Hanover Swiss Life Hall
October 23 Munich BMW Park
October 27[l] Bucharest Romania Romexpo
November 7 Prague Czech Republic Prague Congress Centre
November 19 Riga Latvia Xiaomi Arena
November 22 Athens Greece Christmas Theater
November 23 Bratislava Slovakia Tipos aréna
November 25 Almaty Kazakhstan Baluan Sholak Sports Palace
November 29[m] Istanbul Turkey Ora Arena
December 1 Budapest Hungary László Papp Budapest Sports Arena
December 3 Chișinău Moldova Chișinău Arena
December 7 Sofia Bulgaria Arena 8888 Sofia
December 9 Belgrade Serbia Sava Centar
December 12 Rennes France Le Liberté
December 13 Floirac[n] Arkéa Arena
December 14 Saint-Herblain[o] Zénith de Nantes Métropole
December 15 Poitiers Arena Futuroscope
December 17 Caen Zénith de Caen
December 18 Boulogne-Billancourt Grande Seine
December 19 Amnéville Galaxie Amnéville
December 20 Dijon Zénith de Dijon
December 22 Lille Zénith de Lille
December 26 Chambéry Le Phare
December 27 Décines-Charpieu[p] LDLC Arena
December 28 Marseille Le Dôme de Marseille
December 29 Toulouse Zénith de Toulouse
December 30 Montpellier Le Zénith Sud
List of 2027 shows, showing date, city, country and venue[10]
Date (2027) City Country Venue
March 5 Eckbolsheim[q] France Zénith de Strasbourg
March 6 Reims Reims Arena
March 7 Le Grand-Quevilly[r] Zénith de Rouen
March 9 Tours Parc Expo de Tours
March 10 Orléans CO'Met Arena
March 11 Cournon-d'Auvergne[s] Zénith d'Auvergne
March 12 Geneva Switzerland Geneva Arena
March 16 Nice France Palais Nikaïa
March 17 Toulon Zénith Oméga de Toulon
March 18 Saint-Étienne Zénith de Saint-Étienne

Notes

  1. ^ Labeled as Guernsey in promotional material.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h This stop has two showings, a matinee and an evening show.
  3. ^ Labeled in earlier promotional material as being part of the tour's shows in Slovenia. However, it was labeled in newer promotional material as being part of the tour's shows in Croatia.
  4. ^ a b Labeled as Milan in promotional material.
  5. ^ Labeled as Bologna in promotional material.
  6. ^ Labeled as Wakefield in promotional material.
  7. ^ a b The concert will be a part of Live at the Marquee.
  8. ^ Labeled in promotional material as being part of the tour's shows in England.
  9. ^ The concert will be a part of Camp Bestival.
  10. ^ Labeled as Dorset in promotional material.
  11. ^ The concert will be a part of Summer Sessions.
  12. ^ The concert on October 27, 2026, at Romexpo in Bucharest was originally announced to take place on December 8, 2026, but was rescheduled.
  13. ^ The concert on November 29, 2026, in Istanbul was originally announced to take place on December 5, 2026, at the Istanbul Congress Center, but was rescheduled and moved to Ora Arena.
  14. ^ Labeled as Bordeaux in promotional material.
  15. ^ Also labeled as Nantes in promotional material.
  16. ^ Also labeled as Lyon in promotional material.
  17. ^ Labeled as Strasbourg in promotional material.
  18. ^ Labeled as Rouen in promotional material.
  19. ^ Labeled as Clermont-Ferrand in promotional material.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Organisers defend KPop gig after angry backlash over 'horrendous' concert". BBC News. 21 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  2. ^ "ABOUT US". Taylor Entertainment. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  3. ^ "K-Pop Forever Tribute". K-Pop Forever. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2026 – via Facebook.
  4. ^ a b Chalouche, Aicha (23 February 2026). "What's Going On With The K-Pop Concert Belfast Drama?". Stellar. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  5. ^ Shortiss, Eoin (13 October 2025). "Sell-out K-Pop show coming to Cork's Live at the Marquee next summer". Cork Beo. Retrieved 24 March 2026. Four vocalists will perform all songs, singing alongside backup dancers and under a dazzling display of "eye-popping" lighting and special effects.
  6. ^ "⭐️⭐️ 𝑲 𝑷𝑶𝑷 𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝒙 𝑼𝑲 & 𝑹𝑶𝑰 𝑻𝑶𝑼𝑹 ⭐️⭐️ The juggernaut that is K-Pop Forever embarks on its maiden voyage this February & here are the tour dates! Taking in some of the largest arenas and theatres in the UK & Ireland - with more to be announced, this is one spectacular you do not want to miss!". Taylor Entertainment. 26 November 2025. Retrieved 6 March 2026 – via Facebook.
  7. ^ a b c "🟪🟪🟪Worldwide Domination…Loading!🟪🟪🟪". Taylor Entertainment. 28 January 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026 – via Facebook.
  8. ^ ARENA - Les Sables d’Olonne [@lso_arena]; (13 February 2026). "✨ K-POP FOREVER aux Sables d'Olonne ✨" [K-POP FOREVER in Les Sables d'Olonne]. Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via Instagram.
  9. ^ a b c @kpopforevertour; (18 March 2026). "*World Tour 2026 - UPDATED*". Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via Instagram.
  10. ^ a b Indigo Productions [@indigoproductionsofficiel]; (18 March 2026). "💥 Succès 🤩 K-Pop Forever ! poursuit sa tournée en mars 2027 ! 💥" [Success. K-Pop Forever! continues its tour in March 2027!]. Retrieved 24 March 2026 – via Instagram.
  11. ^ Pring, Joe (21 February 2026). "K-pop tribute show goes viral after setlist causes mass confusion for parents". Dexerto. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  12. ^ a b Flynn, Valerie (20 February 2026). "Promoter defends K-pop concert touring Ireland after parents complain about last night's show". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  13. ^ Currell, Rob (20 February 2026). "'It was a cash grab': Mother speaks out after K-Pop tribute show leaves children in tears". Belfast Live. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  14. ^ Patterson, Hannah (20 February 2026). "'The show was a shambles': Parents hit out at K-Pop Belfast tribute show as SSE Arena issues statement". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  15. ^ O'Keefe, Chloe (22 February 2026). "Explainer: What is the K-Pop Forever Belfast controversy going viral on TikTok?". extra.ie. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  16. ^ Nugent, Annabel (21 February 2026). "K-Pop fans defend Belfast tribute concert amid complaints over 'horrendous' show". The Independent. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  17. ^ "🎶 𝑼𝑲 - 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒕 K-Pop Forever ⬇️ Are you joining the thousands of fans that are heading to one of our upcoming United Kingdom tour dates? If so, please see below for songs to expect on the 𝐔𝐊 leg of our 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫 💜". K-Pop Forever. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 13 March 2026 – via Facebook.