Speaking during the first Permission to Dance on Stage concert in Las Vegas, RM said, “We didn’t come [to Las Vegas] for the Grammys. We came for the ARMYs.” BTS and Hybe have spent the past two weekends proving this, preparing not only an incredible setlist but also creating fun and memorable experiences for ARMY around the city. In early 2020, Hybe introduced the concept of a “tour village” which was supposed to be introduced during the Map of the Soul Tour.
Two years later, Hybe has finally seen this vision realized, and ARMY is loving it. A tentative schedule – released by Hybe a few weeks ago – alludes to a BTS world tour in the second half of this year, meaning that a large number of ARMY may be able to experience this “BTS festival” in the near future. We’ll cover what the “borafication” of Las Vegas looked like to prepare ARMY for the borafication of future cities.
A Welcome From Las Vegas
The city of Las Vegas was ready and excited to host ARMY for the concerts. To kick off the festivities, the strip—the main road of casinos—turned all of their marquees purple with the phrase “borahaegas” for an hour on the night of April 7. Additionally, the famous Bellagio fountains also introduced a new water show featuring BTS music. Other institutions also created special BTS products, such as Saint Honore’s creation of a banana milk flavored BTS donut. During the tour, ARMY should look to see if any restaurants or stores offer special events when BTS comes to their city.
BTS Pop-Up and Photography Exhibition
This was not the first occasion that BTS has hosted a pop-up store nor a photography exhibit, but all of the content in both locations was completely new and curated for the Permission to Dance experience. The pop-up featured numerous sets for visitors to take pictures with, including several remakes of the sets used in their music videos. The site also had several food trucks and access to merch with shorter lines. Entrance to the pop-up was free, but ticketed reservations were made available. For those without a reservation, there was a standby line, and it seemed to move quite quickly.
Across the street from the pop-up was a photography exhibition which displayed photos of BTS during their time rehearsing and performing the Permission to Dance on Stage concerts in Seoul. There were also videos and quotes from the members shown as well. The exhibition required a timed ticket—with no standby line available—that cost $35. An additional amount could be paid to receive a set of postcards.
Hotels, Food, and Parties
Hybe also introduced a number of new events for what they called The City. The first of which was a partnership with hotels in Las Vegas to provide fans with BTS-themed rooms. Those staying there received a number of freebies including photocards. Fans were slightly dismayed that the announcement was made only two weeks before the show when many of them already had hotel rooms, but it’s something to look forward to for the next tour.
Hybe also partnered with Michelin star chef Back Sung Ook to create a three-course meal of BTS’ favorite Korean foods. Reservations are required for the Café, and the meal comes with a hefty price tag of about $60 per person. However, reservations could only be made in groups of 2, 4, 6, and 8. However, Michelin star food is known to be quite expensive, and the portions were decently sized. Finally, for fans that were of age, Hybe put on an after-party at a local nightclub where ARMY could dance to their favorite BTS songs after the concerts.
The Concert and Live Play
Once at the venues, there was still more for ARMY to enjoy. At the MGM Grand – where the Live Play was held – there was a photo zone, photo studio, and photocard random box. At Allegiant Stadium, there were free booths from McDonald’s, Samsung, Buldak Ramen, and the Korean Tourism Organization as well as the main merch booth. Additionally, there was more special food for ARMY to enjoy inside the stadium as BTS collaborated with the local catering company to provide unique menu items around the stadium such as kimchi hotdogs and BTS logo cookies.
Overall, there was no shortage of things for ARMY to do around the city, and Hybe’s first foray into creating a festival-like atmosphere can be considered a success. It’s no easy feat to turn an entire city into a fun-filled paradise, but Las Vegas really turned purple for two weeks. As previously stated, Hybe’s original intention was to take this festival on tour. So ARMY around the world can take heart that this BTS world may be coming to a city near them soon.
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Written By: Rachel
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: Juju
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