Tickets for the highly anticipated BTS comeback concert in Seoul sold out almost instantly on Monday, underscoring the massive global demand for the K-pop supergroup’s return to live performances ahead of their upcoming world tour.
The event marks BTS’s first major live performance in nearly four years and comes as part of a larger promotional cycle linked to their new studio album Arirang and the sprawling Arirang World Tour.
The free concert, officially titled “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang,” is scheduled for March 21, 2026, in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul.
\Ticket reservations opened on the evening of February 23 at 8 p.m. local time, and within minutes the limited allotment of around 15,000 reserved tickets was gone — snapped up by fans from around the world.
As soon as reservations opened, more than 100,000 fans were logged into the booking platform at the same time, leading to heavy traffic and technical glitches, including device freezing and queue congestion.
Many fans reportedly logged in from high-speed internet hubs like PC cafés in an effort to clinch tickets, only to find the allocation vanished within moments.
“In just minutes, the tickets were completely claimed,” one fan posted online, highlighting the frustration expressed by many supporters who logged on early only to be unsuccessful in the reservation process.
City authorities and organising officials are preparing for exceptionally large crowds around the concert venue.
Estimates suggest that up to 260,000 people could gather in and around Gwanghwamun Square, with many fans arriving early to secure spots or participate in surrounding fan events and activities.
Seoul police have announced safety measures that include designated entry points, crowd control barriers, and transportation adjustments to manage the influx.
This Seoul event serves as a prelude to BTS’s Arirang World Tour, set to kick off in Goyang, South Korea, on April 9, 2026, and span 82 shows across 34 cities and multiple continents throughout 2026 and early 2027.
Tickets for these full-scale tour stops also sold out rapidly during presale and general sales, with many stadium dates, from North America to Europe, reaching capacity within hours or even minutes of going live.
Some presales reportedly moved more than a million tickets in under 24 hours across multiple cities, showing how intense demand has been across the globe.
While reseller activity has surged in tandem with high demand, fans are being encouraged to remain patient and cautious, avoiding inflated secondary market prices and sticking with official partner listings when possible.
Since their debut in 2013, the group has built one of the most devoted fanbases in the world, with a track record of setting streaming, sales, and live attendance records across multiple continents.
Their influence has extended beyond music into global tourism, retail trends, and even economic indicators — a phenomenon some analysts refer to as “BTS-nomics.”