K-pop award shows 2026–27: dates and how to get in
From November to January, K-pop’s award shows turn into the biggest multi-artist concerts of the year: a dozen or more groups on one stage, special collaborations, and the only chance to see many of them live in a single night. Several of the biggest have moved abroad this season, so it matters which ones are actually in Korea.
In Korea this season
- Korea Grand Music Awards (KGMA): 7–8 November, Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul.
- Melon Music Awards (MMA): 14–15 November, Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul. Two days for the first time.
- The broadcasters’ year-end music festivals in December: SBS Gayo Daejeon traditionally on Christmas Day, KBS Song Festival in the second half of December, MBC Gayo Daejejeon on New Year’s Eve. 2026 dates are usually announced in the autumn.
The season at a glance
| KGMA | Run by Ilgan Sports, in its third year. Two nights with different line-ups: Artist Day on the Saturday, Music Day on the Sunday. Broadcast on ENA. |
|---|---|
| Melon Music Awards | Built on Melon, Korea’s biggest streaming service, and one of the most important award nights of the year. Seats are sold, not allocated by lottery, and Melon Ticket has an English global site. |
| MAMA Awards | CJ ENM’s ceremony, the most international of them, is at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan this year, not in Korea. |
| Asia Artist Awards | At the National Stadium in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Both days sold out within minutes. |
| Broadcaster festivals | SBS, KBS and MBC each stage a year-end music show with most of the year’s big acts. They are TV productions rather than ticketed concerts: audience places go mostly to the performing artists’ official fan clubs, with few or none on general sale. |
| Golden Disc Awards | The oldest of the major awards, held in Hanoi, Vietnam for its 41st edition. |
How tickets work
- Buy from the platform the organiser names, and nowhere else. For MMA that is Melon Ticket, which has an English site and takes international cards; set up the account before the sale opens.
- Check which night your artist is on. The two-day shows split the line-up, and the full running order often comes out only a week or two before.
- Expect four to five hours. Awards are handed out between performances, and the biggest acts usually close the night.
- Resale is risky. Tickets are often tied to the buyer’s name and ID, and resold ones can be refused at the gate. The K-pop tickets guide covers the platforms and the queue.
- For the broadcaster shows, watch the official fan-club channels of the artists you follow. Most places are allocated through them.
Planning a trip around them
KGMA and MMA fall on consecutive weekends at the same venue, so one trip can cover both. The Gocheok Sky Dome guide covers the station, the crowds after the show and where to stay. November is also the tail of the autumn colour in Seoul, and the Busan Fireworks Festival is on 7 November, the same Saturday as KGMA.
All concerts and award showsBuying K-pop tickets as a foreignerConcert venuesKorea in November
