BTS Returns With Global Tour Spanning 34 Cities and 79 Shows (Image courtesy of Big Hit Music)
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — BTS will launch a new world tour in April, returning to the global stage for the first time in nearly four years, as the K-pop powerhouse prepares for one of the largest concert runs ever mounted by a single Korean act.
The group will open the tour with three shows on April 9 and April 11–12 at Goyang Sports Complex, just northwest of Seoul, according to BigHit Music, which announced the schedule early Wednesday via the fan platform Weverse.
The tour marks BTS’s first full-scale concert series since it concluded “Permission to Dance on Stage” in Las Vegas in 2022. Beginning in Korea, the group will perform 79 shows across 34 cities spanning North America, Europe, South America and Asia.
BigHit said the itinerary already represents the highest number of performances ever staged by a K-pop artist on a single tour, with additional dates in Japan and the Middle East still under discussion.
Among the most notable stops is a two-night concert in Busan on June 12 and 13. The latter date coincides with BTS’s debut anniversary, making the performance especially symbolic. Busan is also the hometown of members Jimin and Jungkook, adding further significance to the rare decision to include a non-capital Korean city on a major world tour.
The North American leg will begin April 25–26 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa and includes first-ever K-pop concerts in cities such as El Paso and Foxborough.
K-pop superband BTS performs at the Los Angeles stop of this year’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the largest year-end radio show in the United States, at the Forum Theater in the U.S. city on Dec. 3, 2021 (U.S time), in this photo provided by Big Hit Music.
BTS will also become only the second artist after Coldplay to headline a solo show at Stanford Stadium, and the first Korean act to perform at major U.S. venues including AT&T Stadium in Arlington and M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
In Europe, the group will stage 10 shows across five cities in June and July, including London and Paris, while making first-time solo appearances in Madrid and Brussels. The tour will then continue to South America, with stops in cities such as São Paulo and Buenos Aires, before expanding to the Middle East.
BigHit described the tour as further evidence that BTS’s popularity is no longer concentrated in a handful of markets but firmly global. All performances will feature a 360-degree stage design, an immersive format typically reserved for artists with exceptional drawing power, allowing audiences to surround the stage and significantly increasing seating capacity.
Ahead of the tour, BTS will release its fifth full-length studio album on March 20. The album will feature 14 tracks and marks the group’s first major release since its members completed mandatory military service, setting the stage for a high-profile return to music and live performance in 2026.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
