My KCON Adventure – As a Parent, Is There Anything I Can Do?
Hello! Were you brought here because your child is a big K-Pop, K-beauty, or just general Korean culture fan? Or did you come here with your family because you wanted to do something exciting with your children?
No need to fret! We have plenty of programs for people of all ages to enjoy. You might not enjoy K-Pop yourself, but check out the schedule below for programs you can enjoy with your family.
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First things first, though, we have to inform you of our generic policies and programs that will help you enjoy the convention.
KCON Convention Registration
The events and programs we will be recommending can only be accessed at our KCON Convention, which means you will need to purchase a Convention wristband. If you have one already, that’s great! If you don’t have a wristband yet, you can purchase and register a 2-day wristband for $20 each on this website or on-site. On-site registration will take some time, however, so we recommend you and your family register your wristband online in order to have more to explore the Convention.
KCON Check-In
Now that you have your wristband, you’re ready for check-in! The Convention itself will be open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on both June 23rd and 24th. You can check-in anytime from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM on those days.
However, we highly encourage you do early check-in on June 22nd from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. You’ll save yourself more time to enjoy the actual Convention on Saturday and Sunday.
If you or any of your family have purchased artist engagement vouchers, you will definitely want to check-in on June 22nd or the morning of June 23rd before the Convention starts so that you don’t accidentally miss any of your engagements.
Hydration & Merchandise
The convention is big and with programs happening in different locations, you might find yourself hurriedly power-walking across the Convention. If you are coming with children, you may even find yourself hurriedly chasing after them as they excitedly power-walk to the next program. As this pattern repeats throughout the day, you’ll most likely find yourself parched and hot.
This year, to help keep our fans hydrated, we added a water bottle to our merchandise lineup. You’ll be able to refill your water bottle at the water refill stations to stay hydrated even after all that rushing around to keep your children in your sight.
Get Your Updates!!
Onsite, there will be schedule changes, announcements of artist booth appearances, and important reminders. Please make sure to download the KCONUSA app (iOs | Android), and follow us on social media (Instagram | Twitter | Facebook) for realtime updates. It will be well-worth the minor annoyance of push notifications so that you know why people are rushing towards a certain direction or to which booth or program your child may have secretly rushed off on his or her own.
Maps
As mentioned earlier, the convention is big and you will probably want to familiarize yourself with where everything is at the KCON Convention. Take a look at the following two maps of the K-Activity Zone and K-Culture Zones so you can orient yourself before the event starts. (If you decide to let your 18-year-old children go off on their own, familiarizing yourself with the map will help you reconnect with them throughout the day and understand what they mean when they say “I’m at BHHH right now. I’ll see you at Champion Plaza.”)
As you might notice in the photos, we added a PARENT’S LOUNGE this year. We’ll have a few seats and water for you to refresh yourself, so do stop by!
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Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s start with the actual itinerary specifically designed for PARENTS! The itinerary assumes you have already checked-in prior to the Convention start time. Of course, the programs listed below are what we think parents will enjoy and you are free to take or add programs from this sample itinerary.
SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd
10:00 – 11:00 AM: Exploration Time
Convention programs won’t start until 11 AM, so you can use this hour to get yourself acquainted with the KCON Convention. Make sure your children don’t run because we don’t wish for them to get injured.
Here are the four main areas you will need to know:
- K-Activity Zone: This is the area where you can experience all of our convention panels and workshops, including our dance workshops. If there’s a panel you or your children are really excited about, you will want to get a seat early.
- K-Culture Zone: In this zone, you can find our market, sponsors, picnic area, and our stage. A lot of sponsors and vendors have great things to see, purchase, and/or giveaway, so it’s good spot to peruse before it gets busy! Plus, our official KCON Merchandise Booth is here. Get your merch (i.e. water bottle) before they sell out!
- Championship Plaza: This is the registration area and it’s also where the Information Booth & Lost and Found are located. If you’re coming with children, you are probably aware that things get lost all the time so you will probably want to know where you can go to find your lost item.
- Barnaby Health Hockey House (BHHH): Here is where all the artist engagements, KLUB KCON, and Red Carpet events will take place.
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: KCON Paint Nite
If you are planning on exploring the Convention with your family, you’ll want to check out this workshop moderated by the lovely Susie Kelly, who also ran this workshop for the first time last year. It may (or may not) get a bit messy but it’ll be fun releasing or even finding your inner artist 😉
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Learn How to Make Jumeokbap and Oi Naengguk with Culinary Chef Shin Kim
Unless you know Korean or know how to read Korean romanization, you are probably confused about how to even read the food workshop name. But, in this workshop, you will be learning how to make refreshing cucumber soup (oi naengguk) and rice balls (jumeokbap)! Yum!
The workshop will be run by panelist Shin Kim who has taught classes throughout numerous institutions in New York and has tailored Korean recipes for home cooks in the U.S.
Join this workshop to expand your cooking repertoire and learn how to make some staple summertime Korean dishes. You can use the recipes you learn to surprise your family and spice up your next family meal!
4:30 – 5:00 PM: PERFORMANCE – HEESUN LEE
There will be a lot of performances throughout the convention from our special guests but you will definitely want to check out the performance by Heesun Lee at the KCON Stage. She is a rapper and spoken word artist breaking stereotypes. Not only that, but she is also a mother and wife so as parents, you are likely to enjoy her performance.
5:00 – 6:00 PM:Make your own K-POP Patch
Another workshop led by our beautiful guest Susie Kelly. If you’ve attended the KCON Paint Nite workshop, you probably have an idea of what to expect.
Embroidered patches are the latest fashion in Korea and by attending this workshop, you can learn the basics of embroidering and how to design your own patch.
If you were ever thinking of modifying or embellishing your children’s clothing or any home furniture, this workshop may help you.
7:00 PM – : MCOUNTDOWN Concert
If you have purchased a concert ticket online for the MCountdown show, you can head over to the Prudential Center at 7:00 PM to enjoy the pre-show led by some of our special guests and our Cover Star K contest winner!
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SUNDAY, JUNE 24th
Welcome back! The first day of the convention has passed and you’re probably tired but drag yourself and your children out of bed because there is still a lot to do at the Convention.
11:30 AM– 12:30 PM:The K-Beauty Craze: Why Everyone’s Talking about K-Beauty
Whether it’s for yourself or for your children, you will want to check out this panel. K-beauty is well-known among internet beauty enthusiasts and you may have heard of Korea’s great skincare beauty products and routines. In this panel moderated by Stevie Chong of Glow Recipe, featuring panelists Devon Abelman, Joan Kim, Caro Malis, and Sarah Han, you’ll get an inside look on why K-beauty has been exploding this year (not that it hasn’t already exploded these past couple of years!).
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Hallyu Fans Over 30
After almost a full day and a half of the convention, you have probably noticed that most Convention attendants are young, like real young. But no need to worry. You’re not the only adult here at the convention.
As parents, you may enjoy this panel the most. Most of this panel attendants are Hallyu (or Korean Wave) fans over the age of 30, so you will be most likely to find people you can relate to in this panel. You never know, you may meet our parents of K-Pop fans!
3:30 – 4:00 PM: Performance – Annalé
Now, you’ve probably been busy all day long, so let’s go and relax at the KCON Stage. From 3:30 to 4:00 PM, you can enjoy a performance from Annalé, an artist with a “perfect blend of Neo-Soul, R&B, and Pop.” Her voice will reach to the depths of your soul and relieve you of any stress or tiredness that may have built up throughout the day.
4:00 – 5:30 PM: Decorate Your KCON Tote Bag!
I hope you relaxed and enjoyed the previous performance at KCON Stage because it is now time to get active again. In this workshop moderated by Susie Kelly, you will be able to decorate your KCON Tote Bag! If you have enjoyed the previous art workshops, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. If you were unable to attend the other art workshops because of schedule conflicts, here’s your last chance to get a little Artsy~
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I hope the itinerary helped you plan out your days at the KCON Convention. Some time slots have been left blank so you can fill it with programs of your choice. Make sure to check out the full Convention Schedule.
It was a pleasure to “talk” to you and I hope you have you have a wonderful time at the Convention regardless of how or why you were brought here!