Korean Music Festival Guide (Part 1)
KMF 2011 information:
Date:April 30th, 6:30 PM
Korea Times Music Festival is proud to announce the 2011 Artist Lineup: 4minute, Baek Ji-Young, Bobby Kim, DJ DOC, G.NA, Jay Park, Jeon Young-Rok, Jeong Soo-Ra, K.will, Kim Jang-Hoon, Lee Eun-Ha, Secret, SISTAR, Song So-Hee, Sul Woon-Do, and U-KISS
On the 26th, G.NA tweeted that she is going to be one of the MC’s for the concert.
Due to Bobby Kim’s unfortunate accident, he will be unable to perform at this year’s concert. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery. Read more.
ANNOUNCEMENT by Korea Times on 1/27/11 :Due to scheduling conflicts with artists, the 2011 Korean Music Festival will move the concert date to April 30th. We apologize for any inconvenience but please know that we are working hard to bring you the best lineup possible! Ticket sales will still start on January 29th at 10am PST!
ANNOUNCEMENT by Korea Times on 3/2/11
Korea Times Music Festival
ANNOUNCEMENT by Korea Times on 3/7/11
ANNOUNCEMENT by Korea Times on 3/11/11
Baek Ji-Young, G.NA, Jay Park, Jeong Soo-Ra, and K-will
Another Batch Of Artists Confirmed By Korea Times Advertisement 3/29/11
Bobby Kim, Secret, Jeon Young Lok, and Song So Hee. Link
ANNOUNCEMENT by Korea Times on 4/13/11
Due to Bobby Kim’s unfortunate accident, he will be unable to perform at this year’s concert. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Order in person: Korea Times Ticket Office (located in the lobby) 4525 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
Phone:(323)692-2055, 2070, 2178
Online: www.koreanmusicfestival.com
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This is a mega information package on the Korean Music Festival (KMF), commonly referred to as Hollywood Bowl (HB). KMF is an annual concert of Korean artists held in Los Angeles.
Every year there are many questions, concerns, and confusion for those unfamiliar with KMF. This article is a information guide to the concert. I will be covering the following topics:
Part 1: KMF 101 (who, what, when, where)
Part 2: Seating (different types, and pros/cons)
Part 3: Purchasing Tickets (how to, delivery options, forewarning)
Part 4: Artist lineup
Part 5: Transportation and parking
Part 6: Pre-concert festivities
Part 7: Concert
Part 8: Hollywood Bowl policies
Part 9: Miscellaneous tips (K-Pop merchandise, concert resources)
Sections 1-4 (text heavy) are on this page. Sectiosn 5-10 are found on Korean Music Festival 101 Guide (Part 2) (picture heavy).
Let’s get started!
Part I: KMF 101 (Who, what, when, where)
KMF is an annual concert held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. The host Korea Times makes an official announcement of the concert in January, and ticket sales begin shortly after. Running nearly five hours long, the concert is typically held on a Saturday evening in May, and holds an audience of 18,000.
The festival changes themes every year, and past examples include “Above & Beyond” (2009), “Old & New” (2008), and “We Are One!” (2007). You can find the full list on the official website.
Korea Times typically begins ticket sales before announcing the complete artist lineup. In other words, if you want to snatch the best seats, you must buy tickets before you know which artists are performing. Keep an eye on KMF’s social media and official website for updates and artist announcements.
Part 2: Seating (different types, and pro/cons)
Tickets are priced according to seating section. There is Pool Circle, Garden Box, Terrace Box, Ramp Seat/Ramp Box, Section E/Section D, Super Seats, and assorted lettered sections. Ticket prices may increase this year, as they did from 2009 to 2010. To see what the view is like for a section or specific seat number, click here.
Korean Music Festival 2010 ticket prices
Pool Circle section is divided into left and right by the extended stage. Imagine Pool Circle section as a semi-circle. The extended stage is a strip that runs down the middle of that semi-circle, and along the circumference. The runway strip allows artists to walk through the Pool Circle and stand before the Garden Box section. Pool Circle uses metal fold-up chairs.
Pros: This is the front row section, and it is possible to touch the artists hand (yes it is that close!). Pool Circle is gated off, and there are security guards to check tickets and hand stamp to ensure that no outsiders try to sneak in this area.
Cons: It is quite competitive to get a hold of these tickets. Along with Garden Box, Pool Circle tickets sell out relatively fast. Pool Circle is also expensive, so please keep a budget in mind.
[Pool seating chart] [Extended stage] [view 1] [view 2]
Garden Box is the second most expensive section. The important thing to know about Garden section is that tickets must be bought in sets of four. A Garden Box is a actual box with four seats inside. When purchasing a Garden Box, you are buying four tickets, four seats, one box. You cannot purchase one or two seats, but must buy the whole box. Therefore at checkout, the total for one Garden Box will be $700 — that is, $175 per seat. There are also several boxes that hold six people. Garden Box uses canvas chairs that resemble director chairs.
Pros: This section is close to the stage and is a cheaper alternative to Pool Circle. If you want to sit with friends or family, box sections are ideal. You can request a table from Hollywood Bowl staff to put drinks and food on. Boxes have a physical border providing personal space and more security for your belongings. Because of high demand for Garden seats, it is highly possible to purchase a box for you and a friend, and sell the remaining tickets to someone else.
Cons: Although people cannot step inside a box, they can crowd outside and in front of it. Garden section tends to be impacted the most as fans gather and stand in this area. Garden tickets are also expensive and difficult to get a hold of.
[Garden chart] [view 1]
Terrace Box is identical to Garden with differences in distance and price. Terrace section is farther from the stage. The format of the box and purchasing process are the same as Garden.
Pros: This is a cheaper alternative to Garden section, and it is more feasible to obtain these seats.
Cons: Promenade 1 (a walkway) is between Garden and Terrace section. This means a substantial amount of people traffic moving along all four edges of Terrace section. Since Terrace covers a larger area, the distance of your box from the stage can vary greatly (ex: getting front row Terrace versus last row Terrace).
[Terrace chart] [view 1] [view 2]
Ramp section has two options: Ramp (side) Box and Ramp Seat. Ramps Seats can be bought individually and are situated in front of the Ramp Boxes. Ramp (side) Box is like Terrace and Garden, and boxes are only available with four seats.
Pros: This section is quite close to the stage. It is cornered by Pool Circle and Garden, but is substantially cheaper.
Cons: The section is off-set to the sides. While you do get a closer view, it is not a direct front view, and you see the side of the artist for the most part. Also the position of the stage lights tends to blind this area at times. Despite the cons, Ramp section tends to be sold out quickly because the seating isn’t abundant compared to other sections.
[Ramp chart] [view 1] [view 2]
Section D & E: These sections are on the immediate left and right of Terrace. I personally have not walked through Section D & E, so I cannot provide much information. Judging by pictures, the experience is most similar to Ramp, except it is farther back.
Pros: The distance and view is good for its cost.
Cons: The section is set off to the side, so the view is at a side angle
Super Seats are located roughly directly in the center of the amphitheater. Super Seats is composed of sections G, H, and J. This is the only section that uses green plastic chairs that open like those in movie theaters.
Pros: A seat in the Super Seat section nearly guarantees a center view. If a front view matters more than a closer, side view, I suggest considering Super Seats.
Cons: It is difficult entering and leaving the section because of the tighter space (imagine trying to get to a seat in a full movie theater).
Lettered Sections range from letters F-X.
Pros: These are the cheapest seating options. If budget is a large factor for you, these choices will be ideal. Because of the large of amount of seats in this area, they will not be sold out immediately. However be advised that it is possible for the whole show, all 18,000 seats, to be sold out as it did in 2008 and 2010.
Cons: These sections are farthest from the stage, but there are side screens that film the stars. The farther up the bowl you are, the more sunlight you will sit in.
Part 3: Purchasing Tickets (how to, delivery options, forewarning)
Ticket sale starts before any artists are announced. Here is KMF’s ticket policy. There are three methods for purchasing tickets: walk-in, phone, and order online.
GROUP SALES
For Korea Times Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, group discount is applied to a group of 15 or more.
Please call (323) 692-2070 for special group rate.
1. Walk-in at the Korea Times Ticket Office. The address is 4525 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010. This process is not charge a convenience fee. Doors open at 9AM, and they start selling at 10AM.
The workers at Korea Times office will get you tickets online too using the same website, but their servers are much more stable and don’t encounter the same issues as those trying to buy online at home.
Korea Times Box Office hours:
Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-2pm
Sunday: Closed
2. Phone. The numbers you can choose to call from are (323) 692-2055, (323) 692-2070, (323) 692-2068 or (323) 692-2187. There is a convenience fee of $2.50 per ticket.
Example: (cr. DBSK_is_k00l)
When purchasing tickets over the phone the operator will ask which section you want. Once you tell them which section you want, they will go and get you the best ones they can get at the time and let you know the row and seat/box number. If the seats aren’t to your liking and you are willing to risk loosing those tickets for worse or better tickets, you can ask them to check again. (This is what I often do if I order over the phone. They use the same method as the people who are ordering online but their servers seem to never crash, but good luck getting through to them because they only have about 4 phone lines.) Once you get seats you are content with, they will proceed with the billing/shipping information. It’s all the basic stuff such as credit card info, name, number address, but make sure you have it all in front of you because the time limit applies to phone orders as well. You’ll lose the tickets if you take longer than like 6 minutes to enter all the info in. A typical call like this once you get through will last probably 10-15 minutes. Personally, I kind of prefer ordering over the phone but its such a pain getting through.
First thing I suggest people do before purchasing tickets is to get familiar with the section that they want to purchase so they’ll know what they are getting. For example if you wanted to purchase GB, there are detailed seating charts here in the web that show the rows and box numbers so when you are on the phone with the operator and they tell you the available seats you can see where they are located and if you want that particular one or not. There are detailed seating charts for pool circle, GB and TB. The seats farther back then those do not have detailed seating charts but you should get a pretty good sense of what you’ll be getting.
3. Online at www.koreanmusicfestival.com. An account is required to purchase tickets; it is recommended to create an account beforehand. You can register here. There is a convenience fee of $2.50 per ticket when ordering online.
Process: After selecting your desired section and amount of seats, the ticketing system will offer the best available tickets on a first come-first served basis. You can check the location of the offered seat on these charts: Pool Circle, Garden, Terrace, Ramp, Section E/D, General seating chart. At this point you can buy the tickets offered, or click “back” and try again.
Example: (cr. Findjunebug)
Pick seat options:
Check location:
There is two minute time limit for ordering online. Once you select your seats, they “hold” your seats for two minutes while you fill out all of your information, credit card info, etc., and complete the purchase. After two minutes, the system will release the seats you selected to go back to everyone else trying to purchase seats.
Tickets Delivery Options:
You can receive the tickets by mail to your address, pick up at Korea Times, or will-call .
1. Mail: Your tickets will be mailed via USPS Priority mail with a tracking number. There is a shipping/handling charge of $7.50 for domestic and $12 for Canada.
2. Pick up at Korea Times:
When you order online, you may choose from three pick up locations they provide. Once you choose your ticket pick up location, Korea Times send the tickets down to the location. Tickets for are usually available for pickup from April at their three locations.
A. Los Angeles Box Office: 4524 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
B. Orange County Office: 9562 Garden Grove Blvd., #A, Garden Grove, CA 92844
C. Rowland Heights Office: 18893 Colima Rd., Rowland Heights, CA 91748
3. Will Call
Will Call tickets are available for pick-up at the venue on the day of the show. Please bring your photo ID, the credit card used, or your confirmation receipt/number for verification.
Part 4: Artist lineup
Korea Times opens ticket sale before they announce the artist lineup. Artist lineup is announced in groups of 3-4 names in February through April.
It is also important to know that the concert is not only geared to the youth and K-Pop fans, but also to the elder generation. Korea Times seeks to reflect all generations, and so each year’s lineup has a generous amount of non-pop, trot singers for the older audience to enjoy. But don’t underestimate these performers! They also know how to command the stage and hype up the crowd.
Past big acts include 2PM, Beast, Wonder Girls, Kara, SNSD, SHINee, SS501,DBSK, Son Ho Young, Kim Tae Woo, Fly to the Sky, Super Junior, SG Wannabe, Chae Yeon, Minwoo, Se7en, BoA, Hyori, Bi, Epik High, JYP, Big Bang, and lots more! Here is a complete list of artists who have performed each year.
Read the rest of the guide here: Korean Music Festival 101 (Part 2)
Feel free to repost this in other K-Pop forums, communities, and sites. Be sure to credit back!
cr: Korea Times, KMF, KHYPE, soompi members (chrissejin, dbsk_is_k00l, Findjunebug, DreamOfYou, Mandyyy, tinateukbum, Mrydia), snb123@LJ, lalalalalatechno@Youtube
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