K-pop megastar BTS drew a total of 150,000 concertgoers in Mexico City across three concerts last week, with fans who were unable to get tickets even crowding the area outside the stadium to join the hype, according to the band’s agency BigHit Music.

BTS held three concerts at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday as part of its ongoing “Arirang” world tour.


This marked the band’s return to Mexico City in almost 11 years.

The tickets for the “Arirang” Mexico City concerts sold out immediately after going on sale, BigHit Music said.

The septet integrated elements of Mexican culture into its performances, with dancers wearing traditional Mexican lucha libre masks. Fans sang along to the Korean lyrics, and the members expressed their gratitude to the fans in Spanish, according to the agency.

The nearby roads were closed due to the overwhelming crowd. The local authorities estimated that almost 35,000 people surrounded the venue on the second and third days of the concert.

“It isn’t often that a boy band becomes a matter of international diplomacy,” reported the L.A. Times. “K-pop fans are known for their frenzy. That is especially true in Mexico City, which is ranked as the No. 1 city for BTS streams on Spotify.”

Nearly a million fans tried and failed to get tickets for the concert, according to the article.

The concerts are expected to have generated around $108 million in economic impact through spending on tickets, air travel, accommodations and food and beverages, as well as local commerce consumption, according to Mexico City’s Chamber of Commerce, Service and Tourism.

Of that $108 million, the influx of domestic and international tourists is estimated to have generated around $17 million in lodging-related spending and approximately $2.2 million in food, beverage and service consumption.

BTS began the world tour with three concerts in Goyang, Gyeonggi, last month. The tour spans 85 shows across 34 cities, making it the largest tour ever by a K-pop artist.

The North American leg comprises 31 shows across 12 cities, including Mexico City and Stanford, California, with all performances sold out, according to the agency.

The band will move to Stanford Stadium in San Francisco for its upcoming concerts on Saturday, Sunday and May 19.

BY LEE JI-WON [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]