BTS Turns N.Y.C. Red with City-Wide Takeover Ahead of Sold-Out MetLife Stadium Concerts

BTS isn’t just taking over MetLife Stadium in August, they’re about to turn all of New York City red for the occasion!

Fresh off their FIFA World Cup final halftime show performance at the New Jersey stadium, the global superstars will celebrate two sold-out shows of their own at the same venue with a city-spanning activation for fans.

BTS THE CITY ARIRANG NEW YORK kicks off July 24 and runs through Aug. 3, with pop-ups and experiences in Manhattan and Brooklyn, including lighting up some of the city’s most famous landmarks in the tour’s signature red color.

The N.Y.C. takeover, intended to extend the concert experience far beyond the show itself, follows similar immersive activations in Las Vegas, London, Seoul and Busan, South Korea.

Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center and the Korean Cultural Center (KCCNY) are at the center of the action, glowing red and hosting special events. Grand Central and KCCNY will host two “ARMY Madang,” the Korean name for a social gathering space, where fans can make custom T-shirts, decorate their BTS light sticks, take in special screenings and see an exhibition of stage outfits worn by the members. Timing and ticket details are available on the event website.

They can also hop on a BTS-themed N.Y.C. bus tour, explore an immersive digital art experience at Arte Museum New York, attend a K-pop club night at Marquee and participate in a “stamp rally” that encourages them to visit all the various pop-ups and collect a commemorative stamp from each.

The group has also built in a charitable component to the festivities. At Bank of Hope Manhattan, where fans will be able to pick up limited-edition merch and take photos in themed zones, every stamp rally check-in triggers a $1 donation to Hope Delivered, an initiative that teaches those in need financial literacy.

A slew of N.Y.C. eateries are also getting in on the action with special ARIRANG-themed menu items for a limited time at Van Leeuwen ice cream, Black Tap, Tous les Jours bakery, Kim’s Kimbap, Liberty Bagels and many more.

BTS’s ARIRANG World Tour kicked off in Seoul in April and features dates across North America, Europe, South America, Asia and Australia continuing into 2027. The New Jersey shows launch its second U.S. leg, which also makes stops in Foxborough, Mass.; Baltimore; Arlington, Texas; Chicago; and Inglewood, Calif. The tour is in support of their chart-topping album of the same name, which was their first in four years following the seven members — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — completing South Korea’s mandatory military service.

After ARIRANG dropped on March 20, the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and quickly set a record as the most-streamed K-pop album in Spotify history. BTS most recently released the second single off the album, “NORMAL,” on July 17 with a new music video and an alternative Korean version of the English track.