Prada Event Gone Wrong: Crowd Out of Control, Idols Unable To Enter, Photo Wall Canceled

“How embarrassing for Prada.”
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Jenny Kang
Jenny Kang

When the fashion brand Prada announced “The Sound of Prada Seoul,” Korean fans for the guesting celebrities and influencers marked their calendars to go see their favorite idols at the photo wall event planned to take place.

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“The Sound of Prada Seoul” being held at “Candy Seongsu.” | @xoxo_park109/X

Reimagined for 2024, the latest edition of The Sound of Prada – Prada’s global series of live events celebrating music culture worldwide – debuted at Candy Seongsu in Seoul on October 24, 2024. Exploring and enhancing Prada’s innate connections with culture and society, The Sound of Prada links the creative output of Prada with musical expression around the globe.

— Prada

In fact, the photo wall event had a star-studded lineup expected, featuring soloist Jeon Somi, TWICE‘s Sana, aespa‘s Karina, actress Kim Tae Ri, NCT 127‘s Jaehyun, ENHYPEN, actor Byeon Woo Seok, SHINee‘s Taemin, DAY6‘s Wonpil, idol-turned-actress Hyeri, KISS OF LIFE‘s Julie and Natty, Girls’ Generation‘s Hyoyeon, and more.

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SHINee’s Taemin | @twomin_days/X

On the night of the event, however, things got dangerous around the venue. Celebrities, influencers, their fans, neighborhood pedestrians, and traffic got tangled up on a narrow two-lane street.

Whoever booked this venue for Prada and then set up the photo wall [where it’s marked blue] needs to get fired. The venue stands on a two-lane street, but the event drew such a huge crowd, that people were piled up where I marked red. It turned into a single lane street. But keep in mind, a bus route passes through this neighborhood.

— @8zzza/X

Pictures of Candy Seongsu, the venue, and its surroundings circulated online—with one X user pointing out Prada’s fault for choosing the wrong venue to host such an event of its size.

It’s f*cking hell outside. Insane…

— @citaglow2/X

This won’t do… I’m protesting so Prada won’t host another event like this in Korea. Prada event gets canceled by Seongdong District. Prada takes over Seoul streets, causing a bus and a BMW to crash. Prada and their umbrellas indoors when it’s not even raining. Prada called off by the police. Prada is the worst. Boycott. How embarrassing for Prada.

— @monxxu/X

Another X user claimed that there was an accident where a bus and a BMW crashed into each other as the crowd for the event blocked the street and made the area inaccessible.

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| @monxxu/X

A bus crashed into a BMW earlier, haha.

— @monxxu/X

Topstarnews also reported that Korean press who attended also left without covering the event as the night grew more chaotic.

As pictures, videos, and tweets from the event began circulating, the Seongdong District Mayor Chong Won Oh also took to X and explained that the photo wall event was canceled due to the risks it was posing to the neighborhood in his care.

Regarding the event, starting from around 7 PM yesterday (October 24), the on-duty officials of Seongdong District Office and responsible department heads have been monitoring the situation on-site in conjunction with the police and other related agencies. However, due to growing concerns about safety incidents related to the large crowd, we judged that it was no longer feasible to continue the event and requested the organizers to voluntarily end the event.

— Chong Won Oh

We prioritize safety above all, so we ask for your understanding. Seongdong District will continue to do its best to maintain a safe community in the future.

Also, we have, unfortunately, had to quote the tweet of the person whose message is spreading the most widely to best inform those who wish to know the circumstances surrounding this matter. We ask for your understanding in this regard.

— Chong Won Oh

Due to the crowd rush and the South Korean authorities stepping in to cancel the photo wall event, it has been reported that some celebrities, like Karina and Sana, could not even make it to the event.

Amid the chaos, Karina took to the fan communication app and notified her fans waiting for her photo wall appearance to “go home.”

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aespa Karina’s Bubble message. | theqoo

MYs… Go home. Don’t wait.

— Karina

Fans who showed up at the venue, as well as those hearing about it online, expressed disappointment at the parties hosting the event for poor planning.

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| theqoo
  • “What a nuisance.”
  • “Booking the right venue is so important for events like those. Who planned this? What was the thought process?”
  • “Had the cops, firefighters, and civil workers all working overtime for this. What a nuisance, for sure.”
  • “Who planned this, for real?”
  • “This was in front of my house. The traffic was horrendous. There were way too many people, and it sucked for the residents. Looks like it ended up getting worse.”
  • “This reminds me of the Gucci hiccup.”
  • “WTF? There’s traffic on those streets at all times throughout the day. It’s a tiny alley, really. Who thought an event would make sense there?”

This is not the first time an event venue to small for the event size has caused imminent danger to the attendees. Read more about the “Boiler Room World Tour” that also got canceled:

South Korea Narrowly Escapes Another Crowd Crush Horror At “Boiler Room World Tour”

Source: Topstarnews and theqoo
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