Red Velvet Fans Outnumber Fancon Venue Capacity With Staggering Waiting Queue
Once again, Red Velvet fans have overwhelmed SM Entertainment as the company struggled to accurately anticipate the demand for the girl group’s upcoming event.
The group — who will be celebrating their 10th anniversary this summer — is set to hold a fancon titled Happiness: My Dear Reveluv in early August. The fancon will commence in Seoul and extend across Asia, including stops in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines.
While the announcement initially thrilled fans with the prospect of seeing Red Velvet soon, excitement turned to frustration when SM Entertainment disclosed the event venue. The fancon will kick off at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, a popular choice for many K-Pop events. However, the venue only has a capacity of 6,500 seats.
Fans quickly pointed out that such capacity would be insufficient for Red Velvet. Even though the event will last two days, many felt it would not meet the demand — and they were right.
When the pre-sale ticketing started yesterday, the available seats were sold out within minutes, leaving only a handful for the general sale. To make matters worse, fans encountered waiting queues of up to 19,000 people — nearly three times the venue’s capacity. This left many disappointed and unable to secure tickets, prompting criticism of SM Entertainment for the venue choice and perceived disregard for Red Velvet’s popularity.
Due to the nature of the ticketing, many fans even got scammed!
19k queue for the fan PRESALE… but we only have a 5k venue 😭 center 3 get up
— 💫 (@baechurenes) July 1, 2024
레드벨벳 팬콘 자리수….
3313석이 말이 되나 ㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/e282nwWWx2— I Just (@HangTen326) July 1, 2024
[REPOSTING]
Got sc@mmed by Korean scalpers while trying to get tickets for #RedVelvet fancon and lost ₱8000. So please beware.
And if it isn’t too much to help me out gain back what I lost…. I left my GCash QR code here in case someone wants to help me out. pic.twitter.com/kCwQzgeomF
— Kath 0️⃣🎀🐻🪓 (@younghwang801) July 1, 2024
The backlash from fans has been significant, with many expressing their frustration on social media and calling for an additional day to be added to the event. They argue that the current arrangement not only limits their opportunity to see Red Velvet but also undervalues the group’s substantial fanbase.
— fluffy (@Fluffy329) July 1, 2024
이정도 남았어요! pic.twitter.com/yOPLxGdfnq
— 슬뜰²¹⁰ (@fruit_punch_rv) July 1, 2024
It remains to be seen whether SM Entertainment will address these complaints.