June 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C.–This year, Washington, D.C. saw the debut of KaptureCon, a first of its kind K-Pop fan convention. Gathering fans, or ‘netizens’, of K-Pop together in the nation’s capital, this convention sought to unite fans from across the country in a one-day, packed event.
KaptureCon took place on May 31, 2025 at the National Press Club of Washington, D.C., concluding with a concert at DAR Constitution Hall. The event featured meet-and-greets with special guests, dance masterclasses taught by K-Pop veterans, an artist alley and trading hall, and many more activities for fans to enjoy.
The highlight of the convention was the special fan meetings with K-Pop stars Ampers&One, a K-Pop boy group, with fans traveling from all across the country to meet them. One attendee said they travelled 13 hours for an opportunity to see the group perform. Their attendance at KaptureCon served as a bonus event for their first North American tour that concluded on March 18, 2025.
Another attendee said their experience was made even more special by their involvement in Ampers&One’s attendance, as they helped to prepare a special birthday celebration for two of the members of the group. They worked with the KaptureCon organizers to surprise the singers with a custom birthday cake, and was honored to be a part of making their KaptureCon experience special.
While most of the convention attendees cited Ampers&One as their reason for attending, fans also came to support girl group ‘Black Swan’ and soloist Hohyun. All three headliners performed the night of the convention, featuring an opening performance from a local American K-Pop dance cover team. Six dance teams competed during the convention for a panel of judges who have worked in the K-Pop and Dance industries as teachers and performers. Washington, D.C. local group Lucky8 took home the crown, and gave a stunning opening performance.
The same K-Pop dance competition judges also gave masterclasses to convention attendees looking to increase their K-Pop dance style knowledge. The judges and guest teachers included Analisse, who has worked with K-Pop group ILLIT, Pitbull, and BTS, Michael, featured with Enhyphen, Le Sserafim, and BoysNextDoor, and Audrey, a competitor on Korean dance competition show ‘Street Woman Fighter’ and dancer for JENNIE, Jungkook, and TomorrowXTogether. The three masterclasses were filled to the brim with K-Pop fans and dancers who had an opportunity to receive special training from these talented artists.
Down the hall from the lively masterclasses was the vendor hall and photocard trading space. Fans could buy handmade merch from local artists and vendors while trading K-Pop photocards and decorating them. Many attendees gathered in the hallways, connected with each other, traded bracelets and trinkets, and brought the magic of the convention together in this space.
Other convention events included a K-Pop album themed fashion show, trivia, games, and QnA with the special guests. Attendees’ favorite guest though, by far, was Ampers&One, who packed the hallways with fans in homemade T-shirts, holding signs, and filled to the brim with excitement.
The convention concluded with the Random Dance Play, a K-Pop tradition where fans do their favorite K-Pop dances together, as popular songs play at random. Almost every member of the convention gathered to dance, cheer, and smile together.
The first year of KaptureCon could be considered a great success, bringing together hundreds of K-Pop fans both local to the Washington, D.C. area and from far away. One vendor, local to the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia), said she was excited for the D.C. area to get more K-Pop action, as there typically aren’t too many events for her to meet other fans. This was the perfect opportunity for her to share her handmade art as well as connect with other fans.
During the day, every face could be seen painted with a large smile, and saying goodbye to new friends was the hardest part of the whole event. While the fun only lasted a day, many are excited for what lies in store for KaptureCon next. In the meantime, the friendships made and experiences will last until the next year of the convention, bringing everyone together again.
View the KaptureCon Photo Album HERE.
Cara Chiswell 