100,000 applicants in just two days after ticket registration was opened!  

KBS WORLD’s global event “ROUND” returns on its biggest scale yet.

Co-hosted by 10CM and Gabbi Garcia, featuring leading Filipino musicians and top ASEAN stars all gathered in one place.

This music festival will be packed with a variety of exciting side events and programs!

Hosted by KBS WORLD, sponsored by the ASEAN–Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the ASEAN·Korea Music Festival (ROUND Festival) will be held in Manila, Philippines in 2026. As the ASEAN Chair country for 2026, the Philippines will host 2026 ROUND in the Philippines, scheduled to take place over two days, from Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, 2026, at the Araneta Coliseum, which is regarded as a revered stage of Filipino popular music.  

“2026 ROUND in the Philippines” returns on its “biggest scale yet.”

Held in Manila, Philippines, the 2026 ASEAN Chair country, the ASEAN·Korea Music Festival “2026 ROUND in the Philippines” will be the largest-scale festival to date, featuring musicians from ASEAN and Korea with a total of 17 teams. The Araneta Coliseum, where the performances will be held over two days from Saturday, April 18 to Sunday, April 19, is a large venue with a capacity of approximately 13,000 people. Known as a big stage where numerous defining moments in Filipino popular culture have taken place, it will now host a new chapter of solidarity and cultural exchange created together by ASEAN and Korean artists, this time carrying a special narrative of a historic homecoming. The first ROUND Festival was originally scheduled to be held in the Philippines in 2020, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Now, returning after six years, it is expected to be an especially emotional occasion as it finally comes to its long-waiting fans. Regarding its intention, KBS stated, “At a time when the warmth of peace is urgently needed around the world, we hope this meaningful gathering, where artists and fans from ASEAN and Korea come together through music, can deliver the energy of healing, recovery, and solidarity.”

Co-hosted by 10CM and Gabbi Garcia, with ASEAN stars all coming together

As this event is being produced on a record-breaking scale, the artist lineup is also impressive. Representing the Philippines, boy group HORI7ON, formed through a global audition program and later debuting on KBS’s Music Bank, has become a next-generation icon of P-pop. They will be joined by the Philippines’ national folk pop band Ben&Ben, rising Filipino indie pop act Cup of Joe, and TJ Monterde, one of the country’s notable singer-songwriters, showcasing a diverse musical spectrum. For the Korean lineup, 10CM and MeloMance have been confirmed, both of whom have built strong fanbases across ASEAN through K-drama OSTs. Also noteworthy is that 10CM, who successfully held a solo concert in Manila in 2024 that proved their local popularity in the Philippines, will also serve as a host of this festival. Meanwhile, Gabbi Garcia, an icon representing the new generation in the Philippines with active roles across dramas, commercials, and as an MC, will join as co-host alongside 10CM, showcasing a special chemistry between Korea and the Philippines. In addition, to commemorate this festival in the Philippines, a special opening stage featuring leading P-pop acts including 1st One, KAIA, and HORI7ON has been announced, further heightening anticipation among audiences.

The lineup also includes top stars representing ASEAN countries, such as Thailand’s alternative pop pride Tilly Birds, Indonesia’s sophisticated pop artist Pamungkas, Cambodia’s modern icon and all-round musician leading the local music industry G-Devith, and Singaporean singer-songwriter Regina Song, who has been gaining attention on global platforms like TikTok and Spotify.

A festival in every moment, with a wide array of side events

The enthusiasm of ASEAN fans for 2026 ROUND in the Philippines is truly explosive. Even before tickets went on sale, inquiries from local fans poured in, showing the long anticipation. As soon as applications opened on February 14, an overwhelming 100,000 applicants rushed in within just two days, temporarily overwhelming the ticketing system.

In response to this overwhelming enthusiasm, the festival will be going beyond a simple performance, offering a variety of side events where everyone becomes part of ROUND, adding greater depth and shared experience. Beginning on April 17 and lasting three days, ROUND Village will be held at Gateway Mall. This will be a multi-purpose space where visitors can freely enjoy the energy of the festival, featuring a history exhibition that captures ROUND’s dynamic journey along with a variety of interactive sponsor booths. In particular, on the final day, a makeup showcase will be held in connection with the new program “LIU’s makeover show K-Beauty Pop-Up,” produced by the organizer of ROUND, KBS WORLD. LIU, a Korean makeup artist widely known as the “Prince of Seongsu,” will personally transform local celebrities and fans, delivering a special K-beauty experience.

It has also been announced that ROUND artists will make a special appearance on the globally recognized music platform “Wish 107.5 Wish Bus,” which has established itself beyond the Philippines as an international music platform. This program is widely known as a “live music landmark,” where overseas artists visiting the Philippines are expected to perform at least once. Meanwhile, ahead of the festival on April 17, the ROUND MUSIC FORUM will also be held, bringing together music industry professionals and cultural and arts practitioners from ASEAN and Korea. The forum will serve as a platform to discuss music exchange between ASEAN and Korea, as well as the future of popular culture and the arts.

ROUND Festival: Connecting Through Music

ROUND is the official name and brand of the ASEAN·Korea Music Festival project, a global initiative launched by KBS in 2020 with the goal of fostering exchange and cooperation through music between ASEAN and Korea. In Korea, the ROUND Festival is held every two years, while it is held annually in the ASEAN Chair country. The ROUND Festival supports exchange and communication between ASEAN and Korean artists, and the ROUND MUSIC Forum promotes sustainable mutual growth through popular music as a shared medium.

In 2020, when the world was disconnected due to the pandemic, the ROUND Festival began online, opening a new chapter by connecting fans around the world through music as a universal language. Following its continuation in the form of online performances in 2021, it finally delivered its first in-person performance in 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia—an emotional one that directly engaged with audiences. Through performances in 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and in 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the festival also presented collaborative performances between ASEAN-Korean artists that transcended language and national borders. Following the Philippines edition, the 2026 ROUND MUSIC FORUM will be held on July 30 and is scheduled to take place in Incheon in collaboration with the Pentaport Rock Festival.  

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