A double-decker bus decorated as part of the “BTS The City Arirang- New York” citywide program travels between major locations in New York, including Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and Koreatown.HYBE
BTS wrapped its “BTS The City Arirang - New York” citywide cultural festival on Monday, according to its agency BigHit Music on Friday.
The New York edition of the band’s “The City” program took place ahead of itsconcerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday and Sunday.
Major landmarks across New York, including Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and Korean Culture Center New York, hosted special events themed after BTS’s fifth full-length album, “Arirang.”
Selected areas of Top of the Rock, the Rockefeller Center observatory, were decorated with the “Arirang” logo. Local artists also displayed their works reinterpreting the group’s music there, and the Weather Room, the observatory’s rooftop cafe and bar, offered a special menu inspired by “The City” program.
At Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, visitors could customize their own T-shirts and view the septet’s outfits from its concert at Wembley Stadium in Britain in 2019. BTS previously performed “ON” (2020), the title track of its fourth full-length album “Map of the Soul: 7” (2020), at the train station on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (2014–) in February 2020.
Local dance crews performed to BTS’s music and hosted dance sessions — open to the public — at Times Square. A decorated “The City” double-decker bus also traveled between major locations in New York, including Grand Central Terminal, Times Square and Koreatown.
The Top of the Rock in New York City, decorated and lit in red as part of “BTS The City Arirang - New York” programSKYLIFT AT TOP OF THE ROCK
The Korean Culture Center New York opened the “Arirang Theater,” where it screened the band’s short-form documentary “Keep Swimming.” The venue also hosted a range of sponsored booths and an event in which visitors could customize their own light sticks, typically bought by K-pop fans for concerts.
The Bank of Hope’s Manhattan branch hosted a stamp rally. During a stamp tour, participants received a stamp after visiting a location and could usually exchange a certain number of stamps for a reward. For each participant’s check-in, the bank donated $1 to support financial literacy.
New York is the latest city to host “The City” program, following Seoul, Las Vegas, Busan and London.
