Business Australia

Home Top Stories BTS Kicks Off Their ARIRANG Tour In The US: Everything To Know

Top Stories

BTS Kicks Off Their ARIRANG Tour In The US: Everything To Know

adminApril 25, 20264 Mins read4

BTS Kicks Off Their ARIRANG Tour In The US: Everything To Know

BTS touched down in Tampa, Florida on April 25, opening the North American leg of the ARIRANG World Tour at Raymond James Stadium — the first U.S. dates of a global run spanning more than 85 dates in 34 cities across 23 countries, from April 2026 through March 2027.

For a band that last performed together in the U.S. in 2022 (not counting the recent, intimate Swimside event), the scale of the return is considerable. Whether you’re one of the lucky attendees or not, here is everything you need to know.

Why The BTS ARIRANG World Tour Matters

The tour supports ARIRANG, the group’s first studio album in nearly six years and their first release since going on hiatus for each member to complete South Korea’s mandatory military service. All seven members — RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — completed their service by June 2025 and began work on the record immediately.

Released on March 20, 2026, Arirang debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 641,000 album-equivalent units, the largest opening week by units for a group since the chart’s current methodology began, with lead single “Swim” reaching number one on the Hot 100, per Billboard.

ForbesMature, Ferocious, Uneven: BTS ‘ARIRANG’ Reviews Are InBy Hannah Abraham

BTS ARIRANG Stage Design: What The 360-Degree Setup Looks Like

The production departs significantly from previous BTS tours. According to Gillette Stadium’s official event page, the show uses a 360-degree, in-the-round configuration that places the audience at the centre of the experience while allowing for increased capacity at every venue. There is no designated front.

Writing for Forbes online, Laura Sirikul — who reviewed Day 2 of the Goyang shows — described the stage structure in detail: The stage takes the form of a traditional Korean pavilion structure, referencing the Gyeonghoeru at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and from a bird’s-eye view its layout maps onto the Taegeukgi (South Korea’s national motif, also on its flag), the central Taegeuk symbol at its core, with the surrounding runways echoing the flag’s four trigrams. Extended corner stages allow members to move into the audience’s sightlines throughout the show.

Sirikul noted that Big Hit Music’s production budget was visible at every level, encompassing “featuring moving stages, technicolor lighting, drone cameras, fire effects, fire canons, stunning graphics, detailed video concept reels (VCRs), confetti blasts, and fireworks”. The pre-show screens display traditional Korean calligraphy alongside hanji-inspired graphics, accompanied by Gukak, traditional Korean music, emphasizing the cultural register of everything that follows.

ForbesBTS Kicks Off ARIRANG World Tour With Stunning Spectacle In GoyangBy Laura Sirikul

BTS ARIRANG Setlist: What Songs BTS Will Play

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – MARCH 21: Fans of K-pop boy band BTS cheer during the comeback concert of K-pop boy band BTS near the Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. The free concert is the band’s first performance in nearly four years. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Based on the Goyang residency, the show opens with a high-intensity run through new ARIRANG material before cycling through the group’s catalog. Multiple reviews described an opening sequence in which a torch-carrying dancer fills the stage with smoke before all seven members are revealed, launching straight into “Hooligan” accompanied by flames shooting from the stage structure.

The early portion of the show moves through “Aliens” and “Run BTS” before a mid-show pivot to more melodic Arirang tracks including “Swim” and “Merry-Go-Round,” the latter performed with dancers using fabric and lighting to recreate the imagery of a working carousel.

The show’s second half escalates through “2.0,” “Normal,” and a high-energy sequence including “Not Today,” “Mic Drop,” and a “FYA”/”Fire” mashup. “Body to Body,” the ARIRANG opener that incorporates the traditional folk melody, is performed with the full ensemble moving through extended stages surrounded by flags bearing the ARIRANG symbol — a moment in which the crowd at Goyang sang the folk portion back to the group.

ForbesBTS’ New Album Is Called ‘Arirang’. Here’s What It Means For Their ComebackBy Hannah Abraham

The show then moves through “IDOL,” the encore deluxe track “Come Over,” and closes with “Butter,” “Dynamite,” “Please,” and “Into the Sun.”

First-time attendees! The show includes what the group is calling a “BTS Karaoke” segment — two songs chosen in real time from audience suggestions, with the selection kept from the members themselves. Per Forbes and NME’s account of the Goyang show, the group performed “Take Two” and “DNA” during this segment, with several members unable to recall the choreography, producing what she described as an unscripted, warmly chaotic atmosphere. This segment changes at every show and is among the most talked-about elements of the night.

The full show runs approximately two and a half hours.

Forbes7 Of BTS’s Most Popular Songs: What They Mean, Easter Eggs And ContextBy Hannah Abraham

BTS ARIRANG Tour Tickets: How To Get Them

Most U.S. dates are sold out on primary. According to Yahoo Entertainment’s tour guide, resale inventory remains available on platforms including StubHub and Gametime, with prices ranging from around $130 at the lower end to $1,700 for premium positions, varying by city and venue. Tampa and El Paso carry lower resale prices than East Rutherford, Toronto, or Chicago for those with travel flexibility. The official tour site enforces a four-ticket-per-purchaser limit per event.