[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] 18 college festivals in a single month. That works out to taking the stage on campus nearly once every day or two. This is the story of the girl group RESCENE. While music shows used to be a mandatory promotional stop for rookie idols, college festivals have recently emerged as the new “K-pop showcase.”

On the May 16 episode of MBC’s “Radio Star,” RESCENE’s Minami revealed that the group visited about 18 university festivals in May alone. She also described how the atmosphere at these events has changed since “Love Attack” became a retro-hit. Whereas in the past they would ask the audience, “Do you know RESCENE?” the audience now recognizes them immediately and even sings along in unison.
College festivals have now evolved beyond mere “event stages” to become a major promotional channel for idols. This is because they offer a chance to directly engage with the core consumer demographic—people in their early 20s—and because fan-shot videos taken at the events spread rapidly via YouTube, Shorts, and social media. Last year, a video of aespa’s performance at Yonsei University’s festival garnered 1.29 million views on the university cheerleading squad’s official YouTube channel, while a fan-shot video from Chungnam National University’s festival received over 4.88 million views.
There are also many cases where idols participate in college festivals primarily for the promotional benefits rather than the performance fee. An official from a music agency stated, “Considering the costs involved in stage setup and travel, it’s practically impossible to turn a profit solely from performance fees at university festivals.” They added, “Nevertheless, since artists can meet new audiences on-site and fan-shot videos or short-form clips spread online—leading to promotion of new songs, increased brand awareness, and expansion of the fanbase—agencies view these events as crucial promotional platforms.”

NewJeans is another prime example of a group that actively leveraged college festivals. In 2024, they performed at seven universities—including Korea University, Chosun University, and Pusan National University—over the course of one week and donated their entire performance fees. At the time, Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR (currently CEO of OK Records), viewed college festivals as a “real-world stage” in preparation for a world tour. “In my opinion, university festivals are the closest thing to stages like Lollapalooza and Coachella,” she said, citing the ability to simultaneously provide fan service, gain performance experience, and promote new songs as key reasons.
Above all, the strength of college festivals lies in the opportunity to meet “audiences who aren’t fans.” Another agency representative noted, “While music shows focus on delivering polished performances for the fanbase, college festivals lay bare the audience’s immediate reactions and the artists’ live performance skills,” adding, “You can see the reactions of non-fan audiences right there on the spot, and performances that receive a positive response spread quickly through fan-shot videos or short-form content, sometimes leading to new fans. This is a particularly good opportunity for rookies or groups looking to expand their recognition.”
Lysenne has also experienced this shift firsthand. The group, which once had to start by making their name known to audiences unfamiliar with them, now hears the crowd singing along at the same university festivals. This is why they were able to manage a grueling schedule of touring 18 universities in a single month. University festivals are becoming not just “events” for idols to make money, but another crucial battleground for gaining new fans and promoting their songs.