Inside BTS's London: The City Became One Big Audience

[London, UK] "I came to London to see BTS."

That line, in one form or another, kept turning up across the city this weekend as fans of BTS, known as ARMY, filled London ahead of the group's shows.

BTS is performing the European leg of its world tour, "BTS WORLD TOUR "ARIRANG" IN EUROPE," at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday and Tuesday. Fans from around the world traveled to London for the two nights.

Hostels and hotels across the city filled up with ARMY from different countries. At one hostel, a fan checking in told a staff member, with clear excitement, that she had come to London for the BTS show. At another property, a steady stream of fans walked in with suitcases and large paper shopping bags full of official merchandise from the BTS pop-up store.

Tourist areas were just as easy to spot ARMY in. Fans walked around central London with official keyrings clipped to their bags. Some had picnics on the grass near popular sights. Others browsed souvenir shops. The path from hotels to shopping to sightseeing showed how the concerts were shaping life far beyond the venue itself.

The closer you got to the stadium, the more it felt like a festival. Every few steps, the language around you changed. English, Spanish, French, and more filled the air near the venue. Crowds gathered in front of tour posters to take photos. Strangers handed each other their phones, took pictures with the stadium in the background, then laughed as they checked the shots. Fans who had never met before became friends within minutes, connected by one thing: being ARMY.

Outfits added to the energy. Red T-shirts, hats, and bandanas tied to the "ARIRANG" theme stood out in the crowd. Plenty of fans wore clothes they had made themselves. Some wore shirts with slogans like "I LOVE JIMIN" or "I LOVE JK." Others coordinated jersey-style tops printed with a member's name and birth year on the back.

The crowd stretched across every age group. Young kids held their mothers' hands. Older couples walked slowly toward the venue, hand in hand. Friends, couples, and whole families came together for the shows.

Outside the stadium, another kind of concert took shape. Fans without tickets found their own way to be part of it. Small circles formed in the surrounding area, with ARMY sitting on the ground and singing along to the music coming from inside. Some smiled at each other. Some danced. During the choruses, their voices got louder.

The music carried past the stadium walls and into the wider Tottenham area. Some residents read outside while the songs drifted through the neighborhood. Others pointed their phones toward the venue and recorded videos so the sound would be part of the clip.

Fans who traveled to see BTS moved through London like it was one long celebration, and even those outside the stadium built their own version of the show. For two nights, Tottenham, and much of London with it, belonged to BTS and ARMY.