After BLACKPINK, TWICE Angers Fans With Just 750 Anniversary Spots

K-pop girl group TWICE will celebrate its 11th debut anniversary with a fan event limited to 750 attendees. While the group regularly draws tens of thousands of concertgoers per show on tour, each anniversary session will accommodate just 250 fans. Fans had already criticized the size of last year's 10th anniversary event, and this year's smaller gathering has added to their frustration.

JYP Entertainment announced through its official fan platform on Oct. 5 that "2026 TWICE FAN PARTY [ONCE UPON A THRI11]" will take place on Oct. 17. The event will have three sessions, at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., with 250 fans per session. Attendees will be selected by lottery from members of ONCE's fifth official fan club cohort who are aged 15 or older. The venue in Seoul will be disclosed only to those selected. Fans who began following the group after the most recent fan club recruitment period, along with those under 15, are ineligible to enter.

This is not the first time fans have raised concerns about the size of a TWICE anniversary event. Last year's 10th anniversary fan meeting, "10VE UNIVERSE," took place at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium. Tickets sold out during the fan club presale, prompting the release of additional seats with restricted views. Fans argued that a larger venue would have better reflected the size of the fandom. With this year's attendance limited to 750, excitement about seeing the members up close has given way to concerns about securing a place at all.

The contrast with TWICE's overseas tours is striking. The group's sixth world tour, "THIS IS FOR," concluded in July after 81 shows across 44 cities in Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe. Over roughly a year, it drew about 550,000 concertgoers in North America and 640,000 in Japan. Fans have struggled to understand why a group touring on that scale would limit its anniversary celebration to a few hundred attendees.

BLACKPINK faced similar criticism earlier this year. The group celebrated its 10th debut anniversary on Aug. 8 with an event for just 40 fans at the National Museum of Korea. The announcement came only two days before the event, and both the short notice and limited attendance drew complaints. All four members eventually apologized in an effort to address fans' disappointment. Such decisions have become a recurring source of frustration: groups with enormous fandoms invite only a small number of fans to events celebrating the years they have spent together.

Small events have clear advantages. Fans can interact with the members more closely than at a large concert and see sides of them that may not come across on stage. But when only a few fans can enjoy that experience, those unable to attend are left all the more disappointed.

SEVENTEEN, which also celebrated its 11th anniversary this year, opted for a much larger gathering. The group held "SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND" on June 20 and 21 at Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, which has approximately 30,000 seats. Although the fan meeting did not take place on the group's actual debut anniversary, it showed that SEVENTEEN was continuing to hold large fan events 11 years after its debut. General ticket sales followed the membership presale, and a paid online livestream also allowed fans without fan club membership to watch.

For BTS's 11th anniversary in 2024, Jin met fans on behalf of the group while the other members were serving in the military. During the first part of the June 13 event at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, he hugged 1,000 fans individually. The second part, featuring performances and conversation, invited a total of 4,000 fans, including the 1,000 selected for the first session. ARMY membership holders could also watch the second part live on Weverse. The format combined close interaction with an opportunity for a larger number of fans to join the celebration.

A stadium is not necessary for every debut anniversary. But after fans expressed disappointment with last year's event size, even fewer can attend this year. For those who have grown alongside TWICE for more than a decade, the wish seems simple: a celebration that more of them can share.