World DJ Festival brings K-EDM culture to Japan for event's overseas debut

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World DJ Festival brings K-EDM culture to Japan for event's overseas debut

Published: 02 Jul. 2025, 16:06 Updated: 02 Jul. 2025, 20:09

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Fans enjoy World DJ Festival Japan at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on June 29. [BEPC TANGENT]

CHIBA, Japan — Korea’s biggest EDM export just dropped the bass in Japan — and thousands came to feel the rhythm.

When 24-year-old Honoka Suzuki stepped out of Makuhari Messe on Sunday, she couldn’t hide her excitement.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Korea’s World DJ Festival," she said. "Now that it’s here in Japan, it’s even better. I’m most excited for The Chainsmokers!” she said, adding with a grin that she and her friend had pounced on tickets the moment sales opened, worried it might sell out.

Held over the weekend at the sprawling convention complex in the Chiba Prefecture, the first overseas edition of Korea’s long-running EDM event — known simply as World DJ Festival, or World DJ Fest — made a powerful debut.

U.S. EDM powerhouse The Chainsmokers closed out World DJ Festival Japan with a 75-minute set that included hits like “Roses” (2015) and “Paris” (2017), plus a sneak peek at an unreleased track.

World DJ Festival Japan is held over June 28 and 29 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. [BEPC TANGENT]

Korea sends EDM festival abroad

World DJ Festival started in Seoul back in 2007, and since 2016, it has been run by BEPC Tangent, a subsidiary of CJ ENM.

Over the years, it’s welcomed global names like Alan Walker, Alesso and Anyma.

Unlike typical EDM festivals that rely on a single massive main stage, World DJ Fest splits into three or four areas that showcase a range of EDM genres, helping demystify the scene for casual fans.

Many credit World DJ Festival with dismantling the notion that Korea was an “EDM wasteland,” instead turning it into a thriving part of youth culture. This year’s Seoul edition drew roughly 100,000 people to the Seoul Land amusement park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi, on June 14 and 15.

BEPC Tangent CEO Kim Eun-sung, left, and Samurai Partners CEO Hiroyuki Irie direct the show from the console. Last year, Hiroyuki also took the stage as a DJ at Korea’s World DJ Festival. [BEPC TANGENT]

“When you go to a concert, you take photos of the artist. But at a festival, people are really photographing themselves,” said Kim Eun-sung, CEO of BEPC Tangent. “We want to cater to people looking for music they can enjoy without needing to be deeply versed in the genre.”

Historically, Korea mostly imported EDM lineups and stage setups from abroad. So, exporting a homegrown EDM festival brand marks a first.

“We’ve been preparing to go overseas for three years,” Kim explained. “Among the countries we spoke to, Japan was the most proactive.”

The company sold World DJ Festival’s licensing rights to Japan’s Samurai Partners, which co-produced this inaugural edition. Kim even served as show director, calling cues from backstage.

Inside Makuhari Messe, the ticket booths split lines by direction for single-day and two-day pass holders. [CHOI HYE-RI]

Drawing crowds, adapting to culture

Over two days, some 52,000 festivalgoers packed Makuhari Messe’s Halls 9 to 11, which has a total floor area of about 18,000 square meters (193,750 square feet), roughly equivalent to Korea University’s Hwajeong Gymnasium.

The venue is best known for hosting CJ ENM’s K-pop extravaganza KCON Japan, the massive Summer Sonic rock festival and the Tokyo Game Show.

The closing show features Kim’s production philosophy, using lighting and lasers that leverage the indoor venue’s adjustable brightness. [BEPC TANGENT]

Tickets entirely sold out, including a small batch reserved for purchases at the door. On Sunday, the last day of the festival, a thousand eager fans lined up an hour before doors opened, hoping to gain prime spots.

Audience demographics reflected the festival’s broad appeal. About 70 percent were in their 20s and 16 percent in their 30s, while overseas buyers — through global ticket sites — accounted for just 2 percent. In other words, World DJ Festival found solid footing with local Japanese fans.

The venue's massive luggage check area, numbered up to 4,000, aids visitors. [CHOI HYE-RI]

Typically, one of the hallmarks of the Seoul festival is its outdoor nighttime fireworks. That wasn’t possible inside Makuhari Messe. Instead, the team leaned into the venue’s darkness, creating vivid laser and lighting shows alongside giant screen visuals and familiar plumes of smoke and flames.

“Halls 9 to 11 are considered relatively small by Makuhari Messe's standards,” said Cha Yu-na, a team manager at BEPC Tangent, “but since this was our first launch here, we wanted to keep it stable.”

The halls were divided into the main “World Stage,” with mainstream EDM acts, and the slightly smaller “Dream Stage” and “Japan Night Stage,” which catered to hardcore fans — closely mirroring the Seoul layout.

The Dream Stage, the festival’s second-largest, offered a playlist of more niche EDM tracks. Despite its close distance to the World Stage, there was almost no sound bleed. [CHOI HYE-RI]

The JP Night Stage, the third-largest venue at the festival, located just behind the Dream Stage [CHOI HYE-RI]

Between the stages and food zones stood barrier-free platforms, a nod to Japanese event culture. These slightly raised areas included ramps for wheelchair users, positioned lower than the VIP decks but still offering clear views.

Another cultural tweak: Unlike Korea’s binary VIP-versus-standing setup, Japan’s standing area was split into general admission and a closer “premium general admission” section, aligning with local ticketing practices.

A large screen and barrier-free zone combined at the World Stage, designed for greater accessibility [CHOI HYE-RI]

A bet on global growth

Backstage after the final night’s show, Kim reflected on the festival’s leap across the sea.

“The audience is everything. Their verdict is the most accurate,” he said. “Seeing how well World DJ Festival, which survived and thrived in Korea, resonated here — it was truly moving.”

BEPC Tangent CEO Kim monitors the festival on screens fed by eight camera angles, signaling cues throughout the show. [BEPC TANGENT]

Hiroyuki Irie, CEO of Samurai Partners, which acquired the license and co-produced the event, said, “People in the industry doubted whether a venture company like ours could pull off a large-scale festival. We gave it our all to make sure it succeeded. We’re going to expand the scale from here.”

Founded in 2007, Samurai Partners typically focuses on influencer marketing and had produced over 100 performances, though never a festival of this magnitude. Hiroyuki wanted original content under his belt, so he partnered directly with Kim, diving headfirst into planning and operations.

Kim said Japan’s EDM festival scene looked strikingly similar to Korea’s not long ago: numerous small events vying for survival, with only January’s GMO Sonic Festival and autumn's Ultra Music Festival (UMF) still standing.

That was why they positioned World DJ Festival Japan in June, he noted.

When asked about future exports, Kim revealed, “We’re in close talks with five other countries, though it’s too early to name them."

"But more than just selling a license, we’re really sharing our philosophy while covering the EDM genre — about how to build an audience-centric experience, how to curate content and artists," he added. "That’s why I see this as proof that a Korean-style festival can go global.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHOI HYE-RI [[email protected]]