Opening Party Launches Season of Programs and K-pop Dream Gala

PRESS KIT

Experience the spirit of Seoul in San Francisco and join thousands of K-fans for an opening party of Hallyu! The Korean Wave on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, from 6pm to 10pm. Show up and show out in your favorite K-fashion inspired threads, and get ready to bust a move to music spun by DJ Kero-1, whose signature sound heats up the dance floor. Tickets from $20 with exclusive member access and discounts.

Can’t make the opening? THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 is the museum’s Hallyu-themed Gala, with tiers of public tickets available for an evening event and an after party. This brand-new reception invites Korean culture enthusiasts to indulge in exclusive artist activations in the festive setting of an elevated night market. Savor vibrant street food favorites, from chewy tteokbokki to crispy Korean fried chicken, perfectly matched with cold, refreshing beers. Additionally, guests will enjoy access to hands-on art-making activities, Korean-inspired cocktails, and special surprise guest appearances you won’t want to miss. The Hallyu! Dream Party rolls into Afterglow at 10 PM. Tickets from $125 for members, $175 for the public for Afterglow to $500 for the Dream Party access, with exclusive member access and discounts.

SPECIAL OFFER: Purchase your Dream Party tickets before August 31 to receive a complimentary gift membership (Member Level valid through August 2025) to the museum, so you can surf the Hallyu wave over and over.

Exhibition Experience and Programs

Learn a K-pop dance routine, bop to a live DJ, savor your (new) favorite kimchi, get behind the scenes of Academy Award-winning K-cinema, and squirm with Squid Game.

Audiences visiting Hallyu will be immersed from their first steps in a kaleidoscope of K-culture. As the museum’s new director of experience, Garance Marneur, explains, the exhibition offers “a continuous journey between galleries and exhibitions spaces and experiences — the design will be fully integrated into each move you make, creating opportunities to engage at every turn, no matter your level of familiarity or fandom.”

• First stop is the Shriram Experiential Learning Center with a Google Interactive “dance instructor”: learn a K-pop routine and in real time which feeds your moves onto screens so that others can dance along. Who’s the star now?
• The main exhibition spaces span the museum’s Osher and Hambrecht galleries and the extensive Yang Yamazaki Pavilion.
  • K-pop and K-drama costumes and sets introduce visitors to the unforgettable fashion of major Korean cultural exports, from Psy’s unforgettable Gangnam Style (2012) to the twisted underground drama of Parasite (2019).
  • Visitors can also jump into interactive Squid Game (2021) projections, spotlighting real costumes from the hit streaming series, ahead of the global phenomenon’s upcoming second season.
  • The largest section, centered on the sights, sounds, and history of K-pop and its communities, showcases the playful fan accoutrements and jaw-dropping get-ups of K-pop idols, including ATEEZ, aespa, and G-Dragon. Projections of concert scenes put visitors at the center of the action.
  • In the museum’s jewel-windowed Wilbur Gallery, facing Hyde Street, a community wall welcomes guests to share their thoughts, while nearby a mirrored optical illusion selfie spot puts you at the top of a neo-Seoul skyscraper.

Programs include a new collaboration with Stanford Food Lab, promising a Korean cuisine event, and a K-drama screening, Q&A, and trivia conducted in the exhibition itself!

Check the Asian Art Museum’s Hallyu exhibition webpage for dates and details of events.

Hallyu! The Korean Wave is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Created by the V&A — touring the world 

About the Asian Art Museum 

Located in the heart of San Francisco, the museum is home to one of the world’s finest collections of Asian art, with more than 20,000 awe-inspiring artworks ranging from ancient jades and ceramics to contemporary video installations. Dynamic special exhibitions, cultural celebrations and public programs for all ages provide rich art experiences that unlock the past and spark questions about the future. 

####