Last Updated on February 4, 2026 by BTS 101
Tickets for BTS’ Arirang tour went on sale recently, and as expected, it was a bloodbath. Hope everyone has had a chance to calm down after the battle – now it’s time to think about what happens next.
If you got tickets, and this is your first BTS concert…
If you didn’t get tickets, and are working the resale market…
If you can’t go due to life circumstances, but still want to take part…
You might have questions about what to do next. Let’s dive in!
If you got tickets…
Yay! Congratulations! If you are going to Toronto or East Rutherford, track me down and say hello!
Please know your concert etiquette
This means:
- nothing above face level – this means ARMY bombs, phones and cameras. Do not raise them above your head, ever. We’re all super excited, but this will absolutely block the view of everyone behind you.
- signs are for ARMY time – after the main set, and before the encore, there will be a time when the camera focuses on signs in the audience. This is the time to hold them up! Any other time, please keep them down, or if you must show them, nothing above face level.
- stay in your seat – at every concert there are fans who try to bypass security and sneak into closer sections, often pushing in front of people who paid to sit there. This is dangerous (imagine if the whole stadium tried this), entitled, and an asshole move. Don’t do it, and feel free to report others who do, for the safety of all.
- never, ever throw anything at the stage – this should go without saying, but this is super dangerous for the guys. On night 2 in Los Angeles for the PTD concerts, many ARMY had brought flowers and threw them at the boys as they came around in carts, and honestly they were pelted in a truly horrifying way. You are not the exception to this rule.
Some questions you might have
Where can I buy an ARMY bomb? They will almost certainly release a new one for this tour, so I would recommend waiting. Once it is released, you can order from Weverse, Cokodive, and LightUpK for sure. They will have them at the concerts too, but lines are often very long and it’s possible for them to sell out, so treat this as your last resort. Do NOT buy one from Amazon – these are likely fakes, and will not sync with the other bombs at the actual concert. If you already have an ARMY bomb and it is Version 3 (the clear top part looks like a globe) or MOTS special edition (says Map of the Soul on the handle) these should both sync at the concert so you can use them there.
What about freebies? The freebie game has really amped up in recent years, so don’t feel pressured to do this if you don’t want to. If you want to make freebies, just about anything goes – bracelets, stickers, keychains, and photocards are all popular options. Keep in mind that many stadiums do not allow candy/food, and most have a small bag policy, so make sure you have space to carry your freebies.
Some people are only interested in trades, but I strongly urge you to treat your freebies as purely free – something to share with ARMY to spread the love and not expect anything in return. I like to offer freebies to those I’m in line with, those I’m sitting near, and anyone who looks lost and lonely and like it’s their first time. From personal experience, I can tell you that most parents will refuse freebies offered to their children, so if you see a cute kid there, approach with caution and always ask the parent if it’s okay to offer first.
What are we wearing? By now you might have heard that Korean ARMY attending the first Goyang shows are encouraging everyone to wear hanbok. Several of my Korean friends have assured me this is not considered rude or cultural appropriation for foreigners, so this might be a lovely idea. Just remember a true hanbok is stiff, large, and hot, so skipping the real thing and just taking inspiration from the look instead might work better. Otherwise, consider wearing something in the album’s colours (red and white), something that matches the vinyl colours (silver, pink, cream, burgundy, red velvet, orchid – for Yoongi’s clear vinyl, you could choose white or black). Another popular idea is to choose an iconic outfit from your bias to recreate, or to dress in one of their debut era outfits.
Overall though, the rules are to dress for the weather and dress for comfort – you’re going to be outside for a long time, so make sure your outfit is up to the challenge.
If you’re in the resale market…
Boo! That sucks, but it’s not over yet.
Not gonna lie, buying resale probably means you’re going to be paying more than list price. But there’s always hope, and you should take your time to try to find a ticket or tickets that fit you best. It’s easy to feel desperate in the first few days but we have time.
Some questions you might have
Is it safe to buy from Stubhub, Seatgeek, Viagogo, or Vividseats? Generally speaking, yes. I have done this for several concerts and it has worked out. There’s a small chance the tickets are fake, but Stubhub and Seatgeek in particular have stiff penalties for those who list tickets for sale and don’t deliver, stiff enough that most people won’t break this.
If you see tickets listed on these sites without a specific seat number, just a section and possibly a row, this likely means these seats are speculative. This means the listing person has reason to believe they will get these tickets (they work for the stadium or they are a season pass holder, or whatever) but don’t actually have them in hand yet. These are more of a gamble; usually you don’t find out until after you pay that the transfer date is just a few days before the concert, and you won’t actually know if you have the tickets until then, which, if you are travelling, is super nerve-wracking. This happened to me once, and it worked out – I got the ticket delivered to me about 2 days before the concert. But it was very stressful, so I recommend avoiding it if you can.
If you see tickets listed for “instant download” these are safest, as it means the reseller site already has the tickets and will deliver them to you immediately. But if it’s not instant download, that’s not necessarily a red flag; it likely just means the seller is still hoping to sell them privately instead. I personally would still risk it, but understand all resale has some degree of risk and there are no guarantees.
What if I’m buying a VIP Soundcheck ticket on resale? There is so, so much conflicting information about this online, so first let me say this: no one, not even Ticketmaster or LiveNation, knows for sure what the rules are or what will happen when you arrive. It is highly dependent on the stadium’s own rules, and the staff who happen to be dealing with the VIP line that day.
Speaking from personal experience with this – absolutely no guarantees – here is what should happen:
- a VIP ticket includes three things: a merch pack, access to soundcheck, and a ticket to the concert
- if you buy a VIP ticket on the resale market, no matter where or how you buy it, it is 100% a ticket to the concert and they cannot and will not stop you from attending the actual concert part
- if you buy a VIP ticket on the resale market from a resale site like Stubhub, Seatgeek, or Ticketmaster, chances are good, but not guaranteed, that you will still get in for soundcheck. When I had a VIP resale ticket, I was not required to show any ID to get in for the soundcheck part, all that mattered was that I had a VIP soundcheck ticket. Again, no promises, but it’s possible, and likely depends on the staff you encounter at the stadium.
- if you buy a VIP ticket on the resale market through a reseller like Stubhub, Seatgeek, or Ticketmaster, chances are very good you will not get the merch pack. The merch packs are given out by LiveNation, not Ticketmaster, so trust me when I say, anything Ticketmaster tells you about the merch packs is pure conjecture. Historically, LiveNation has required two things to give you the merch pack: show your VIP ticket, AND show ID of the person who paid for the tickets, i.e. the name on the credit card that was used to pay. So if you buy through a resale site, you will not have the ID of the seller as they are anonymous, and so, no merch pack.
- if you are buying a VIP ticket ARMY-to-ARMY in a private sale, you will want to include in your purchase a digital photo of the ID of the person whose name is on the paying credit card (driver’s license or passport) and also ask for the last 4 digits of the credit card number that was used to purchase the ticket. This is the only way for you to have a hope of getting the merch pack, and it’s extra protection for getting into soundcheck as well. It also works if they are actually attending the same concert and can meet you there for merch pack pickup and soundcheck entry.
Will Ticketmaster allow resale? This is the safest way to buy resale for sure (and usually the most expensive), but at the moment, Ticketmaster has closed resale on all BTS concerts. Whether or not it opens is up to the artist (i.e. Hybe), so it’s not clear if it will be opened at all, or which shows might allow resale. We have time, so you can wait a month or two and see what happens if you would prefer to buy this way.
What’s my best chance of getting a list price ticket? First, please be reasonable. While many ARMY are happy to sell you their extra tickets at list price, I cannot count the number of people I have seen online looking for prime tickets – “ideally first 10 rows of the 100 section” – and hoping to pay next to nothing – “my max budget is $200 per ticket.” Honey, no. Those tickets were $650 list price at least, if not $850. So understand that if you have a small budget, you need to consider tickets that are much farther back. Trust me, just getting in the room is a win!
If you are hoping for list price tickets, you can monitor the resale sites daily looking for new listings at cost, but also you want to be working the socials. There are many groups on Facebook where ARMY are offering tickets at face value. There’s also the awesome BTS Ticket Helper account (on Bluesky and Twitter) that is super legit and helps connect buyers and sellers.
If you find an ARMY who is willing to sell privately, make sure it’s not a scam
- ask to see video proof of the tickets in their account (not just screenshots) – this means showing the ticket details, then panning up to the top right and clicking the profile to show you it’s their own account
- arrange for a video call so you can see their face
- chat for at least 10 minutes before doing a transaction – when did they become ARMY, who is their bias, why are they selling? Have them screenshare, and show you again the tickets in their account, including the profile that matches their name. Trust your gut here, and if they seem shady, bail.
- agree to exchange while on the call
- transfer the funds – it’s customary for the buyer to pay first, then ticket transfer comes next. If you’re nervous, you can ask for half payment, ticket transfer, then half payment, but the seller doesn’t have to agree to this.
- some shoppers recommend transfer only by PayPal Goods and Services (which requires you to pay an additional fee of up to 5%), as this type of transaction can be challenged if you don’t receive the tickets. But this requires the seller to set up a business PayPal account, which not everyone has; it also leaves the seller open to someone taking the tickets, contesting the payment, and leaving them with nothing. So not all sellers will agree. You can see what you are comfortable with; at some point this transaction is going to be an exercise in trust, so find your level.
- If you are transferring via another method, you may find that transactions over $1000 get held for bank approval, so consider transferring in several smaller amounts so it goes through right away.
- once confirmation of payment is received, the seller should send you the tickets; stay on the call until you receive the transfer email and are able to save them to your account (this should only take a few minutes)
Good luck, ticket hunters!
If you cannot attend…
That sucks, and it must be really hard for you right now, and I’m so sorry to hear it.
But there’s lots of ways you can still participate!
You can:
- find low quality livestreams of just about every concert – there’s always awesome ARMY livestreaming the whole show from their phone (until Hybe tracks them down and cuts the feed). Get on social media and search for live feeds, BTS concert, streams, etc. and you’re bound to find something. Streamers will use Twitter livestream, Instagram Live, TikTok, or Discord to stream, so try hopping between platforms too. It might seem silly to be watching a concert on a sketchy 144p livestream but I’ve done it a lot and honestly, it’s super fun and not that different from actually being there! Please remember the streaming ARMY are technically breaking the rules to bring you this content, so always be grateful, support them with loving comments and donations if possible, and do not complain that they are talking or singing – they are there to enjoy the concert!
- host a listening party for Arirang on March 20 – a fun idea for any and all ARMY! Host with friends in person, but if you are a solo fan, everyone will be online and there will definitely be streaming parties on Stationhead, people chatting on all social media platforms, and a flood of official BTS content to gush over.
- get the accessories – you can still make freebies to mail to online friends, or to gift to confused family (now is a great time to convert them!), you can still buy an ARMY bomb and wave it around your living room, you can still make yourself a cute Arirang-inspired outfit to wear to the grocery store and while listening to the new album.
- watch on Weverse – They haven’t announced anything yet, but chances are high that they will sell online streaming tickets to at least a few of the concerts, especially the (rumoured) free concert to be held in Seoul on album release day. Keep an eye out and watch from your living room if that happens!
And there’s still more dates coming for 2027, so start saving now – there’s always hope! Fighting, ARMY!
