Honestly? We can hardly fathom this day is actually here. BTS turned 12, we have six out of seven members back, all seven went to the finale of Hobi’s tour, and we saw three (3!) members perform together. That’s the most we’ve seen side by side on stage in almost three years! BTS’ anniversary and FESTA celebrations are always a joyous time (well, except for that one dinner), but the 2025 edition has been more euphoric than we ever thought possible! Here is everything we got to enjoy.
Hope On The Stage Finale
We tried to warn you, didn’t we? The moment we saw that the finale of Hobi’s solo world tour would take place in Seoul, on BTS’ anniversary, we knew we had to clear our calendars and tune into the livestreams. Whether you attended, watched virtually, or just caught up with the clips on Twitter, this weekend was certainly one to remember. First and foremost, the finale gave us the first-ever performances of j-hope’s new solo single ‘Killin’ It Girl (feat. GloRilla)’ which were… a sight to behold.
We also caught a glimpse of ot7 as all of the other members, including still-enlisted SUGA, were in the audience of Saturday’s show, fittingly on their 12th anniversary. Every single moment of them vibing in the crowd healed parts of our ARMY hearts, from their reactions to the BTS fanchants, to their muscle memory-fuelled renditions of the choreography. Honestly, the moment that Yoongi heard ARMY’s self-made “Mianhae Eomma,” chant, it lowkey felt like a bit of balance had been restored in the world.
Jin & JK Back Where They Belong
If seeing them vibe out in the crowd wasn’t enough (how?! It was life-changing!) then don’t worry. BTS’ eldest and youngest members, Jin and Jungkook, both joined j-hope on stage for some once-in-a-lifetime performances. Jungkook and j-hope debuted the live version of their (criminally-underrated) collaboration ‘i wonder…’ before Jungkook performed his solo smash hit ‘Seven.’ Hearing Hobi pick up Latto’s verse was something we didn’t know we needed, but now couldn’t live without.
And as for Jin… well, hearing the opening notes of BTS’ magnum opus ‘Spring Day’ to open the encore was a truly ascendant experience. We could hardly believe that Jin and Hobi were singing it, even as we watched it on the livestream. Jin then gave us a performance of his latest title track ‘Don’t Say You Love Me,’ before Jungkook returned to the stage and all three of them performed their unit track, ‘Jamais Vu.’ This marked the first time one of the unit songs from Map of The Soul: 7 has been performed (by the unit) in front of an in-person audience, and we hope it’s the start of more to come!
FESTA, Online & Offline
As if all of that wasn’t enough, BTS continued to spoil ARMY rotten this FESTA. There were more events than we can count – both online and offline – over the space of two weeks. At KINTEX Exhibition Center in Seoul, there were more than 20 FESTA-themed booths, installations, and activities! These ranged from photo spots to a ‘TROPHY ZONE’ that contained over 50 of BTS’ trophies from some of their most legendary award-winning moments, a ‘COLORING WALL,’ a huge art installation where ARMY could add their own messages for BTS, and an opportunity for ARMY to create their own scent pouches inspired by their favorite BTS songs. Did anyone make a ‘Pied Piper’ one, and if so, what does it smell like? Asking for a friend…
As for our favorite activity? It probably has to be the booth where you could listen to specially recorded personal messages from each member! If you were a lucky ARMY who made it to any of the in-person events, and there were over 60,000 of you who did, please know we’re painfully jealous of you.
What’s Next?
Well, first things first, we need to fully reunite BTS. SUGA will be back on 21st June and we’ll have our ot7 back for the first time since 2022! And we don’t know about you, but we’re literally scared of how epic this iteration of BTS is going to be. For group activities, j-hope has already been (very strongly) hinting about a BTS world tour once the group is fully reunited. Brace yourselves, and your wallets, because we already know that it will be a life-changing experience.
Sooner than that though, we have Jin’s tour to look forward to! #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR kicks off in South Korea at the end of this month, followed by dates in Asia, the US, and Europe. Now we just have to wait and see if any of the members return the favor, and we get even more surprise stages…
How did you celebrate BTS’ return and FESTA in your own way? Are you ready for Chapter Three? Let us know in the comments below, or tell us over on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
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