Knox Pop Con 2026 — J-Pop & K-Pop Festival | Knoxville TN

Knox Pop Con 2026 — East Tennessee's Premier Asian Pop Culture Festival

Experience the first-ever J-Pop concert in Knoxville history at Knox Pop Con 2026! Join 2,500+ fans on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Bridgewater Place in Knoxville, Tennessee for an unforgettable evening of live J-Pop and K-Pop performances, anime DJ sets, cosplay competitions, K-Pop dance battles, a JDM car show, and so much more.

LIVE PERFORMANCES

Shihori (しほり) — J-Pop Headliner

Acclaimed J-Pop singer-songwriter and anime composer with 100+ songs and 13 Gold Discs. Known for her work on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Fairy Tail, NieR:Automata, Macross Frontier, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts. Full J-Pop concert, artist panel, and signing sessions. 18M+ YouTube views.

None Like Joshua — MC & Anime Rapper

Your host for the night with 700M+ YouTube views. The internet's top anime rapper commands the stage between acts, keeping the energy electric from open to close.

NINJ3FF3C7 — VTuber DJ & Anime Rave

The night closes out with a high-energy anime rave DJ set featuring remixes of your favorite anime openings, J-Pop bangers, and K-Pop dance tracks.

K-POP DANCE CREWS

Three incredible K-Pop cover dance crews take the stage:

- Knox K-Pop Group — Knoxville's original K-Pop cover dance crew

- TNT-K — Tennessee's premier K-Pop cover dance team

- starstrucK — Nashville's high-energy K-Pop crew covering Stray Kids,

NewJeans, ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM, and SEVENTEEN

YAMA-CON COSPLAY CONTEST

The first-ever YAMA-CON x Knox Pop Con crossover! Presented by YAMA-CON, East Tennessee's beloved anime convention based in Pigeon Forge. Six competition categories:

- Best in Show

- Best Craftsmanship

- Best Performance

- Best Group Cosplay

- Fan Favorite

- Best Debut Cosplay

All fandoms welcome. All skill levels celebrated. Stage time for every contestant.

RANDOM PLAY DANCE (RPD)

Knoxville's biggest Random Play Dance ever! 200+ song catalog spanning K-Pop, J-Pop, and anime. No sign-ups required — just jump in and dance! Features girl group rounds, boy group rounds, anime rounds, classic hits, and a Last Dancer Standing survival elimination with prizes.

JDM CAR SHOW — Presented by Subie Crew Knoxville

Japanese Domestic Market car show featuring Subaru WRX/STI, BRZ, Toyota GR86, itasha (anime-wrapped cars), custom builds, classic JDM imports, engine bay displays, and audio systems.

MORE ACTIVITIES

- 30+ Vendor Hall & Artist Alley

- K-Pop Photo Card Trading Post

- QR Scavenger Hunt Adventure

- Noraebang Stage (Karaoke)

- Photo Opportunities with Cosplayers and Performers

TICKETS

- General Admission — $30 | Full event access, all performances and activities

- VIP Pass — $125 (Only 125 available) | Priority entry, VIP lounge, exclusive merch, meet-and-greet with Shihori, None Like Joshua, and NINJ3FF3C7

- Daesang Pass — $225 (Only 25 available) | Everything in VIP plus exclusive dinner with Shihori, backstage access, autograph sessions, premium reservedseating, and commemorative limited-edition gift

EVENT DETAILS

- Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026

- Time: 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT

- Venue: Bridgewater Place, 205 Bridgewater Road, Knoxville, TN 37923

- All Ages Welcome

- Presented by: Knox Pop Con, a Tennessee 501(c)(3) nonprofit celebrating Asian pop culture in Knoxville

Get tickets at knoxpopcon.love

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