MAMA Awards announce Osaka fan festival and cross-genre stages for 2026
The first MAMA Fan Festa is planned across Osaka before the two-day ceremony, with K-pop collaborations spanning art, film and animation.
The 2026 MAMA Awards will expand beyond their two-day ceremony in Osaka, Japan, with a fan festival across the city and performances combining K-pop with art, film and animation, organizers announced on Oct. 29, according to Yonhap News Agency. The plans give fans activities before the Nov. 20–21 awards shows at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
Where the MAMA Fan Festa will take place
The first MAMA Fan Festa is scheduled for Nov. 9–21 at locations including Kyocera Dome Osaka, Midosuji Street and Namba Square, and online through Mnet Plus, Yonhap reported. CJ ENM live entertainment head Park Chan-uk described an event built around activities that let fans participate and connect with one another, rather than only watch the ceremony.
The Korea Herald reported that participating restaurants in areas including Dotonbori are expected to offer food collaborations and discounts, while music by nominated artists will play inside the HEP Five Ferris Wheel. Plans also include a welcome station at Namba Square, virtual high-five experiences, rehearsal-linked backstage footage and a red-carpet photo zone. CJ ENM intends to carry the Fan Festa concept to future host cities, the Herald reported.
How the awards and performances will change
Yonhap reported that the ceremony will organize its two days around artist and performance categories, instead of separating fan-voted awards from main prizes. Fans’ Choice and singer awards are scheduled for the first day; Best Song Top 10 and genre-specific awards are scheduled for the second. The event’s theme is ‘A Music Interstellar.’
Announced stages include veteran duo Panic with younger K-pop performers, a collaboration involving contemporary artist Lee Bae, Enhypen with the film ‘Dune: Part Three,’ and BIGBANG with characters from the animated series ‘Dooly the Little Dinosaur,’ according to Yonhap. Those pairings show how organizers plan to extend the show beyond conventional music performances; the stages have yet to take place.
Livestream sound and the global audience
CJ ENM has acknowledged criticism of sound quality for broadcast and digital viewers and is testing ways to reduce differences between the venue sound and what those audiences hear, The Korea Herald reported. The company says the 2024 ceremony drew more than 100 million cumulative digital views in five days, while the 2025 event was watched across about 250 regions. This year’s ceremony is planned for global livestreaming on platforms including Mnet Plus.
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Sources and context
- MAMA Awards to expand beyond stage with fan festival, cross-genre collaborationsYonhap News Agency
- 2026 MAMAs bet on big collabs, citywide fan festivalThe Korea Herald
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.