‘PPOPCON Manila 2023’ wraps up three-day event with spectacular lineup showcasing the best of P-pop

This year’s PPOPCON, branded as ‘PPOPCON Manila 2023,’ concluded its three-day event on Sunday, July 16, with a massive concert held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The event, which celebrated the growing P-pop industry, featured a stellar lineup of both established and up-and-coming talents.

The celebration kicked off on Friday, July 14, at the newly-opened Quantum Skyview within Gateway Mall 2, where fans and event partners set up booth exhibits. Attendees were treated to a range of activities, including games, dance classes, an open stage for aspiring performers, HATAW audition, and a fansigning session with MNL48.

Over the course of the three-day convention, PPOPCON delighted the community with a series of engaging activities. The event featured appearances from notable acts such as KAIA, ALAMAT, G22, DIONE, DAYDREAM, 1ST.ONE, and Josh Cullen, who had previously joined last year’s event.

This year, PPOPCON proudly presented a new wave of emerging P-pop acts, including YARA, 6ENSE, BLVCK Flowers, VER5US, ECLIPSE, BILIB, and SMS, who made their event debut. Fans were delighted with surprise appearances from BGYO and SB19 members Stell, Ken, Justin, and Pablo, who paid a visit at various fan booths. The convention concluded on a high note with a performance by the OPM band, The Juans.

The grand finale of PPOPCON was a concert held at The Big Dome. The diverse audience was treated to electrifying performances by returning artists MNL48, Press Hit Play, KAIA, 1ST.ONE, G22, BGYO, BINI, ALAMAT, and SB19. Solo acts Sheki, Felip, and Josh Cullen wowed the crowd with their solo stages, while YARA, HORI7ON, Yes My Love, DIONE, Calista, and PPOPGEN made their PPOPCON debut, performing their songs. Meanwhile, VXON and HORI7ON joined the event through screencast appearances as both groups are currently outside the Philippines.

VJ Ai Dela Cruz hosted the concert, providing viewers with exclusive glimpse behind the scenes through the “backstage pass” segment. Another addition was the the “HATAW” segment, where lucky fans had the opportunity to perform alongside ALAMAT.

Adding a fresh twist to this year’s PPOPCON, several P-pop personalities, including Valfer, Mona, Kheene from VER5US, Alyanna from SMS, Dean from ECLIPSE, Denise from DAYDREAM, AJ from G22, Ace from 1ST.ONE, Angela from KAIA, CHRLS from Press Hit Play, Jhoanna from BINI, Josh and Stell from SB19, and Gelo from BGYO, took the stage as co-hosts, introducing and hyping up the performances of their fellow artists.

Having concluded with great success, PPOPCON hints at potentially bringing the celebration across various regions of the Philippines.