Night One, November 14: 14 Acts and an I.O.I Reunion

For the first time in its 18 editions, the Melon Music Awards split into two shows. Melon, the music platform run by Kakao Entertainment, completed the performer list on October 14 with 26 acts across the two nights, and the presenters followed on October 23. Here is night one, as announced: NCT DREAM, ATEEZ, YENA, RIIZE, TWS, RESCENE, Hearts2Hearts, I.O.I, aespa, Dragon Pony, IDID, AEN, TUIDE and the Japanese girl group HANA. That is 14 acts.

The headline is I.O.I. The group reunited this year about nine years after its last activities, and the title track "Suddenly" from the May mini album I.O.I : LOOP reached No. 1 on Melon's TOP100 chart. aespa arrive with their second studio album, LEMONADE, also released in May. ATEEZ bring a record year: the June mini album led by "BAD" sold more than 1.88 million copies in its first week in Korea and topped the Billboard 200, and the group has just opened a new chapter with "Drip," covered in our ATEEZ Drip and GOLDEN HOUR: Part.6 guide.

The rest of the night leans toward groups at a high point. TWS earned their first million-selling album with the fifth mini album NO TRAGEDY. RIIZE, three years into their career, logged their fourth million-seller with the June mini album II, and NCT DREAM mark ten years since their 2016 debut. Bands get a slot too: Dragon Pony share the bill with idol groups, which says something about how wide Melon wanted this year's stage to be.

Night Two, November 15: IVE, CORTIS and the New Generation

Night two has 12 acts: IVE, KiiiKiii, CORTIS, hrtz.wav, NCT 127, PLAVE, 82MAJOR, NCT WISH, ILLIT, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, LNGSHOT and AND2BLE. If night one is built around reunions and anniversaries, night two is where this year's chart story sits.

IVE took No. 1 on Melon's TOP100 and weekly chart with "BANG BANG" earlier this year. KiiiKiii reached the top of the TOP100 for the first time with "404 (New Era)." CORTIS kept "REDRED," from their second mini album, in the top three of Melon's monthly chart from May through September. PLAVE's "Born Savage" reached No. 2 on the TOP100 and No. 1 on the HOT100, while NCT WISH's first full album, Ode to Love, topped the HOT100 and passed 1.8 million first-week sales.

Then come the newer names. ALPHA DRIVE ONE debuted in January with EUPHORIA, and its title track "FREAK ALARM" reached No. 1 on the HOT100. ILLIT arrive just after their fifth mini album; our ILLIT BREAK EVEN comeback guide has the release details. NCT 127, also marking ten years since 2016, give the night an anchor, and the band hrtz.wav adds live instruments to the mix.

Start Time, Presenters and How the Winners Are Chosen

Both nights start at 6 p.m. KST. The theme is "K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse," and KakaoBank is the title sponsor. On October 23 Melon named 37 presenters: 17 on night one, including Lee Young-ae, Jang Keun-suk, Lee Do-hyun, Shin Ye-eun, Roh Yoon-seo, Yoo Seung-ho and the Culinary Class Wars winner, chef Kwon Sung-jun, and 20 on night two, including Byun Yo-han, Tiffany Young, Lee Se-young, Moon Sang-min and Lee Seung-chul, who marks 40 years since his debut. The creator Mimiminu has a special role on both nights, linking the artists with the fans.

The main TOP10 prize is decided by a mix of streaming performance (60 percent), a judging panel (20 percent) and fan votes (20 percent). Voting for TOP10 runs on the MMA2026 page in Melon until October 29, choosing 10 from 30 nominees; paid Melon members get three votes a day, free members one. Category voting follows from October 30 to November 13. The TOP10 vote also counts toward Artist of the Year.

There is one new category. The Global TOP10 draws on the Global-K Chart, a combined Korea, China and Japan chart that Melon runs with Tencent Music and LINE MUSIC, so listening outside Korea now feeds into a prize directly.

How to Watch MMA from Outside Korea

Official streaming partners differ from region to region. In Korea, the show streams on Melon and on Wavve, which holds the exclusive OTT rights and carries the red carpet and the main show, with replays afterwards. For other countries, Korean reports on this year's plan point to Melon's YouTube channel and 1theK, Kakao Entertainment's K-pop channel, with some regions excluded. Check the official MMA2026 page on Melon for your region before the night.

Then work out the time. 6 p.m. KST is 09:00 UTC: 5 p.m. in Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore, 9 a.m. in London and 4 a.m. in New York. The shows fall on a Saturday and a Sunday, so in Europe that means two weekend mornings, and in the Americas two very early starts. If you miss the live stream, Wavve offers replays in Korea, and the official channels usually post stage clips in the days after.

Tickets and Getting to Gocheok Sky Dome

Tickets sell through Melon Ticket. The second sale round opened on October 22 at 8 p.m. KST to anyone with a Melon subscription, covering stand seats and remaining seats, with a limit of two tickets per Melon ID across both rounds. Seats released after cancellation go back on Melon Ticket, so the booking page is the one to watch. Melon is also giving away invitations through its own events, including the "Catch the Timing" promotion until November 4 and a daily draw for paid members who vote. Prices and seat maps are on the Melon Ticket notice for MMA2026.

Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea's first domed stadium, is in Guro-gu in southwest Seoul. Take subway Line 1 to Guil Station and use Exit 2; the dome is about 330 meters away, a few minutes on foot. Guil is a small station, so expect queues to get out before the show and to get back in afterwards. Give yourself extra time on both ends.

If you are planning a longer K-pop trip, MMA opens a busy season of year-end stages in Seoul. Our K-pop concerts in Seoul in December guide covers the broadcaster festivals that follow and how their tickets work.