A spectacular treat awaits Filipino ARMYs and K-pop enthusiasts alike as Araneta City in Quezon City, Manila hosts an immersive exhibition featuring none other than the global sensation, BTS. 

Opening its doors to the public on Friday, May 17, the B★VERSE BTS, Singing the Stars exhibition promises an enchanting journey through the evolution of the group as a global sensation and as individual stars.

Having captivated audiences in Malaysia, Japan, and Thailand, the B★VERSE exhibit now makes its way to the Philippines — thanks to a collaboration with The Fact Music Awards (TMA), YiZ Entertainment, and Araneta City. It is set to run from May 17 to August 15 at Level 4 of the new Gateway Mall 2.

Filipino ARMYs can anticipate a truly immersive encounter, starting with a Virtual Reality (VR) Room where fans can enjoy BTS’ 2021-2022 TMA Stage, featuring performances of “Butter,” “Permission to Dance,” “Yet to Come,” and “For Youth” with a touching message at the end that will surely make any ARMY tear up. 

After the VR rooms, fans will go to the beginning of the “Star to Star” experience, where they will head to the “BTS Universe” through the open orbital tunnel. Inside the center of the room, there is a tree with present boxes that contain videos of the members.

The “Galaxy aisle” will then guide the fans through the “Milky Way” area wherein fans can explore the “Seven Planets” section. 

In the “Seven Planets” section, several themed rooms called “planets” are personalized for each BTS member, showcasing their individual journeys through photos and videos.

Taking pictures inside the members’ planets are prohibited, but here’s a rundown of what to expect:

• RM’s Nature Planet is a space of an indoor garden concept that expresses the leader’s passion for nature and art
• Jin’s Satellite is a dreamy space that expresses the moon and the orbit. It drew inspiration from one of Jin’s messages – “ARMY and we are looking at each other, and ARMY is everything to me.”
• Suga’s Art Planet is a colorful neon-toned space that resembles the remarkable and multi-talented rapper-producer.
• J-Hope’s Hope Planet is an industrial tone and manner space with the motif of J-hope’s free-spirited nature.
• Jimin’s Aqua Planet is a dreamy space that embodies the vocalist’s crystal clear and pure image as water.
• V’s Film Planet is a space with an analog mood created with V’s sensibility and his favorite film photos as the motif.
• Jung Kook’s Prism Planet is a  space that represents Jungkook’s diverse musical talents as a multicolored rainbow prism.

After going through the “BTS Universe” and “Seven Planets” section, fans get to an exhibition space called “ARMY Way,” where they’ll definitely grow sentimental seeing the BTS lyrics and group photos. 

Fans can also explore the past winners of The Fact Music Awards from 2020 to 2022, further enhancing their appreciation for BTS’ achievements, along with other K-pop artists. 

The exhibit will come to an end in the “Post Show Meteor Shower,”  where visitors can see stage footage of the K-pop juggernauts that detail how BTS has grown into a world-famous artist through the TMA Awards Scene.

While photography is prohibited in several sections of the venue, the exhibition’s photo zone provides the perfect opportunity for fans to capture memories alongside life-sized standees of BTS. They can opt for a group shot with all of the members or take selfies with their biases. 

In addition to the captivating experience within the exhibition halls, fans will also have the opportunity to bring a piece of the BTS magic home with them through a range of official merchandise in the gift shop. From special clear file sets to exclusive postcard collections and stylish T-shirts, there’s something for every ARMY to treasure.

Official Merchandise are priced as follows:

• B★VERSE Special Clear File Set – Php 1320
• B★VERSE Special Postcard Set – Php 500
• B★VERSE Tshirt (Black or white) – Php 1400
• B★VERSE Brochure – Php 1300
• B★VERSE Tote Bag – Php950
• B★VERSE 2024 Calendar – Php 1200

Tickets are available on Ticketnet Online. If you already have a target date and time, you can avail the regular passes, priced at P1,200 for your specific booking schedule. But if you prefer a more flexible schedule, you can opt for the Flexi Pass, priced at P1,600, so that you and your fellow ARMYs can visit at any time on a booked date. 

Each ticket purchase also comes with exclusive merchandise, including zipped-lock pouches, battery-operated ARMY star badges, and one randomly picked photo card. – Rappler.com

Katlyn Bes Berdin is a Rappler intern