MAMA 2026 will be held in Osaka with a 360-degree stage, new chapter-based awards, Park Bo-gum as host, and major collaborations.

The “2026 MAMA AWARDS,” to be held in Osaka, conveyed a variety of initiatives. This morning (the 29th), the media day for the “2026 MAMA AWARDS” was held at the Eliena Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. CJ ENM Music Content Division Head Shin Hyung-kwan, Mnet Business Division Head Yoon Shin-ae, and Convention Business Division Head Park Chang-wook attended and discussed this year’s awards ceremony. The “2026 MAMA AWARDS” will be held over two days, on November 20 and 21, at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan. The concept of this year’s ceremony is “A MUSIC INTERSTELLAR.” It carries the wish to deliver the unique fun of finding one’s own star and to complete a mysterious “music universe” in which artists and fans around the world connect across time and space through “MUSIC MAKES ONE.” This year’s “MAMA AWARDS” announced the largest-ever lineup of performing artists in a single region. In addition, to increase audience immersion, the height of the artist seating was aligned with the audience’s eye level to reduce the physical and psychological distance, and a 360-degree stage was introduced so that people can interact with the artists from any angle without visual restrictions. On this day, Business Division Head Yoon Shin-ae said about “2026 MAMA” that “Chapter 1 will be composed of the artist category. Awards will be given to singers, including Fans’ Choice TOP 10, male and female solo, and male and female group categories,” and that “Chapter 2 will be the performance category, and awards related to works such as Best Song TOP 10, songs in each genre category, and music videos will be given.” She continued, “The first ambassador and host will be actor Park Bo-gum,” and added, “We believe Park Bo-gum’s sincere attitude toward music has deepened ‘MAMA’ and played a major role in showing musical solidarity. He is scheduled to serve as a storyteller and guide to the music universe.” Park Bo-gum said through a VCR, “Over the two days, I want to show the musical message that ‘MAMA’ is trying to convey. We will go on a special journey into the music universe ‘MUSIC INTERSTELLAR,’ which transcends time and space. I plan to deliver a variety of stories. As much as K-pop fans around the world have been waiting, they will be able to encounter stages beyond imagination.” Also, today it was first revealed that the male duo Panic, made up of Kim Jin-pyo and Lee Juck, will participate as performing artists. Director Yoon said, “We plan to present collaboration stages with other artists,” and added, “We will present collaboration stages with MARTIN & SEONGHYEON of CORTIS, Cho Seung-youn (WOODZ), Kim Tae-rae of ZEROBASEONE, Woochan of ALLDAY PROJECT, and Yuha of Hearts2Hearts. I think it will be a collaboration stage that transcends generations. Please look forward to it.” In addition, collaborations were announced with artist Lee Bae for a K-art collaboration, with the film “Dune: Part Three,” scheduled for release in December, and ENHYPEN, with the Korean animation “Dooly the Little Dinosaur,” and with BIGBANG, as well as an AI collaboration with Google Gemini. Director Yoon said, “ENHYPEN is a group with a clear worldview. They have long presented that worldview through ‘MAMA,’” and added, “Please look forward to what kind of stage will unfold when ENHYPEN’s worldview meets the worldview and story of the film ‘Dune.’ We are preparing an iconic stage.” He also said about the meeting of Dooly and BIGBANG, “It is the meeting of a legendary character and a legendary group,” and “I think it will be a moment of a generationally resonant paradigm.” They also addressed risk response for the ceremony. Last year, a large-scale fire broke out in Hong Kong. The red carpet event and some stages were canceled, but the awards ceremony proceeded as scheduled. Convention Business Division Head Park Chang-wook said, “There was a lot of anguish over last year’s Hong Kong tragedy. We also made donations and delivered comfort through music,” and explained, “This year, we are preparing a risk manual according to the intensity of shaking in the event of an earthquake in Japan. A dedicated organization has been separately prepared on site, and we plan to respond immediately.” This year, along with the awards ceremony, the global fan festival “MAMA FAN FESTA,” which strengthens on- and offline contact with global fans, will be held. “MAMA FAN FESTA” is scheduled to take place from November 9 to 21 throughout the Osaka area and via Mnet Plus. ・A glamorous lineup from BIGBANG to IVE and &TEAM! Second wave of performers announced for the “2026 MAMA AWARDS” ・From Naniwa Danshi’s Michieda Shunsuke to 2PM’s Junho and Jang Geun-suk! A total of 25 glamorous presenters announced for the “2026 MAMA AWARDS” ・Preview footage for the “2026 MAMA AWARDS” released! Expectations rise for the 360-degree stage and lavish collaborations