The 18th Melon Music Awards, also known as MMA 2026, will be held over two days for the first time in its history. Kakao Entertainment announced that the award show will take place on November 14 and November 15, 2026, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. The expansion wants to bring together a wider range of artists and fans from around the world while fostering its position as one of K-Pop’s biggest events in history.
⭐️역대 최초 양일간 개최⭐️
11월 14~15일 #멜론뮤직어워드 Coming Soon!전 세계 팬들이 모여 하나가 되는 순간
K-POP 대표 음악 시상식, #MMA2026 에서 만나요💚🗓️ 2026년 11월 14일(토) ~ 15일(일)
📍 고척스카이돔K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse
MELON MUSIC AWARDS 2026–
하이라이트 무대… pic.twitter.com/o9G5757Vd2— Melon 멜론 (@melon) June 9, 2026
This year’s theme is “Connect,” with the slogan “K-POP CONNECT: The New Pulse.” The concept was created to capture the idea of global fans uniting beyond borders and time zones through music. Since its 2005 beginning, the Melon Music Awards has become known for honoring top artists using a combination of Melon chart data, fan votes, and expert evaluations. In addition, the show has a reputation for its iconic performances, including BTS’ traditional Korean-style “Idol” stage in 2018 and IU’s emotional “Dear Name” performance in 2017.
This year, Kakao Entertainment plans to connect MMA 2026 with its new Global-K Chart, developed in partnership with Tencent Music in China and LINE MUSIC in Japan. The chart combines streaming data with fandom activity to measure global influence and fan engagement, which makes it the first-ever K-pop chart to combine music streaming and fandom activity. More details and special events will be unveiled through the official MMA 2026 website in the coming months.
