CIUDAD DE VICTORIA, Bulacan — Fans of mostly South Korean celebrities flocked to the Philippine Arena on Thursday for the 2023 Asia Artist Awards (AAA), which would be graced by some of the biggest names in K-pop and K-drama.

This marks the first time that the country hosts the popular awards show, which recognizes excellence in music, television, film and online content creation.

• PH hosting of 2023 Asia Artist Awards a 'great achievement,' says local organizer

As early as 8 a.m., local fan clubs of the participating artists set up booths at the nearby Philippine Sports Stadium, giving away fan-made banners, stickers, photo cards and other merchandise.

“Parang once in a lifetime experience na mangyari ‘to sa Philippines and napakaraming artists [ang pupunta],” said 21-year-old Sophia Misola, who traveled from Bataan to see her favorite group The Boyz.

Dan Cabangis, who became a K-pop fan in 2017 through girl group TWICE, said he was excited when he first learned that the AAA would be held in the country.

“As a multi-stan, marami ako makikita sa isang bayaran lang. Sobrang sulit niya,” said the 26-year-old fan, referring to K-pop fans who support multiple acts.

A large wall was also erected in the middle of the stadium, where fans wrote messages for their favorite stars.

Some 30,000 spectators are expected to fill the venue for the event, which will be attended by 58 musical acts and actors, according to organizers.

• WATCH: K-pop, K-drama stars arrive in PH for 2023 Asia Artist Awards

A red carpet event will take place from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Philippine Arena’s main lobby while the awards show is estimated to run for more than six hours, from 3 p.m.

Organizers have not shared a list of awards that will be given out this year but based on past editions, some of the top honors or “Daesang” include Actor of the Year, Singer of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year.

(1/2) One day to go before the much-anticipated year-end awards show!

Here are the attendees of the 2023 Asia Artist Awards happening tomorrow, Dec. 14, at the Philippine Arena.#AAA2023inPH pic.twitter.com/riw4QRv78c

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) December 13, 2023

The K-pop groups who are set to appear include Seventeen BSS, Stray Kids and NewJeans, while actors such as Kim Seon-ho, Moon Ga-young and Lee Jun-ho will also grace the event.

Artists from China and Japan have also confirmed their attendance to the ceremony.

Representing the Philippines are indie band Ben&Ben, pop groups SB19 and HORI7ON, and actors Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla and Melai Cantiveros.

PULP Live World COO Happee Sy-Go earlier told ABS-CBN News that organizers enlisted the help of government agencies and other institutions to ensure the smooth hosting of the AAA.

“They're all prepared na and everyone's ready so I just hope that everything happens as planned,” said Sy-Go, whose concert production company is co-organizing this year’s ceremony.

The NLEX Corp. earlier said it would deploy personnel to assist motorists, as it expected “high volume of traffic” along the northern highway due to the AAA.

• Heavy traffic expected along NLEX due to 2023 Asia Artist Awards

Launched in 2016, the AAA is presented by Korean entertainment news outlet StarNews. This year’s edition is co-produced by TONZ Entertainment and PULP Live World.

For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.