BTS Draw 150,000 in Three Nights at Their First Peru Shows, Lima Names a Street for Them

When BTS told a packed Estadio San Marcos in Lima, in Spanish, "Los amo," the crowd had already made history of its own: the group's first-ever Peru concerts drew roughly 150,000 people over three nights. Big Hit Music said on the 11th that the shows, held on the 7th, 9th and 10th (local time), were part of the ARIRANG world tour.

The run was originally planned as two nights. Strong demand from local fans led to a third show being added, and that one sold out too. Attendance figures differed slightly between reports, ranging from about 151,500 to 155,000.

BTS had never performed in Peru since debuting in 2013, and the members sounded like they felt the gap. "Your energy is really incredible," they told the crowd. "We wonder why we didn't come to Peru sooner."

Jimin, whose birthday falls on the 13th, got one of the loudest cheers of the night. "I will live remembering that you love us so much on the other side of the globe," he said.

A city dressed for the occasion

Lima treated the visit as a civic event. The capital designated a "BTS Avenue" in honor of the concerts, and light shows for the group were staged across the city center.

Official institutions also put numbers on the visit before the first show. Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism projected that more than 50,000 people would travel to Lima for the concerts, generating about $18.7 million (roughly 25.1 billion won) in tourism-related economic impact. The Lima Chamber of Commerce went further, estimating up to 200 million soles (about 78 billion won) in economic activity. It expected spending to spread beyond tickets into lodging, food and drink, transportation and sightseeing.

Those are forecasts, not final tallies, and the agency's statement framed the shows as a boost to local tourism and the economy.

What comes next

The tour now moves to Santiago, Chile, with shows on the 14th, 16th and 17th. After that, BTS continue the South American leg in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil.