The six members of KATSEYE came from four countries and beat out 120,000 applicants for a spot in a girl group that did not yet have a name. On August 8, they will stand at the top of a festival bill at Brookside at the Rose Bowl, headlining Head in the Clouds — what its organizers call the premiere music festival for Asian talent in the United States — before a crowd that has grown steadily since the event’s 2018 debut.
The one-day festival, presented by 88rising and Goldenvoice, returns to the Pasadena venue where it has been held since 2021, according to a press release from the organizers. The lineup draws from hip-hop, R&B, K-pop and electronic music, with artists representing Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States. Last year’s two-day edition drew more than 75,000 attendees, according to published reports. This year, the event scales back to a single day but keeps the ambition: KATSEYE, nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammy Awards, will make their first Head in the Clouds appearance.
Joining KATSEYE on the bill are Japanese group XG, a seven-member act whose debut studio album, The Core, was released in January, and Indonesian rapper Rich Brian, one of 88rising’s original breakout artists. South Korean rapper Dabin.kr, formerly known as DPR LIVE, will perform in the United States for the first time under his new stage name, according to the press release. R&B singer-songwriter UMI, Indonesian rapper Warren Hue, and singer-producer Tiffany Day round out the headlining acts.
The festival also features K-pop boy group LNGSHOT, produced by Jay Park; South Korean girl group KiiiKiii; Indonesian pop group no na; and Hong Kong DJ and producer Gia Fu, according to the organizers.
Head in the Clouds launched in 2018 at Los Angeles State Historic Park, where it drew roughly 10,000 attendees in its first year, according to the USC Daily Trojan. The festival moved to Brookside at the Rose Bowl in 2021 and has since expanded to New York, Jakarta, Manila and cities across China. 88rising, the music and media company behind the event, was founded in New York in 2015 by Sean Miyashiro to amplify Asian artists in Western markets, according to Billboard. The company partnered with Goldenvoice, the concert promoter behind Coachella, to produce the festival.
KATSEYE was formed through a 2023 reality competition called The Debut: Dream Academy, a collaboration between South Korean entertainment company HYBE and Geffen Records, according to the group’s official biography. The six members — Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung — come from the United States, the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland. Their formation was chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE. Their second EP, Beautiful Chaos, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in 2025.
In addition to music, the festival will feature a curated selection of Asian food vendors from across the diaspora, according to the organizers. The event is cashless; accepted payments include credit and debit cards as well as mobile wallets. A clear-bag policy is in effect.
Head in the Clouds 2026 takes place Saturday, August 8. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. and the curfew is 11:00 p.m. General admission passes start at $179, VIP passes at $329 and 1999 Club passes at $479; all prices include service fees and taxes. The festival is at Brookside at the Rose Bowl, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, CA 91103, with the venue entrance at 1133 Rosemont Avenue. Parking is available at the Parsons lot for $20 per day, credit cards only, with free continuous shuttle service to the festival grounds, according to the festival website. The event is all ages; children 5 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult. For more information, visit la.hitcfestival.com or contact AXS ticketing support at support.axs.com.
In 2018, the festival was a single afternoon in a park, built on the idea that Asian artists deserved a stage of their own. On August 8, that stage will fill the grounds at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, in Pasadena.
