Writer: Riya Choudhary (Delhi, India)

Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

In the month of April, EXO-Ls, the fans of EXO, also known as Kings of K-pop, came together to celebrate the group’s 14th Debut Anniversary. Ms. Umang Goel, founder of Insway Events, organized XOXO PLANET#9, a multi-city event to gather the EXO-Ls and reignite the WE ARE ONE spirit in eris. The group was formed under SM Entertainment, consisting of 12 members, but now 9 active members, where currently 5 members, Suho, D.O, Kai, Chanyeol, and Sehun are active in the group activities. The event was initially supposed to cover 6 cities, including Jalandhar, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Manipur, but due to the tense situation in Manipur, the event was put on hold. We connected with organizers and attendees who attended the event in Jalandhar, Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, and here’s their heartwarming, cheerful, and exciting experience.

HEARTWARMING CELEBRATION IN JALANDHAR

On 12th April, the fans gathered at Daily Dose, Model Town, Jalandhar, at 12 PM, where they were welcomed with goodies. The event included interactive games and activities themed on EXO, making it a fun experience for EXO-Ls. They also celebrated Sehun’s birthday, falling on the same day as the event, by cutting a cake and singing a birthday congratulatory song for him. It was a day filled with music and talks all about EXO. The organizers had so much fun organising the event, especially in a city like Jalandhar, where you don’t expect to find a lot of K-pop fans, let alone EXO-Ls. 

Attendee’s Experience – Arpitha Balakrishnan 

For me, it was my first time attending any Kpop event. Being an EXO-l for 5 years, it was such a pleasure to meet a bunch of enthusiastic Eris. 3 hours just of sheer joy, games, and laughter. The event was well organized with so many cool segments, including freebies, lucky draw, delicacies, and games. The games were very engaging and competitive at the same time, and all of us participated with full spirit. I enjoyed the vibe of this event because they were playing EXO songs in the background, and mostly the older songs, which brought back the “We are ONE” energy. And most importantly, the event was held on Sehun’s birthday, which made it even more special. The event began with one of us wearing Sehun’s face mask and cutting the cake, and it ended with all of us listening to Sehun’s recent solo track “Dear My Girl”. Being able to hold an Eribong, seeing lots of EXO albums, chatting with people who shared the exact thoughts you had, sharing experiences and memories of EXO, it was all a first-time experience for me, and I genuinely loved it.

Organizer’s Experience – Umang Goel (Insway Events)

It was an incredible experience organizing the EXO anniversary event. The idea behind this initiative was that it had been a long time since EXO-Ls had come together, so we wanted to create a series of events across multiple cities where fans could connect, have fun, and share their experiences. As organizers, it was both a challenging and rewarding journey to collaborate with teams from different regions who helped us bring this vision to life. The event was conducted in six cities: Jalandhar, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune, while one event in Manipur is still pending. We also curated a variety of games, which were unique to each city, along with dance and music activities that made the experience lively and memorable for everyone involved. A lot of thought was put into designing the welcome kit as well, which included items like a badge, a photocard holder, and other accessories that attendees can use in their daily lives to style their outfits or decorate their bags, allowing them to carry the spirit of being an EXO-L with them at all times. Overall, the entire journey has been extremely fulfilling, and we are truly grateful to everyone who participated and made the event so special.

PUNE UNITED FOR EXO

Another event took place on 12th at Iya’s Korean Kitchen, Pashan sus road, Pune, where EXO-Ls got to know each other and bonded over EXO talks. The event started at 12 PM, where attending fans received an EXO-themed kit which had a wonderful collection of cards, a mini notepad, photocards, etc. The highlight of the day was everyone looking forward to more such events where they can just be fangirls and talk about EXO, which felt unreal. From talking about things or mentioning favourites just over messages or in comment sections to experiencing things in person was something more than fans could’ve ever imagined. Organizers can expect no/low energy from the crowd when it’s fangirls, which was exactly the case. The girls were full of energy all day. They had games related to EXO, obviously, and random dance parties as well. When everyone was doing their own introductions, everyone got to bond over how they have become the Noonas when it comes to new kpop stans, with EXO being one of the oldest groups.

Attendee’s Experience – Priya More

Overall, a great experience. We had EXO Horizon streaming as well. Just being with EXOLs all this time was such a positive and fun vibe. Waiting for more such events where we get to be ourselves without any judgments.

Organizer’s experience – Kshitija Shinde (Buzz Box)

From screaming fanchants, playing games, to completely losing our voices in 10 minutes during Exo horizon streaming… this wasn’t just an event, it was a full-blown EXO-L survival mission. Bringing together fans of EXO under one roof meant one thing — noise, chaos, and zero self-control. We laughed, we screamed, we argued over biases like it was life or death (because it is), and somehow survived the EXO Rapid Fire (half of us forgot everything we knew), This or That (caused emotional damage over choosing what we wanted and what we liked), Wrong Answers Only (proved we share one braincell) and the iconic Guess the members by their personality ( Exo-L’s are very good at acting. Baekhyun will be proud). While streaming from iconic songs playing and everyone suddenly becoming main vocalists, to that one moment when your bias appeared, and you forgot how to behave… yeah, that happened. We came as strangers but left as a happy EXO-L family. To everyone who showed up, screamed, cheated in games , and made memories — this was our EXO PLANET 🤍 We are ONE.

ECHOES OF EXO-Ls IN BENGALURU

On 12th, at 1 PM, fans gathered at Got Tea, WTC, Rajajinagar to celebrate the 14th Debut Anniversary of the group. Once everyone arrived at the venue, the event kicked off with intros where everyone shared their biases and the stories of how they fell down the EXO rabbit hole. It was amazing to see so many multi-stans and “EXO families” where parents and siblings had been recruited into the fandom. The age range was incredible, from an 18-year-old fan to a 52-year-old veteran. Attendees bonded over food, K-dramas, and the shared hope for EXO’s return to India, reminiscing about how lucky they were to see Suho, Chen, and Xiumin back in the day. The energy was high during the games. They played Mafia and word-guessing games just like the members do. The organizers outdid themselves with the merch and the lucky draw—one fan even won an official Chanyeol PC by scanning a QR code and getting the song “Lucky One”. They wrapped up the day with a round of “Russian Roulette” for an album, some fun photos with Korean hats and face cutouts, and a few sweet parting gifts. Leaving was hard, but everyone exchanged numbers and hugs, promising to meet again soon.

Attendee’s Experience – Namratha A.

The overall experience was really great, and happy that everyone was satisfied & enjoyed this event with enthusiasm. Happy with fans enjoying the gifts and the remaining money being used to donate to an NGO charity. The most memorable moment would be the smiles we had & the enthusiasm each showed while talking about EXO & how they discovered K-pop & 2nd generation songs.

Organizer’s Experience – Chaithra

This event felt more like a family gathering because we had all been wanting to hold an event for EXO-Ls for a long time, and just spend some quality time together. The whole process was really beautiful, especially since we decided to conduct it in different locations. I was really happy to connect with EXO-Ls from various places. We worked together on selecting goodies and planning games, and in Bengaluru, we played games, shared our stories about how we became EXO-Ls, and talked about our biases. It was such a warm and memorable experience. We really want to hold more meetups like this. Most of us met for the first time, while some had met before during concerts, which made it even more special. I hope we get to organize many more meetups like this in the future.

EXO’s MUSIC & MEMORIES IN DELHI

On 19th April, Delhi EXO-Ls from the different corners of the city came together at Got Tea, Vasant Kunj, to celebrate the group’s 14th anniversary and their admiration & love for EXO. The venue was decorated with EXO-themed balloons, giving a perfect spot to capture the essence of the event. As everyone entered the venue, they were given wrist bands and handed the EXO theme-based welcoming kits, named EXOplanet and EXOverse, consisting of specially curated EXO merch by Insway Pixels.

The event began with the warm welcome by the hosts, Ms. Aakriti Verma, Ms. Devanshi Ghanshala and the main organizer, Ms. Umang Goel followed by interactive introductions of the attending fans where they have to pick up a chit from the bowl and answer the given question, which made everyone aware of how each attendee admire EXO at the deepest level and the venue was also filled with laughter from the start of the event. After everyone introduced themselves and answered the question they received on the chits, the event continued with the game session, where fans formed teams and participated in a fun Dance Relay Challenge, where their team members passed choreography moves down the line while the final participant guessed the EXO song. After that, another set of games was in store for the fans.

Next, it was the time for the EXO-Ls ‘ ramp walk to show their charms and charisma. Some of the fans walked so flawlessly and ended their walks by performing the hook step of their favorite EXO song, filling the venue with claps and cheers. Some fans even performed on EXO songs, where those seated enjoyed everything by singing along and cheering for those dancing. There was a small pop-up stall by Insway Pixels, which included keychains, griptops, bookmarks, diaries, bottles, etc. Also, there was a lucky draw for the first 10 fans who registered first for the event, and one lucky fan was given an official EXO poster as a gift. The fans connected while screaming over their biases and sharing their journey of being an EXO-L. As the event came to an end, everyone took commemorative group pictures, and also fans took solo pictures with each other and left the event with smiles on their faces and cherished memories.

Attendee Experience – Avyalie Chaturvedi

The event was amazing and something that I genuinely looked forward to for a long time. Although I missed being with a lot of my old EXOL friends, I got to meet new EXOL friends from different parts of India. I hope that, just like this event, we can see all of the EXO members together and happy again. The dance relay challenge was the most fun part of the event. I remember EXO members playing it in the EXO arcade, and I actually got to do it with EXO-L members. It was so much fun. Although we came 3rd, I was genuinely surprised to see Riya actually guessing the songs correctly in record time. A huge applause to her.

Riya Choudhary

It was a fun-filled day for me as I got to meet fellow EXO-Ls after so long. At first, I thought, would it be awkward? But as soon as I entered, the organizers filled the whole venue with love with their warm welcome. The welcome kit I received is so cool. The merch inside it was of good quality. Insway Pixels surely never disappoints. I had a fun day with friends singing along to our favourite EXO songs, screaming at the top of our lungs, as well as going crazy over our biases. Funnily, there were many of them who liked Kai and Baekhyun, so between the event, when we were trading our photocards (in case anybody wants to), they asked me who I was looking for, and funnily, we said Baekhyun together and lost it there. The games were fun, and honestly, I enjoyed how everyone was involved in it. Then we formed a team to play a game to guess EXO songs through the dance steps our team members would perform. I was the member who had to guess the song name, so I was losing all my brain cells because I remember too many songs and their choreos were mixed up inside my head, but luckily we got into the Top 3. Then the final round got more funny as we added one more member, who ended up guessing the song by herself lol. Then in the final round, so much pressure was there, but I still guessed the song, and we got third position. Overall, it was well organized. I’d like to thank Aakriti, Devanshi, and Umang Di for organizing it. Also, hugs to my team members, including Avyalie Di, for the amazing time we spent together in such a short time.

Organizer’s Experience –  Devanshi Ghanshala & Aakriti Verma

Organizing the event was too much, but the excitement to meet fellow EXO-Ls kept us going. Every moment leading up to D-Day was full of excitement and thrill. We prepared welcome kits, wrist bands, games, and competitions. The most memorable part is how everyone was so jolly and reacted with loud claps and cheers for the people they were meeting for the first time. EXO-Ls are the best people to be around. The love and respect we hold for EXO made us come closer, and everyone was able to connect quickly. We’re so glad that we were able to successfully host an event where everyone felt included, involved, and celebrated.

EXO MAGIC IN MUMBAI

On the 19th, Mumbai EXO-Ls gathered together at Got Tea, Mahakali, Andheri East, and were welcomed by special kits that were especially made for the fans who attended. Everyone talked about their biases, moments with EXO, and just everything about what they love about EXO. Afterwards, they played Guess the Song by EXO in under 3 seconds, for which organizers had a little gift for the person who guessed the most number of songs. They also played Charades, where they enacted a song/member, and the other people had to guess. Again had a lot of talks in between. Fans also clicked a lot of pictures, recorded a few videos, and had a lot of fun doing all this. Lastly, they played a game where organizers gave certain scenarios, and then fans would say which member is most likely to do that. Eg: “Who would ghost you for 5 hrs after sending a text to you?” The event lasted for 3 hours and started at 12 PM. The event concluded with choosing the lucky winner who’d get some official goodies from Buzz Box on Instagram, or Kshitija, who managed the Pune event.

Organizer’s Experience: Ojasvi Rane

I managed this event in Mumbai, and it was definitely so much fun. This EXO event was actually my first fan event, which I attended AND organised. It was definitely a new experience, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I got to meet a lot of new people, fans who stan EXO with whom I could talk a lot about so many moments/memories with EXO. Definitely made so many new memories with all the new friends I made through this event. Grateful that Umang (@insway.events) decided to host this event in different cities and that I could be a part of it as an organizer as well.

INDIAN EXO-L’s MARKS 14 YEARS OF EXO

XOXO PLANET#9, a multi-city event, was not just an event; it was a reminder of the power of fandom, community, and shared passion. Exo-Ls from all over the cities gathered together to have a fun event celebrating the anniversary together. This event served as a perfect day for EXO-Ls to get together and share their interest in EXO, meet other fans, talk about the group & fandom, play games & celebrate 14 years of EXO and their recent comeback. Even from miles away, Indian EXO-Ls proved that their love for EXO is always unwavering, with the hope of only good things to happen with the group. XOXO PLANET#9 surely reflected the fact that EXO & EXO-Ls are always stronger together. We hope to see the whole group in India one day.

Which is your favourite song from EXO? Did you attend their events? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.