Rising K-pop girl group ILLIT has officially announced encore performances for their debut tour, “PRESS START♥,” expanding their schedule across major venues in South Korea and Japan.
Revealed on July 27, 2026, by BELIFT LAB through the group’s official Weverse platform, the extended leg titled “ILLIT LIVE PRESS START♥ ENCORE” comes as a direct response to massive ticket demand and passionate support from their global fanbase, GLLIT.
The original “PRESS START♥” tour gained widespread acclaim for its inventive, game-themed stage production that treated concert segments as different playable levels, displaying the group’s signature blend of quirky visuals and tight performance execution.
After original stops in Seoul, five Japanese cities, and Hong Kong sold out rapidly, organizers added limited-view and standing tickets before adding full show dates.
The additional encore performances bring the grand total of the tour to 15 shows across seven cities.
Encore Schedule and Strategic Expansion
The upcoming encore tour will kick off in South Korea before heading back to Japan for a series of year-end performances:
- Incheon, South Korea: October 17 and 18, 2026 at the Inspire Arena
- Chiba (Tokyo Area), Japan: December 23, 24, 26, and 27, 2026 at LaLa Arena TOKYO-BAY
Landing at Incheon’s state-of-the-art Inspire Arena marks a significant venue scale-up for the group, highlighting their rapid domestic growth within their first year of touring
The four-night run at Chiba’s LaLa Arena TOKYO-BAY across the Christmas holiday period further emphasizes their rising popularity in the Japanese market.
Japanese Single Release and Summer Promotions
The tour extension arrives alongside high-profile promotional momentum in Japan. ILLIT released their second Japanese single, “I Got Your Back,” on July 26, 2026.
The title track quickly shot to the top of AWA Music’s real-time rising chart, while the B-side track “Sunday Morning” secured third place.
The single features a special collaboration with JISOO and MOMOKA from the Japanese girl group HANA, who surprised fans by making special guest appearances during ILLIT’s recent Tokyo concerts to perform the track live together.
Looking ahead, ILLIT continues a busy television and festival schedule throughout the summer.
The group is set to appear on NHK’s music showcase Utacon on July 28 and Fuji TV’s morning program Mezamashi TV on July 29, followed by major festival stages at the Mezamashi WANGAN Festival and LuckyFes’26 in August.
