K-pop boy band Exo arrived in Dubai early this morning, and their UAE fans turned up to the airport to greet them, leading to an outpour of excitement on social media.
By 10.30am today, the hashtag #WelcomeToDubaiEXO had already seen over 369,000 mentions on Twitter (making it the third most popular hashtag in the UAE at the time).
After taking an 11-hour flight, the members of Exo were seen walking through Dubai International, wearing surgical masks (which is common sight in airports). UAE fans were waiting from as early as 5am, holding signs, with some featuring the Exo members in UAE national dress.
Here are some of the best fan tweets from the morning.
Here's the crowd beginning to form:
We’re waiting @weareoneEXO 😄💕 #WelcomeToDubaiEXO pic.twitter.com/eCPaGjVCO1
— gia (@sejwootonin) January 16, 2018
I'm glad that there is so many fans wating for the boys although it's 5:13 am and that's so early!!!! I'm really PROUD OF YOU FAM !!!#WelcomeToDubaiEXO pic.twitter.com/2SCIyt3OoI
— esra (@watingforjm) January 16, 2018
A couple of fans even brought a giant sign, written in Korean, welcoming the group:
They all came really prepared #WelcomeToDubaiEXO pic.twitter.com/uxXbQMXDQz
— 61 (@ultchanyeolpark) January 16, 2018
An airport employee even got involved:
ASDJKL THE SECURITY GUY HOLDING A SEHUN FAN HE'S SO EXCITED IM SO EXCITED WE'RE ALL SO EXCITED #WelcomeToDubaiEXO pic.twitter.com/ZnnMjwqYCs
— suhø's hawaii shirt™ˣᵘˣⁱ (@letmaliktao) January 16, 2018
The frenzy built up until the band members finally walked out. They were led by bodyguards, and fans were roped off to the side, with screams of excitement at full force:
#WelcomeToDubaiEXO 180116 THEY R SOOOOOO BEAUUUTIFUUUULLL ㅠㅠㅜㅠ pic.twitter.com/JAoFDdN7d6
— 1 9 9 4 (@a_soomy) January 16, 2018
One lucky fan got close enough to wish them well:
Exo is in Dubai to celebrate their hit song Power being added to the list of melodies played at The Dubai Fountain – the first for a K-Pop song. Ahead of their arrival, a couple of members of the band uploaded a video to their social media accounts talking about the special occasion:
1월 16일, #EXO가 두바이에 갑니다✈ '#Power'와 펼쳐질 두바이 분수쇼를 기대해주세요💪👀 #FirstKpopEver #TheDubaiFountain #BurjKhalifa #Dubai pic.twitter.com/zybCKqeSLm
— EXO (@weareoneEXO) January 15, 2018
The premiere of the song will take place at 5.30pm today, January 16. The members are expected to watch the viewing from a private location.
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Read more:
Meet members of K-pop supergroup Exo in Dubai
Now you can watch the Dubai Fountain from a floating platform
Emaar has plans for 200-metre high Sky Walk in Downtown Dubai
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