My First Fan Meeting: Seeing SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu at the Snickers Fan Meeting in Manila

Last April 2026 was a trip full of firsts for me. It was my first fan meeting, my first time in Quezon City, my first time at the Araneta Coliseum, and my first time attending a K-pop event with Jexx.

The story started last February when Snickers PH announced their contest. Coincidentally, I was in Manila for an event at that time, so I thought, what would I lose if I joined the contest, right?

After the event, we decided to extend our stay in Manila, and I asked my blogger friends to look for a Mingyu standee at 7-Eleven with me. I also somewhat “forced” them to take photos and videos of me with the standee.

I mean, what would I lose? Probably my self-respect. But for Kim Mingyu, I’ll say it was worth it. I must admit, it was a major struggle for an introvert like me.

I’m usually lucky with raffles during Davao Bloggers Society events, but apparently, that luck doesn’t always extend to K-pop-related raffles. Still, I told myself that this might be the last time I’d get to see Mingyu in the Philippines before his enlistment, especially since I wasn’t planning to attend SEVENTEEN’s concert this year.

So I thought, self-respect won’t get me an exclusive event, so BAHALA NA SI BATMAN. 

My K-pop half and most kaladkarin friend when it comes to K-pop events had already migrated to Malaysia last year. Luckily, I had a plus one, so I thought of my fellow DBS blogger, Jexx.

He’s not a Carat YET. 

He was actually torn between extending his stay in Manila or going straight back to Davao since he had just come from a trip to Taiwan. I told him, “Extend your stay and watch Mingyu with me. I have a plus one!” Thankfully, he said yes.

Another sign that this trip was meant to happen was the fact that, despite the expensive plane tickets because of the ongoing oil crisis at the time, I won two plane tickets during the major Davao Bloggers events. One of them was even set to expire in May 2026.

Thank you, Cebu Pacific Air! 

This was also my shortest Manila trip so far. I flew in on Friday morning and went back to Davao early Sunday evening.

It was my first time staying in Quezon City, and I honestly wish I had listened to my friend’s recommendation for our accommodation because it was literally a five-minute walk from Araneta Coliseum. Our accommodation was still within walking distance, but because of the heat, there were times when the walk felt unbearable. So we eventually opted to just take a taxi to Gateway Mall.

We claimed our tickets the day before the event, which turned out to be a really good decision. The Snickers pop-up was super packed on the day of the fan meeting because the pop-up was also where the raffle winners had to claim their fan meeting tickets.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the Araneta Coliseum. I loved how cozy it felt and how easy it was to navigate around. My first concert more than 10 years ago was at the Mall of Asia Arena, and most of the concerts I’ve attended since then have also been there, so this was my first time experiencing a K-pop event at Araneta.

And I have to say, I really liked it.

I especially loved how close the artist felt compared to the MOA Arena. Even from our seats, Mingyu didn’t feel that far away, which made the whole experience more exciting.

As for the fan meeting itself, I must admit that it felt short. I’m more used to concerts, and I’ve never really been a huge fan of fan meetings because there’s usually more talking than performing. Or maybe it was also because this particular fan meeting was mainly for the Snickers promotion rather than an album or comeback.

Still, seeing Mingyu in person made it worth it.

And can we talk about his outfit? I LOVED IT. He looked super tall, and I honestly think the styling really suited him. Sometimes I feel like his stylists don’t fully use his height, but this time, they definitely did.

He also looked so relaxed throughout the event. I loved how laid-back he was, and as always, he was kind and respectful toward the host.

Looking back, I was probably a little too desperate to see Mingyu because, at that time, I genuinely believed this might be my last chance to see him in the Philippines before his enlistment.

Was all the effort worth it? Absolutely.

Would I do it again?

Definitely.

Because sometimes, you just have to forget about your self-respect, say BAHALA NA SI BATMAN, and go see your bias. 😂