Six K-pop stars will share hosting duties at the 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon, and the split tells you everything about how big this year’s show has become. TXT’s Yeonjun, IVE’s An Yu Jin, and RIIZE’s Sungchan will lead Day 1 on December 24. BOYNEXTDOOR’s Woonhak, BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, and TWS’s Shinyu will take over Day 2 on December 25. The announcement came on November 9, 2026, and it confirmed what fans had been guessing for weeks: SBS is going all-in for the festival’s 30th anniversary with its first-ever two-day format at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea.
The Six Hosts and How They Split the Nights
The lineup is clean and easy to follow. Each night gets three hosts, and each trio mixes senior and junior names from different groups.
Day 1 — December 24 (Christmas Eve)
- Yeonjun of TOMORROW X TOGETHER
- An Yu Jin of IVE
- Sungchan of RIIZE
Day 2 — December 25 (Christmas Day)
- Woonhak of BOYNEXTDOOR
- Jisoo of BLACKPINK
- Shinyu of TWS
All six have one thing in common: they have all served as MCs on SBS’s music show Inkigayo at some point. That detail is not a coincidence. SBS is marking 30 years of its year-end music festival by bringing back familiar faces from its own music broadcast history.
A 30th Anniversary First: Two Days, Two Teams
The 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon will be held across December 24 and December 25 at KINTEX in Ilsan, marking the first time in the event’s history that it runs for two days. The festival began in 1996 and has traditionally been a single-night show. Splitting it into two nights allows for a longer lineup and more performance time.
The scale reflects the milestone. SBS confirmed a 44-team lineup across the two days, pulling in artists from different generations of K-pop. The first lineup announcement in October 2026 included Stray Kids, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, TREASURE, ENHYPEN, IVE, NMIXX, &TEAM, BOYNEXTDOOR, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, TWS, and NCT WISH. The final lineup added legacy acts such as BoA, U-KNOW of TVXQ, SHINee, T-ARA, CL, and Jisoo as a solo performer on Day 2.
Why These Six Names Matter
The host lineup is not just about popularity. Each name carries a specific kind of weight.
Jisoo is the biggest international name on the list. She last hosted a major SBS music broadcast years ago, and her return to the network’s stage has been one of the most discussed parts of the announcement. She is also performing on Day 2, which means she will be on stage and behind the microphone on the same night.
An Yu Jin is the most experienced host of the group when it comes to this specific event. She has been an MC at the SBS Gayo Daejeon for multiple consecutive years, and her record now extends further with the 2026 edition.
Yeonjun has hosted the event before as well, and his role on Day 1 pairs him with An Yu Jin, a combination that already has broadcast experience.
Sungchan, Woonhak, and Shinyu represent the newer generation of idols stepping into a major hosting role. Woonhak and Shinyu are both from groups that debuted in the 2020s, and their placement on Christmas Day puts them alongside Jisoo, one of the most recognized K-pop artists in the world.
An Yu Jin Extends Her Hosting Record
An Yu Jin has become the longest-serving MC in the history of the SBS Gayo Daejeon. She began hosting the event in 2022 and has returned every year since. The 2026 edition will be her seventh time leading the show.
Her hosting history with SBS goes back to Inkigayo, where she served as an MC from March 2021 to March 2022. That run built the foundation for her year-end hosting role, and she has not missed a Gayo Daejeon since.
The record matters because it shows consistency. Year-end shows often rotate hosts, but SBS has kept An Yu Jin in the seat because she handles live broadcast pressure well. Her presence on Day 1 gives the Christmas Eve show a steady anchor alongside Yeonjun and Sungchan.
Jisoo Returns to SBS Hosting
Jisoo‘s return to an SBS hosting role has been framed by several outlets as a homecoming of sorts. She was an Inkigayo MC earlier in her career, and her move back to the network’s year-end stage comes after years of focusing on BLACKPINK group activities and her solo music.
Her Day 2 slot places her with two younger hosts, Woonhak and Shinyu. The pairing is deliberately cross-generational. Jisoo debuted with BLACKPINK in 2016, while BOYNEXTDOOR and TWS arrived in the 2020s. Putting them on the same stage fits the anniversary theme of connecting K-pop’s past and present.
“Jisoo’s return to SBS hosting after years has drawn strong reaction from fans, with many calling it a full-circle moment for the BLACKPINK star.” — Summary of fan discussion across Korean entertainment forums and social media, November 9, 2026
Fan comments across Korean forums and social media focused on two things: Jisoo hosting again, and the fact that all six hosts are former Inkigayo MCs. One widely shared reaction on a K-pop community board read, “All six are Inkigayo MCs — this is basically an Inkigayo reunion on the Gayo Daejeon stage.”
The Full Lineup Around the Hosts
The hosts are only part of the story. The 44-team lineup is the largest in the event’s history, and it spreads across both nights.
Day 1 (December 24) includes BoA, U-KNOW, NAYEON of TWICE, NCT 127, MIYEON & MINNIE of (G)I-DLE, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, YEONJUN, ENHYPEN, IVE, NMIXX, &TEAM, RIIZE, NCT WISH, RESCENE, and Hearts2Hearts.
Day 2 (December 25) includes SHINee, CL, T-ARA, JISOO, Stray Kids, SOYEON of (G)I-DLE, ATEEZ, TREASURE, BOYNEXTDOOR, ZEROBASEONE, TWS, BABYMONSTER, MEOVV, CORTIS, AND2BLE, EVAN, and A2O LITE.
The lineup pulls from every era of K-pop. BoA debuted in 2000. TVXQ‘s U-KNOW debuted in 2003. SHINee debuted in 2008. T-ARA debuted in 2009. CL rose to fame with 2NE1 in 2009. On the other end, Hearts2Hearts, MEOVV, and A2O LITE are among the newest acts on the bill.
What the Production Team Said
SBS’s production team explained the thinking behind the two-day format and the lineup in a statement released with the announcement.
“To repay the enthusiastic interest shown following the announcement of the first lineup, we have gathered the legendary artists who have been with Gayo Daejeon for 30 years back in one place. We will present a Christmas that fans will remember for a long time through collaboration performances created together by seniors and juniors and homage stages honoring 30 years of hit songs.” — SBS production team, via SBS News, November 9, 2026
The statement points to two specific parts of the show: collaboration stages between senior and junior artists, and homage stages that revisit hit songs from the past three decades. Those segments are separate from the host lineup, but they explain why the performing roster is so wide.
Broadcast and Viewing Details
The 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon will be held at KINTEX in Ilsan, South Korea, on December 24 and December 25. SBS has not yet confirmed the exact broadcast time or international streaming platforms for the two nights. Viewers outside South Korea should check SBS’s official channels and the network’s social media accounts for broadcast and streaming information as the dates get closer.
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For fans in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and other global markets, past SBS Gayo Daejeon broadcasts have been carried through regional streaming partners and SBS’s own platforms. Official details for the 2026 edition have not been finalized.
Stay with VvipTimes for clear, fact-checked coverage of the year’s biggest K-pop stages.
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